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Pass IELTS Higher

Advice and tips to pass IELTS with band scores 7 and above

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IELTS Vocabulary Expansion – Adjectives and Synonyms

by James England

Band scores in all aspects of the IELTS Test can be increased by demonstrating accurate usage of a broader vocabulary.

I’ve mentioned before that one way to extend your vocabulary is to note and learn unfamiliar words together with synonyms and antonyms.

You’ll recall that synonyms are words which are similar or have a related meaning to another word. Their use makes your speaking and writing much more interesting (especially to an IELTS examiner!) as they help you to avoid repeating the same words over and over and using overused words such as “like”.

However, there is a certain skill involved in choosing the most appropriate synonym. You should remember that words are not all created equal and synonyms, by design, do not have an equivalent meaning as the word they replace. It is important to consider the context of the sentence the word is being used in because some synonyms can result in a much different meaning than that intended. One synonym of sad, for example, is “gloomy”. Gloomy carries quite a negative connotation. So if you just want to say that someone is “down” then another synonym such as “blue” or “unhappy” is likely to be more applicable.

Synonym Examples

To illustrate synonyms, here is a list of adjectives and their synonyms commonly used to describe people:

Beautiful: Attractive, Pretty, Lovely, Stunning

Fair: Just, Objective, Impartial, Unbiased

Funny: Humorous, Comical, Hilarious, Hysterical

Happy: Content, Joyful, Mirthful, Upbeat

Hardworking: Diligent, Determined, Industrious, Enterprising

Honest: Honorable, Fair, Sincere, Trustworthy

Intelligent: Smart, Bright, Brilliant, Sharp

Introverted: Shy, Bashful, Quiet, Withdrawn

Kind: Thoughtful, Considerate, Amiable, Gracious

Lazy: Idle, Lackadaisical, Lethargic, Indolent

Mean: Unfriendly, Unpleasant, Bad-tempered, Difficult

Outgoing: Friendly, Sociable, Warm, Extroverted

Rich: Affluent, Wealthy, Well-off, Well-to-do

Strong: Stable, Secure, Solid, Tough

Unhappy: Sad, Depressed, Melancholy, Miserable

I hope you enjoyed this post – test your own vocabulary below.

To your IELTS Success.

James

Comments

  1. Tessa says

    November 12, 2011 at 7:48 AM

    Thank you for this helpful post. Synonyms have the same denotations but different connotations. Only if we consider words and look them up in the dictionary carefully, we will be able to choose right words for our writings.

    I also find this useful: http://www.paulnoll.com/Books/Synonyms/alpha-list-01.html

    I would like to receive free updates. Thank you very much.

    Best wishes,
    Tessa

    Reply
    • James England says

      November 12, 2011 at 10:56 AM

      Thank you Tessa, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head! The link is also very helpful. It gives me ideas for improving our resource. Regards, James

      Reply
  2. raya says

    November 20, 2011 at 9:55 PM

    thank you.

    Reply
    • James England says

      November 21, 2011 at 8:18 AM

      You’re very welcome, Raya.

      Reply
  3. mainguyen says

    November 25, 2011 at 3:27 PM

    thanks for your useful lessons!

    Reply
    • James England says

      November 26, 2011 at 7:04 AM

      You are very welcome Mainguyen. I’m pleased you like the website. Regards,

      James

      Reply
  4. romeo dibateu says

    March 15, 2012 at 7:56 AM

    hi james,i am about to take my IELTS in may,and by visiting your web is helping me a lot to get ready on my test day.romeo dibateu cameroon

    Reply
    • James England says

      March 17, 2012 at 6:09 PM

      Thank you for your very kind words Romeo. I wish you good luck in your forthcoming test.

      Regards,

      James

      Reply
  5. minoo khamesian says

    June 7, 2012 at 8:19 PM

    great, thanks.

    Reply

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