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Synonyms and Antonyms: A Word Islands Adventure

Synonyms and Antonyms: A Word Islands Adventure

Learn synonyms and antonyms, from big and large to big and little, by sailing round Word Islands, building bridges and choosing the best word.

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What you'll learn

  • What a synonym is, with examples like big, large and huge
  • What an antonym is, with examples like big and little
  • How the prefixes un-, dis-, in- and im- make antonyms
  • How to pick the synonym that fits a sentence's meaning and strength
  • How to find the subject and object, and spot passive sentences
  • The names and jobs of the colon, semi-colon, hyphen and ellipsis

Chapter by chapter

  1. Synonyms: words with similar meanings (big, large)

    Year 6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  2. Antonyms: words with opposite meanings (big, little)

    Year 6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  3. Synonym or antonym? Telling big, large and little apart

    Year 6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  4. Choosing the best synonym or antonym for a sentence

    Year 6 english · 1

  5. Grammar terms: subject, object, active and passive

    Year 6 english · 2

  6. Punctuation terms: ellipsis, hyphen, colon, semi-colon and bullet points

    Year 6 english · 2

  7. Grand word challenge: synonyms, antonyms and grammar terms (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 6 english: Word: how words are related by meaning as synonyms and antonyms
  2. Year 6 english: Terminology: subject, object, active, passive, synonym, antonym, ellipsis, hyphen, colon, semi-colon, bullet points

About this adventure

Synonyms and Antonyms is an interactive game that teaches children aged 9–11 how words are related by meaning, matching the Year 6 English national curriculum in England. A synonym is a word with the same or a similar meaning, like big and large; an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning, like big and little.

Guided by Echo the parrot, players swap words in sentences, sort word pairs, make opposites with the prefixes un-, dis-, in- and im-, and type their own synonyms and antonyms. They also find out that synonyms can be stronger or weaker, and that a word like light needs a different opposite in different sentences.

The game also covers the Year 6 grammar terms subject, object, active, passive, ellipsis, hyphen, colon, semi-colon and bullet points. Every line is read aloud, and a 10-question challenge checks what has been learnt.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym?

A synonym is a word with the same or a similar meaning to another word, while an antonym has the opposite meaning. Big and large are synonyms; big and little are antonyms. A handy trick: S for similar, A for against.

Can you make an antonym by adding a prefix?

Yes, many antonyms are made by adding a prefix meaning not, such as un-, dis-, in- or im-. Tidy becomes untidy, agree becomes disagree and possible becomes impossible. Other antonyms are completely different words, like hot and cold.

Can a word have more than one antonym?

Yes, a word can have several antonyms, and the right one depends on the sentence. A light bag is the opposite of a heavy one, but a light sky is the opposite of a dark one, so children need to read the context first.

What age is this synonyms and antonyms game for?

It is made for children aged 9 to 11 and follows the Year 6 English national curriculum in England. Younger confident readers can enjoy the first chapters, because every instruction is read aloud and the early tasks use everyday words.

How long does the game take and what does it include?

Playing everything takes about 45 minutes. There are six chapters, each with an animated introduction, hands-on tasks and typed answers, followed by a 10-question challenge. Children can start from any chapter and stop between them.

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