Antonyms, Synonyms, and Homonyms

Summary
Paul and Lester explain how antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms work.

Transcript
(Paul is sitting at a table doing a crossword puzzle. Lester brings him a plate of bagels)

Lester: Here, Paul. I made you a snack.

Paul: Hmm, thank you.

(Paul picks up one of the bagels and takes a bite)

Paul: Ow!

(The bagels are revealed to be topped with cream cheese and padlocks)

Paul: A bagel with locks...That's pretty funny!

Caption Reads: Antonyms, Synonyms, and Homonyms

Narrator: Today, Paul and Lester are going to explain how you should tell the difference between a synonym, an antonym, and a homonym.

Paul: Let's take care of homonyms first. Homonyms are pairs of words that have different meanings, but are spelled or pronounced the same. Homonyms that sound the same are called homophones. Homonyms that are spelled the same are called homographs. For example, let's take the three words "bass," "bass," and "base." (A fish appears below the word "bass" (spelled b-a-s-s and rhymes with "lass"), a guitar appears below the word "bass" (spelled b-a-s-s and rhymes with "face"), and a baseball base appears below the word "base" (spelled b-a-s-e and rhymes with "face"))

Paul: "Bass" and "bass" are homographs. They're spelled the same, but they have different meanings. "Bass" and "base" are homophones. They sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.

Lester: You can usually tell which homophone the speaker means by listening to the rest of the sentence. If I say, "I slid into third base," can you tell which of the two homophones I mean?

(Two pictures appear on the screen side by side. On the left is a picture of a bass guitar on the ground in a baseball diamond with someone's foot sliding into it, and on the right is a picture of a baseball base on the ground in a baseball diamond with someone's foot sliding into it)

Paul: Well, it's b-a-s-e. Synonyms aren't so confusing. They're just words that mean the same thing, like "gigantic" and "huge."

(Two pictures appear on the screen side by side. On the left is a picture of a Neanderthal man with the word "gigantic" above it, and on the right is a picture of a robot with the word "huge" above it)

Paul: Both words are adjectives meaning "big." They're what we call synonymous. You try it. Let's take the word "brave." Which of these three words is a synonym for "brave"?

(On the left side of the screen, a picture of a knight on a horse appears with the word "brave" above it. To the right of the picture, three words appear in a list. The words are intelligent, dangerous, and courageous)

Paul: Let's look at "intelligent." It means the same thing as "smart," which isn't synonymous with "brave."

(The word "intelligent" is highlighted. A picture of a woman with glasses appears to represent "intelligent." The word is then crossed out)

Paul: On to "dangerous." "Dangerous" describes something that might cause loss or injury, so we can cross that off.

(The word "dangerous" is highlighted. A picture of a monkey holding a hammer replaces the picture of the woman with glasses. The word "dangerous" is then crossed out)

Paul: We're left with "courageous." "Courageous" describes a person ready to face danger. That sounds synonymous with "brave," don't you think?

(The word "courageous" is highlighted. A picture of an astronaut in a space suit replaces the monkey)

Lester: There can be more than two synonyms, just like there can be more than two homonyms. I can think of lots of synonyms for "brave," like "gutsy," "fearless," and "bold."

Paul: That's right. Now let's talk about antonyms. Antonyms are words that mean the opposite of each other. Like, say, "fast" and "slow". "Stop" and "go". "Love" and "hate".

Lester: Just like synonyms, any word can have lots of antonyms. For example, let's take the adjective "clean." You can probably think of a ton of antonyms for "clean," like "dirty," "filthy," "grimy," "dusty," "foul," "muddy," "unwashed"...the list goes on and on.

Paul: Words that mean opposite things can be called antonymous to each other. It’s not as commonly used as the word "synonymous," though. By the way, can I please have my bagel with l-o-x now? I'm kind of hungry here.

Lester: Okay. Lemme think.

(There's a silent beat)

Paul: You're trying to think of a homonym for "bagel," aren't you?