Students will understand what opposites (antonyms) are.
Students will learn at least 20 common pairs of opposites.
Students will use opposites correctly in sentences.
Students will be able to match and fill in opposite words.
📖 Let Us Begin!
Is the sun hot or cold? Is an elephant big or small? Is day the same as night?
Hot and cold, big and small, day and night -- these are words that have opposite meanings. We call them antonyms. Learning opposites helps us understand words better. Let us begin!
What Are Opposites?
Opposites are words that have completely different meanings from each other. Another name for opposites is antonyms.
For example: "big" means large in size. "Small" means little in size. So, big and small are opposites.
Think about it: What is the opposite of "happy"? If you said "sad", you are right!
20 Common Opposite Pairs
Word
Opposite
Word
Opposite
big
small
hot
cold
happy
sad
tall
short
old
new
fast
slow
up
down
day
night
open
close
clean
dirty
light
dark
hard
soft
full
empty
thick
thin
long
short
wet
dry
good
bad
rich
poor
come
go
laugh
cry
Opposites in Sentences
Let us see how opposites work in sentences:
The mango is sweet, but the lemon is sour.
The elephant is big, but the ant is small.
In summer it is hot, but in winter it is cold.
Rani is happy today, but Sita is sad.
The glass is full of water, but the jug is empty.
Think about it: Can you make a sentence using the opposites "clean" and "dirty"?
📝 Key Words
Word
Meaning
Opposite
A word that has a completely different meaning from another word
Antonym
Another name for opposite words
Pair
Two things that go together (big-small is a pair of opposites)
Meaning
What a word tells us or stands for
⭐ Key Points to Remember
Opposites are words with completely different meanings. They are also called antonyms.
Big - Small, Hot - Cold, Happy - Sad, Day - Night are common opposite pairs.
Every word does not have an opposite. Only describing words and some action words have opposites.
Learning opposites helps us understand and use words better.
✏️ Practice Questions
A. Write the Opposite
1. hot --
2. big --
3. day --
4. happy --
5. full --
6. fast --
7. clean --
8. up --
B. Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the opposite of "tall"?
(a) big(b) short(c) fat(d) long
2. What is the opposite of "open"?
(a) shut(b) close(c) wide(d) break
3. Which pair are NOT opposites?
(a) hot - cold(b) big - small(c) run - walk(d) day - night
C. Fill in the Opposite in the Sentence
1. The pillow is soft, but the rock is .
2. The tortoise is slow, but the rabbit is .
3. My old shoes are torn. I need shoes.
4. The room was dark, so I switched on the light to make it .
🎨 Think and Do -- Fun Activity
Match the Pairs: Draw a line to match each word in Column A with its opposite in Column B.
Column A
Column B
laugh
dry
wet
poor
thick
cry
rich
bad
good
thin
come
down
up
go
Want to use this as a worksheet? Switch to the A4 printable view.
Students will understand what opposites (antonyms) are.
Students will learn at least 20 common pairs of opposites.
Students will use opposites correctly in sentences.
Students will be able to match and fill in opposite words.
Let Us Begin!
Is the sun hot or cold? Is an elephant big or small? Is day the same as night?
Hot and cold, big and small, day and night -- these are words that have opposite meanings. We call them antonyms. Learning opposites helps us understand words better. Let us begin!
What Are Opposites?
Opposites are words that have completely different meanings from each other. Another name for opposites is antonyms.
For example: "big" means large in size. "Small" means little in size. So, big and small are opposites.
Think about it: What is the opposite of "happy"? If you said "sad", you are right!
20 Common Opposite Pairs
Word
Opposite
Word
Opposite
big
small
hot
cold
happy
sad
tall
short
old
new
fast
slow
up
down
day
night
open
close
clean
dirty
light
dark
hard
soft
full
empty
thick
thin
long
short
wet
dry
good
bad
rich
poor
come
go
laugh
cry
Opposites in Sentences
Let us see how opposites work in sentences:
The mango is sweet, but the lemon is sour.
The elephant is big, but the ant is small.
In summer it is hot, but in winter it is cold.
Rani is happy today, but Sita is sad.
The glass is full of water, but the jug is empty.
Think about it: Can you make a sentence using the opposites "clean" and "dirty"?
Key Words and Meanings
Word
Meaning
Opposite
A word that has a completely different meaning from another word
Antonym
Another name for opposite words
Pair
Two things that go together (big-small is a pair of opposites)
Meaning
What a word tells us or stands for
English -- Class 3 (continued)
Topic: Opposites (Antonyms) -- Key Points and Practice
Key Points to Remember
Opposites are words with completely different meanings. They are also called antonyms.
Big - Small, Hot - Cold, Happy - Sad, Day - Night are common opposite pairs.
Every word does not have an opposite. Only describing words and some action words have opposites.
Learning opposites helps us understand and use words better.
Examples from Daily Life
Example 1: At the Market
Amma bought a big watermelon and a small lemon. The watermelon was heavy and the lemon was light. Here, big-small and heavy-light are pairs of opposites.
Example 2: Weather
In Chennai, summers are very hot. But in Shimla, winters are very cold. Hot and cold are opposites that describe the weather.
Example 3: In the Classroom
The teacher said, "Please open your books." After the lesson, she said, "Now close your books." Open and close are opposite actions.
Practice Questions
A. Write the Opposite
hot --
big --
day --
happy --
full --
fast --
clean --
up --
B. Multiple Choice Questions
What is the opposite of "tall"?
(a) big(b) short(c) fat(d) long
What is the opposite of "open"?
(a) shut(b) close(c) wide(d) break
Which pair are NOT opposites?
(a) hot - cold(b) big - small(c) run - walk(d) day - night
C. Fill in the Opposite in the Sentence
The pillow is soft, but the rock is .
The tortoise is slow, but the rabbit is .
My old shoes are torn. I need shoes.
The room was dark, so I switched on the light to make it .
Think and Do -- Fun Activity
Match the Pairs: Draw a line to match each word in Column A with its opposite in Column B.