Word Relationships

Word Relationships

Words don't just exist in a vacuum out in space. Sometimes we can only really understand what they mean because of the words around them.

For example:

• "I love strawberries!"

• "I love my mom!"

• "LOVE" is the same word in both places. Its definition doesn't change, but we probably don't feel the same feelings toward strawberries and our moms. We can only know what "love" means in this sentence by looking at the words around it - that's what a WORD RELATIONSHIP is.

Cause/Effect Word Relationships

• Sometimes you can tell what a word means by the EFFECT it has CAUSED on another word. SO, BECAUSE, and SINCE signal cause/effect relationships.

• We ran out of sugar before we finished baking, SO we had to go to the store.

• I wanted a new bike BECAUSE I saw the one that Leonard had.

• SINCE I learned scales, I can hear a song's key more easily.

Multiple Select

Which 3 words indicate a cause/effect relation?

• Since

• Because

• And

• So

Multiple Choice

What is the cause in this sentence?

I went running because I needed some exercise.

• I went running

• because I needed some exercise.

Items and Categories

• Sometimes you learn more about a word because it's part of a CATEGORY.

• FOR ISNTANCE: There are 18 students in the class.

• We can learn about both STUDENTS and CLASSES because they are related as items in a category.

• What do we learn about students? They are part of a class!

• What do we learn about classes? They are made up of students!

Multiple Choice

In the following sentence, which word identifies the item?

There are 8 notes in a musical scale.

• notes

• musical scale

Multiple Choice

In the following sentence, which word identifies the category?

There are 8 notes in a musical scale.

• notes

• musical scale

Synonyms and Antonyms

Imagine you're about to introduce your brother to a new friend. You want to give your brother an idea of what the new friend will be like when he arrives. You might say "He's just like Matt." Or you might say "He's nothing like Matt." Either way, if your brother knows Matt, he'll understand something about your new friend when you COMPARE and CONTRAST the two of them.

Synonyms and Antonyms

The same is true with words. If you know that a word is like another word, then you know something about its meaning. If you know it's different from another word, you know something it, too. Words that mean the same thing are called SYNONYMS. Words that mean the opposite of each other are called ANTONYMS.

Multiple Choice

Is "hate" a synonym or an antonym for "love"?

• synonym

• antonym

Multiple Select

Which of he following 2 words are ANTONYMS "funny"?

• hilarious

• boring

• serious

• entertaining

Analogy

• An analogy compares two things that are similar in some important way.

• FOR INSTANCE: My brother is to me like my uncle is to my mom.

• This is known as an A:B::X:Y relationship.

Analogy Examples!

• Medicine : Sickness :: Water : Thirst

• Wing : Bird :: Fin : Whale

• Sacramento : California :: Baltimore : Maryland

Multiple Choice

Which word completes the following analogy?

Petal : Flower :: Feather : ______

• bird

• fish

• flower

Multiple Choice

Which word completes the following analogy?

An astronaut steers her rocket like a bus driver steers his _____.

• rocket

• bus

• car

Part and Whole Word Relationships

Sometimes words are related because one object is part of a whole object. Some analogies compare a part to its whole.

> A piece is to pie like a slice is to pizza.

> A runner is to a relay race like a musician is to a band.

> A tree is to a forest like a drop of water is to an ocean.

We can tell from these analogies what each whole is made up of!

Multiple Choice

Complete the analogy:

Sand is to a beach like branches are to a ____.

• garden

• tree

• house

Let's Review!

• Understanding how words are related can help us understand words we aren't familiar with!

• Cause/Effect Relations show how a word causes an effect on another word.

• Items and Categories show us how a group of things or people share qualities

• Synonyms and Antonyms help us by comparing or contrasting to something we already know about.

• Analogies show how 2 things are similar in some important way.