Question 2 Skills: Synonyms (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE English Language)

Revision Note

Deb Orrock

Written by: Deb Orrock

Reviewed by: Kate Lee

Question 2 Skills: Synonyms

Question 2 tests you on your ability to understand the explicit and implied meanings of words and phrases in a text (in context). You will be asked to identify a word or phrase in the text which corresponds to the words that are underlined, and to explain what specific words mean in context. This means you need to have an understanding of synonyms.

What are synonyms?

Synonyms are words or phrases that mean exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase. For example, “tiny” is a synonym of “small”, and “excellent” is a synonym of “fantastic”. Developing your knowledge of synonyms can help you expand your vocabulary and your use of more sophisticated words and phrases. This can be a useful life skill, as instead of applying for a “job”, you can be applying for a “position”, or instead of saying “sorry” you could be offering an “apology”.

How to use synonyms in context

A thesaurus is a tool which can help you find synonyms for particular words, and there may be lots to choose from. However, it is important that any synonym you choose means the same in context as the original word or phrase. 

For example, if we take the word “dying”. The literal meaning of this word is something that is reaching the end of its life. But in the exam, you might be asked to explain what the writer means by the word “dying” in a sentence such as:

On the other side, there was a streetlamp with a dying bulb.

Here, the examiner would be looking for an explanation of the word “dying” appropriate to the context in which it has been used. So, in this case, the bulb is becoming fainter and dimmer, so the appropriate synonyms would be “fading” or “dimming”.

This is why it is always important to consider the context in which a word or phrase has been used in order to explain it.

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Deb Orrock

Author: Deb Orrock

Expertise: English Content Creator

Deb is a graduate of Lancaster University and The University of Wolverhampton. After some time travelling and a successful career in the travel industry, she re-trained in education, specialising in literacy. She has over 16 years’ experience of working in education, teaching English Literature, English Language, Functional Skills English, ESOL and on Access to HE courses. She has also held curriculum and quality manager roles, and worked with organisations on embedding literacy and numeracy into vocational curriculums. She most recently managed a post-16 English curriculum as well as writing educational content and resources.

Kate Lee

Author: Kate Lee

Expertise: English and Languages Lead

Kate has over 12 years of teaching experience as a Head of English and as a private tutor. Having also worked at the exam board AQA and in educational publishing, she's been writing educational resources to support learners in their exams throughout her career. She's passionate about helping students achieve their potential by developing their literacy and exam skills.