Reading about an awkward moment: idioms, synonyms and antonyms
Unit 6 is about friends and time together; its aims are on page 82. A synonym is a word with a similar meaning and an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning. To find them in a text, read the sentence and ask what the word means there; words such as but, however and although often introduce an opposite. Three idioms from this unit: āpale as a ghostā means very white in the face from shock or fear; āstand by someoneā means to stay and help in difficult times; āhit the townā means to go out in town and enjoy yourself. The bookās story on pages 83 and 84 is named by page only. Invitations (page 85): to invite, say Would you like to come to ā¦? To accept, say Iād love to, thank you. To decline politely, say Thank you for asking, but Iām afraid I canāt, because ā¦.
| Word | Similar (synonym) | Opposite (antonym) |
|---|---|---|
| lively | energetic | dull |
| clumsy | awkward | graceful |
| unaware | not noticing | aware |
| embarrassed | uncomfortable | at ease |
At the school cafĆ© on Tuesday, Jana was carrying a tray with two cups of tea when she tripped on a bag. The tea splashed over Malekās new notebook. Malek was unaware that she was behind him until he felt the drops on his arm. The cafĆ©, which had been lively a second before, went quiet. Jana felt her face turn pale as a ghost, and her hands shook. āI am so sorry,ā she said. āI am the clumsiest person in the school.ā Malek looked at the wet pages and then at her. āIt is only a notebook,ā he said with a small smile. āSit down. I will help you get a fresh cup.ā Soon the cafĆ© was loud again. Jana was still embarrassed, but she was grateful that Malek had stood by her. After school they dried the pages on a radiator, and the dull blue cover looked almost new again. On Friday the friends planned to hit the town for an ice cream.
Role-play in pairs. Student A invites student B to a school event on Saturday. Student B accepts the first invitation and declines the second one politely with a reason. Then swap. Write down one new synonym and one antonym for a word from the story.