6 Minute Vocab — How to use synonyms

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Six minutes vocabulary. From BBC Learning English. Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary. I'm Catherine. And I'm Finn. And Catherine, I see you've got a new phone there. Oh yes. Was it expensive? It was a bit pricey, Finn, but not as dear as my last one. But do you like it? I love it. I'm a little bit jealous. It's nice, isn't it? And we used three words there – expensive, pricey and dear – and they're all synonyms. They all mean that something costs a lot of money and they're the topic of this programme. That's right. Synonyms are words that have the same or similar meanings. And English speakers use a lot of synonyms so it's good to learn a few. It certainly is. We'll give you lots of them in this programme. We'll give you a quiz. And a top tip for improving your vocabulary using synonyms. So let's start by listening to Rob and Mike discussing a television advert. Think about this question while you listen. What kind of pet do Mike's kids have? And what was strange about it? You know that funny advert where the vet thinks he's dealing with a dead cat but really it's a furry hat? Yeah, it's hilarious. That look on the vet's face is so comical and the girl's expression when she picks up her hat is priceless. Strange thing is, the same thing happened to me. Quite bizarre actually. I was holding the kids hamster while they were cleaning the cage. I thought it was a bit odd because it wasn't moving. My daughter gave me a weird look and asked why I was stroking one of her gloves. So what kind of pet do Mike's kids have and what was strange about it? It was quite strange. The answer is they have a hamster but Mike thought it was a bit odd because it wasn't moving. Now, strange and odd are synonyms. They both mean unusual. Listen to this clip for two more words that Mike uses to mean strange or unusual. Strange thing is, the same thing happened to me. Quite bizarre actually. I was holding the kids' hamster while they were cleaning the cage. I thought it was a bit odd because it wasn't moving. My daughter gave me a weird look and asked why I was stroking one of her gloves. So we heard the word bizarre spelt B-I-Z-A-R-R-E which means strange and difficult to explain. Mike thought the situation was bizarre. We also heard weird spelt W-E-I-R-D which also means very unusual. Let's listen to another clip with some more synonyms and this time try to spot three words that mean funny. You know that funny advert where the vet thinks he's dealing with a dead cat but really it's a furry hat? Yeah, it's hilarious. That look on the vet's face is so comical and the girl's expression when she picks up her hat is priceless. So, hilarious, comical and priceless are all synonyms of funny. But they mean funny in a slightly different way. Hilarious means very funny in the sense that it makes you laugh out loud. Comical means funny in a silly way. And priceless can mean extremely funny. We usually only use it with this meaning when we're speaking. There are some other synonyms of funny too, including humorous and amusing. And in the clip we heard two noun synonyms – look and expression – both meaning the way someone shows on their face what they're thinking or feeling. You're listening to BBC Learning English. And we're talking about synonyms like strange and odd. And funny and amusing. Now, a word of warning – we can't always use any synonym to replace a word. It depends on the context and exactly what we're trying to say. That's right. So, for example, at the beginning of the programme, I said that my new phone was Pricey spelt P-R-I-C-E-Y and I also used the word Dear spelt D-E-A-R. And both words are synonyms of expensive. But pricey is more informal and more modern than dear. So you won't see those written down very much? Not much, no. And our top tip for learning vocabulary is use a thesaurus, which is a dictionary of synonyms to help you find new words and make your English more interesting. And look for example sentences with each word to help you choose the right word for each situation. And now it's time for a quiz. Which is the odd one out? Number one. A. Expensive B. Deer C. Cheap That one is C, cheap, because the other two both mean costing a lot of money. Very good. And number two. A, bizarre. B, hilarious. C, weird. And the answer is B, hilarious, because bizarre and weird are both synonyms of strange. Number three. A, humorous. B, hilarious. C, expression. And the answer to that is C, expression, because the other two are both synonyms of funny. And that's the end of the quiz. Well done if you got them right. Well done indeed. And there's more about this at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again soon for more six-minute vocabulary. Bye. Bye.