Let's speak

Hi,

Welcome back to learning words and their associations!

One way to build a good vocabulary is to learn the antonyms. 

Let’s learn new, unfamiliar, words and their uses and associations as we examine some Antonyms. Also, remember that the words appearing in Antonyms can as well appear in problems of Analogies or Sentence Completion. So, be ready. 

Here comes the first problem:

We have to pick from the choices a word or phrase that is against the idea of the headword.  

1.MUTTER 

A.please oneself 

B. resolve conflict 

C. speak distinctly 

D. digress randomly 

E. omit willingly  

See the close connection between MUTTER and UTTER. 

To utter is to speak. 

To mutter is to speak in a muted tone, to talk in such a low tone that the talk becomes indistinct or unclear. So, the idea opposed to mutter is to speak distinctly or clearly. 

When we speak clearly we ARTICULATE. Or, we can say we ENUNCIATE. 

To enunciate is to make each of our words very distinct.  

Let's recap what we just read.

   

To UTTER = To Speak 

To MUTTER = To Speak Unclearly 

To ARTICULATE = To Speak Clearly 

To ENUNCIATE = To speak Clearly  

Elsewhere, we will face these words in problems of Analogies. In these problems we get a pair of words that are connected with some idea. We have to pick from among the choices a pair of words that is connected with the same idea. For example, once the following pair was presented as a question:

  ENUNCIATE : WORDS  

We know that to enunciate is to speak distinctly, the act of which makes our words very distinct. The linking idea between the two terms is that of making things distinct. The answer choice for this problem was 

 LIMN : LINES  

To limn is to draw or sketch very clearly, the act of which makes our lines very clear. The linking idea between the terms is again the same as in the question pair, that of making things distinct. Just as when we enunciate our words become clear, when we limn our lines stand out clearly. 

Another way of putting it is: 

If, when we enunciate we limn, then our words become lines.

Hence,  

ENUNCIATE : WORDS

is similar to

LIMN: LINES 

Now, let's get back to 'MUTTER'.

The words 'MUMBLE', 'WHISPER' and 'MURMUR' also mean 'MUTTER'. When we 'mutter', 'mumble', 'whisper', or 'murmur', we speak in low tones. The intensity of our sound gets reduced. Our sound gets 'muffle'd. To muffle is to reduce the intensity of sound, just as to mute is to reduce the intensity of the light.

Hence,  

SOUND : MUFFLED

is the same as  

LIGHT : MUTED  

Muttering is one way of speaking, just as shouting is another way. Droning is yet another way. When we 'drone' we speak monotonously, i. e., in a single tone. When we speak clearly, as we have already seen, we articulate. Hence, 

MUTTER : INDISTINCTLY

is the same in relationship as  
SHOUT : LOUDLY

is the same in relationship as  
DRONE : MONOTONOUSLY
is the same in relationship as  

 ARTICULATE : DISTINCTLY  

These analogies can be given in the following manner too:  

MUTTER : DISTINCT 

When we mutter, our words are not distinct. 

ARTICULATE : UNCLEAR 

When we articulate, our words are  not unclear.

We have seen that the word ‘DRONE’ means to speak monotonously. In fact, ‘DRONE’ as a noun refers to the ‘lazy bee’ among the honeybees. And, as we know, the buzzing sound of a bee is very droning, monotonous. 

Because a drone is a kind of bee, we can also get analogies like  

DRONE: BEE 

A drone is a kind of bee 

in the same way as  

CARP: FISH  

A carp is a kind of fish. 

These sorts of analogical problems are very common in tests. 

Here are a few more examples from the old questions.

PINE: CONIFER

A pine tree is a coniferous tree.

FIR: TREE
A fir is a tree.

TROUT: FISH
A trout is a fish.

SACRIFICE: WORSHIP 
Sacrifice is a form of worship.

AUGURY: PREDICTION

Augury is a form of prediction.

KIDNEY: ORGAN
A kidney is a kind of organ.

HEART: ORGAN 
A heart is another kind of organ.

RIB: BONE 
A rib is an example of bone.

CAT: ANIMAL 
A cat is an animal.

CHAIR: FURNITURE

A chair is an item of furniture.

FORGERY: COUNTERFEIT 
Forgery is an example of counterfeit.

EMBEZZLEMENT: FRAUD
Embezzlement is a kind of fraud.

DART: MISSILE 
A dart is a small sort of missile.

SKIFF: BOAT
 A skiff is small type of boat.

ANECDOTE: NARRATIVE/ STORY 
An anecdote is a very small story.

SNACK: MEAL 
A snack is a very small meal.

SKIT: PLAY
A skit is a very short play

GADGET: TOOL 
A gadget is a kind of tool.

TRINKET: JEWELRY 
 A trinket is a piece of cheap jewelry.

APPLE: FRUIT

An apple is a sort of fruit.

WOOL: FABRIC 
  Wool is a type of fabric.

ALLERGY: REACTION 
An allergy is a form of reaction.

LANCET: INSTRUMENT

A lancet is a cutting instrument.

OSTRICH: BIRD
 An ostrich is a bird.

TIGER: CAT 
  A tiger is a cat

ENZYME: CATALYST 
An enzyme is a sort of catalyst.

BACTERIUM: MICROBE 
A bacterium is a microorganism.

PILLAR: SUPPORT 
A pillar is a form of support.

STOCKADE: ENCLOSURE 
A stockade is an enclosure for cattle.

WING: STRUT 
A wing is a form of strut [projection].

WALL: BUTTRESS 
A wall is a form of buttress[support-].
PYLON: GUY 
Pylon is a kind of guy [a rope for steadying some object].

LIMERICK: POEM 
A limerick is a kind of comical poem.

LAMPOON: SATIRE
A lampoon is a ridiculing sort of satire[an ironical work of art].

LULLABY: SONG
A lullaby is a form of lulling [soothing] song.

DIRGE: MUSIC
Dirge is a form of sad music.

WALTZ: DANCE 
Waltz is a form of dance.

TANGO: DANCE
Tango is another type of dance.

ELEGY: POEM
An elegy is a form of sad poem

TURQUOISE: GEM
A turquoise is a kind of gem like a ruby or an emerald.

VIOLET: FLOWER
A violet is a kind of flower.

OATH: PROMISE

An oath is a solemn promise

CONTRACT: AGREEMENT
A contract is a solemn agreement.

BUTTERFLY: INSECT
A butterfly is an insect.

METAPHYSICS: PHILOSOPHY
Metaphysics is particular form of philosophy.

MANSION: RESIDENCE

A mansion is a rich person’s residence.

LIMOUSINE: AUTOMOBILE
A limousine is a rich person’s automobile or car.

VENOM: POISON
Venom, poison of snake, is a kind of toxin.

MILK: NUTRIENT 
 Milk is a kind of nutrient [food].

CACOPHONY: SOUND
Cacophony is an unpleasant kind of sound.

GLARE: LIGHT
Glare is an unpleasant form of light.

DECLAMATION: GRANDILOQUENCE
Declamation is a type of grandiloquence [showy speech].

DIATRIBE: ABUSE
Diatribe is a speech of abuse.

ALCHEMY: SCIENCE
Alchemy is an ancient form of pseudo-science.

NOSTRUM: REMEDY
Nostrum is an ancient form of pseudo-medicine

DOGGEREL: VERSE
Doggerel is form of comical verse [poem].

BURLESQUE: PLAY
Burlesque is a form of comical play.

INFERNO: FIRE
Inferno is a raging, violent form of fire.

HURRICANE: STORM
Hurricane is a violent, raging kind of storm.

ALCOVE: RECESS 
An alcove is an arched recess.

DOME: ROOF 
A dome is an arched roof.

SUBSIDY: SUPPORT
Subsidy is a financial form of support.

DEBT: OBLIGATION 
Debt is a financial form of obligation.

As we can see, it is not just our knowledge of the word- meaning that is tested, especially in analogies, but our knowledge and experience of the world around us.

Carp, as we a saw, is a fish.
But, as a verb , carp means to complain too much.
When we carp, we complain constantly about some very unimportant matters. Carp in this sense is the opposite of compliment. 

If we get a pair of terms like

CARP: COMPLAIN

how do we connect them? 

The first term in the pair is undesirably higher in its degree of intensity than the second. The two terms basically mean the same, but are not exact synonyms. One is higher in degree than the other and undesirable as well.

Again, this is a common kind of analogy that we encounter in the test.
A parallel example of the above can be

IMPORTUNE: REQUEST 

When we importune, we repeatedly request in an annoying manner.

Another example:

GRILL: QUESTION

When we grill someone, we question him/her too much, maybe, even using the third degree. 

Yet another example:

PRY: ENQUIRE

When we pry into some one's affairs, we enquire into them so deeply as to make it uncomfortable for him/her.

Here follow other examples of the same type of analogy we can see in the big book:

(In some cases the part of speech may change, but the link between the terms remains the same.)

GROVEL: PETITION

ENTANGLE: INVOLVE

GUZZLE: DRINK

GLARING: BRIGHT

DEAFENING: LOUD

EXHORT: SUGGEST

GOAD: DIRECT

PENURIOUS (miserly): FRUGAL (economical)

OBSEQUIOUS (obedient like a slave): COMPLIANT (willing to obey)

GARRULOUS: (intolerably talkative) TALKATIVE

CLOYING (intolerably sweet): SWEET

PARANOID (madly suspicious) SUSPICIOUS

IDOLATROUS (madly devoted): ADMIRING.

BELABOR (repeatedly state): ASSERT

FUSS: TEND (nurse)

QUIXOTIC (madly dreamy): IDEALISTIC

TOUCHY: SENSITIVE

ZEALOUS (fanatical): ENTHUSIASTIC

CHAUVINISTIC: PATRIOTIC

PRODIGAL: GENEROUS

ARROGANT: CONFIDENT

OFFICIOUS: ATTENTIVE

DOTE: LIKE

UPBRAID: REPROACH

GULLIBLE: TRUSTING

CREDULOUS: TRUSTING

QUERULOUS: COMPLAINING

PROFLIGATE: SPENDING

SERVILE: COMPLIANT

We've seen that a term like CARP varies its reference in different contexts. Such terms which have different meanings in different situations we describe as AMBIGUOUS.

An ambiguous word is confusing in meaning as they have many meanings. They are polysemic (having many senses). Because polysemic or ambiguous terms can mean this or tha , they are also called EQUIVOCAL.
An equivocal word has got many definitions; they have various meanings.

Now, let's take a problem of Sentence Completion:

Because they had various meanings in nineteenth-century biological thought, "mechanism" and "vitalism" ought not to be considered ____________ terms; thus I find the recent insistence that the terms had single definition to be entirely _______ . 

A. UNIVOCAL ------ ERRONEOUS

              B. PROBLEMATIC ------ ANACHRONISTIC

                                    C. INTRACTABLE ------ OBTUSE

                                       D. CONTINGENT ------- SUSPECT

                                        E. MULTIFACETED ------ VAPID

We can see that the first part of the statement says that the terms "mechanism" and "vitality" had various meanings in the past. Therefore they were actually EQUIVOCAL; i.e., they ought not to be considered non-equivocal. So, it's clear that they were UNIVOCAL( having just one meaning or one definition.) . We can see that the right choice for the first blank can only be univocal, as no other word in that column of choices has any similar meaning. In fact, as only one word from the choices can fit into the first blank, we don't have to bother about the second blank. Only choice A can fill the blanks.

When we speak in an ambiguous or equivocal manner, we EQUIVOCATE. An Equivocation is an equivocal statement, the meaning of which is confusing.

In the same way, a platitude (an unoriginal and boring statement) is a banal (unoriginal and uninteresting) statement.
Hence,

EQUIVOCATION: AMBIGUOUS

(An ambiguous statement is called equivocation.)

just as

PLATITUDE: BANAL

(A banal statement is called a platitude.)

Today, we stop at this juncture.

See you Later.