Opposites: Verbs
General Vocabulary
Exercise 1
Replace the verbs in bold in sentences 1 – 26 with a word or expression from the box which has
an opposite meaning in the same context. In many cases you will need to change the form of the
word (for example, to its past simple form).
abandon abolish attack conceal decline demolish deny deteriorate
exaggerate extend fall forbid gain hire lend loosen lower postpone refuse reject replenish
reward set simplify succeed withdraw
1. They accepted the offer of a ceasefire.
2. He admitted telling lies in his original statement.
3. They agreed to meet to discuss the future of the organization.
4. The senator defended his opponent's policies in a televised speech.
5. The apartments blocks they built were the ugliest in the city.
6. He complicated matters by rewriting the original proposal.
7. They continued their plans to assassinate the king when he opened Parliament.
8. He deposited $10,000 – half his college fees for the forthcoming year.
9. Relations between the two countries have improved considerably in the last year.
10. He permitted us to present our petition directly to the President.
11. The members of the commune were punished for their part in the revolution.
12. He raised the overall standards of the company within two months of his appointment.
13. As soon as the sun rose, the demonstrators began to appear on the streets.
14. Prices rose sharply in the first three months of the financial year.
15. As soon as he had tightened the knots, he pushed the boat out.
16. To everyone's surprise, she failed.
17. Tomorrow's meeting has been brought forward.
18. The management said that they would be happy to borrow the money.
19. Several flaws in the design of the new model were revealed.
20. The course has been shortened to 12 weeks.
21. I don't want to underestimate his role in the club.
22. Attendance has increased since the new professor took over the course.
23. Fuel supplies have been exhausted.
24. Despite having a bigger and cheaper choice of healthy foods, many Americans have lost a lot of
weight.
25. Following the revolution, the monarchy was restored.
26. The company started seeing some success once they dismissed several employees.
Exercise 2
Some verbs can be made into their opposite form, or otherwise modified, by the addition of the
prefixes dis-, im-, mis-, or un-.
In each of the sentences below, change the verb in bold into its opposite form using one of the
prefixes above.
2. The press have once again quote the President: he said that women were “America's hope for the
future”, and not “America's hopeless future”.
3. The National Patients' Association is calling on Senators around the country to make doctors legally
responsible for diagnose an illness.
6. Despite recent rumors in the press, Kaput Computers is pleased to announce that it will not be
continue its popular range of discounted computers for students.
8. The press deliberately tried to represent our college, wrongly suggesting that we only recruit
students whose parents make large financial donations to the college.
10. Once the film has been load from the camera, it needs to kept in a dark, dry place until it can be
processed.
12. If any students agree with the new regulations, they should put their concerns in a letter to the
Course Director.
13. If any student use the college computers (e.g., for accessing undesirable websites), they will be
instantly suspended.
14. In his new book “Stars in my Eyes”, astronomer Harvey Weiss claims to lock the secrets of the
universe.
16. As the full extent of the disaster fold, the government decided to take drastic action.
20. Employers have every right to trust interview candidates who are not able to provide adequate
references or show proof of their qualifications.
22. The college staff approve of students smoking on the premises.
23. He was surprised that everyone had obey the rules.
1. We completely judge the time we had for the project, and unfortunately we were unable to finish
on time.
2. When one group of people understand another, usually as a result of linguistic or cultural
differences, physical conflict is often the result.
4. Before connect the copier from the power supply, make sure it is switched off.
5. Students who are caught cheating will be immediately qualify.
7. Your lack of progress on this course has please your tutor, and in view of this he plans report you to
the Principal.
9. I accidentally calculate the amount we needed to spend on fees and accommodations.
11. It is a sad fact of college life that unless some students are properly supervised, they will take every
opportunity to behave.
15. We claimed $20,000 for fire damage, but the claim was allow because we hadn't observed proper
safety procedures.
17. We regret that our trust in you was sadly place, and therefore we will not be dealing with you in
the future.
18. A recent investigation has cover several cases of unauthorized Internet use in the library.
19. The huge increase in exports recently has prove the argument that the world has stopped buying
American goods.
21. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, many of our students like the increased workload this semester.
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Opposites: Adjectives
Exercise 1
Replace the adjectives in bold in sentences 1 – 28 with a word or expression from the box which
has an opposite meaning in the same context.
approximate archaic artificial clear commonplace compulsory considerable crude
delicate detrimental dim easy even feasible flexible graceful innocent intricate
negligible problematic scarce smooth reluctant spontaneous tedious vibrant worthless
worthwhile
1. The meaning of his words was very ambiguous.
2. According to his colleagues, he's a very awkward person to deal with.
3. When she first started dancing, she was very awkward.
4. His policies were beneficial to the economy as a whole.
5. We need exact figures before we embark on a new venture.
6. The jury decided he was guilty of the crime.
7. Add up all the odd numbers between 1 and 20 to get a result.
8. Despite the weather, supplies of food after the harvest were plentiful.
9. The laws restricting pollution in the city are very rigid.
10. There is a slight difference in the way the company is run these days compared with a few
years
ago.
11. The device is very sophisticated and should only be operated by someone who is familiar
with it.
12. The spices used in the production of some international dishes have a very strong flavor.
13. The bright light from the flashlight picked out details on the walls of the cave.
14. Attendance at afternoon classes should be voluntary.
15. A lot of students are willing to attend classes on Saturday morning.
16. Newspapers are saying a lot about the country's modern licensing laws.
17. Many students believe that doing voluntary work for charities is a pointless cause.
18. The country displayed all the features of a stagnant economy.
19. Her lectures are extremely interesting.
20. Planned demonstrations and strikes took place all over the city.
21. The plans they presented were simple and well written.
22. A close study of the painting by experts revealed it to be priceless.
23. The new rules had a profound impact on everyone's behavior.
24. What you are asking me to do is quite impossible.
25. Contrary to what many people think, this is a very rare event.
26. Organizing a fundraising event can be surprisingly simple.
27. From a distance, the surface of the planet appears to be very rough.
28. The confectionery contained several flavors, all of them natural
