OPPOSITES (CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR IELTS)

OPPOSITES

A.       Replace the words in bold in these sentences with a word from the box which has an opposite meaning.

VERBS

withdrew	fell	rewarded	loosened	refused (to let)
set	denied	deteriorated	abandoned	lowered
demolished	retreated	simplified	defended	rejected

1	They accepted the offer of a ceasefire.
2	He admitted telling lies in his original statement.
3	The army slowly advanced, leaving a trail of devastation in its path.
4	They agreed to meet to discuss the future of the organisation.
5	The minister attacked his party’s policies in a speech in Parliament.
6	The apartments blocks they built were the ugliest in the city.
7	He complicated matters by rewriting the original proposal.
8	They continued their plans to assassinate the king when he opened the parliament.
9	He deposited £7,000 – half his college fees for the forthcoming year.
10	Relations between the two countries have improved considerably in the last year.
11	He permitted us to present our petition directly to the President.
12	The members of the commune were punished for their part of revolution.
13	He raised the overall standards of the company within two months of his appointment.
14	As soon as the sun rose, the demonstration began to appear in the streets.
15	Price rose sharply in the first three months of the financial year.
16	As soon as he had tightened the knots, he pushed the boat out.

ADJECTIVES

scarce	easy	approximate	dim	compulsory
delicate	innocent	detrimental	reluctant	crude
even	clear	graceful	clear	flexible

                                 

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 protecting the green belt around 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 flavour.
13	The strong light from the torch 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.

ANSWER KEY