Do you mean bad bad or bad good? 10 Confusing English Contronyms

Suitable for intermediate CEFR B1+

#vocabulary #EnglishVocab #miscommunication

Any English learner will realise that English has a notoriously large vocabulary. The current edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains a staggering 218,632 words 171,476 of which are currently in use, making English vocabulary the largest of any language in the world by number of dictionary entries. Having a large vocabulary can be useful because it allows for greater freedom of description and expression, but it can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or miscommunication. You’ve probably heard of synonyms – different words with similar meaning, but what about contronyms?

Contronyms also known as antagonyms are words that have two opposing meanings. Contronyms should not be confused with antonyms, which are words opposite in meaning to another word, such as big is to small and hot is to cold. So here are 10 most common confusing contronyms that have two opposite meanings.

1. Bolt (v.)

To bolt can mean to escape or run away suddenly, as in ‘the horse bolted from its stable yard,’ or to fasten or secure something, as in ‘the door was bolted.’  

2. Buckle (v.)

To buckle can mean to fasten, as in ‘she buckled her shoes,’ or to bend, distort or collapse, as in ‘the heel of her shoe buckled.’ 

3. Clip (v.)

To clip can mean to fasten together, as in ‘he clipped the papers together,’ or to cut, as in ‘he clipped the paper to an appropriate size.’

4. Consult (v.)

This verb can mean to give advice and obtain advice.

5. Custom (n.)

We often talk of customs associated with different countries or cultures, but the word custom means both something normal and ordinary, and something special and unique.

6. Dust (v.)

To dust can mean to cover or sprinkle over something, as in ‘once cooled, dust with icing sugar,’ or to clean by removing fine particles, as in ‘I need to dust the shelves in the living room.’

7. Fast (adj.)

 

Fast is an adjective that can mean moving or capable of moving quickly, as in ‘the dog ran fast,’ or firmly fixed in position or attached, as in ‘the lid was stuck fast.’

8. Fine (adj.)

When someone asks how we are and we reply ‘I’m fine, thank you,’ we are indicating that we are neither very well nor very unwell, but just ok or as usual, but the word fine can also mean something of very high quality, as in ‘the gallery sells a selection of fine art.’

9.  Hold up (v.)

 

This phrasal verb can mean to delay, as in ‘Sorry I’m late, I was held up in traffic,’ or to support, as in ‘hopefully this bandage will hold up until we get to the hospital.’

10. Sanction (v.)

To sanction can mean both to authorise, approve or allow or to restrict or penalise as a form of discipline.

These are just a few examples. Can you think of any contronyms in your language? I’d love to hear from you. Please comment below!

What's the difference between Pidgins and Creoles?

Suitable for upper-intermediate CEFR B2+
 
Activity 1

Check your undertsanding of new vocabulary. 

Many native English speakers will have at least heard of pidgin English and chances are, if they are monolingual (as are many native English speakers), they will probably have used a form of it on their last holiday abroad. Indeed, those that have travelled extensively or worked in the tourism and hospitality industry may well have experienced or observed cringe-worthy interactions with doltish British tourists that behave as if they are talking to a small child the minute they are presented with a language barrier. 

But pidgins actually involve a bit more than this. Whilst the above example might be an ill-advised communication strategy, pidgins are simplified forms of language with reduced vocabulary and grammatical structure that occur in speech communities where there is a consistent need for speakers of two different languages to communicate. True pidgins are blended languages that evolve to combine vocabulary and structures from both communities and are not spoken by either group as a native language.

Historically, pidgins occured throughout the world wherever there was colonial settlement due to an economic and political need for foreign settlers to communicate with indigenous people. For this reason pidigns may emerge and/or disappear relatively quickly. 

Creoles, on the other hand, are pidgins that have naturally evolved into stable and enduring native languages for a speech community. However, it would be wrong to assume that creoles are simplified forms of language because although creoles may have many similarities with their parent languages, they can also develop their own semantic qualities and grammatical systems. Creoles are very often as complex as any other language. 




The precise number of pidgins and creoles in existence is unknown, particularly as some may be primarily used for spoken communication and therefore remain undocumented. Haitian Creole, with approximately 10 million native speakers, is the largest creole in the world. Tok Pisin, one of three official languages in Papua New Guinea, is the second largest, with about 4 million speakers, many of whom learnt Tok Pisin as a second language.


Activity 2

Make your own sentences using new vocabulary.

Activity 3

Have you had an interesting experience with miscommunication or a need to talk pidgin? Please share in the comments!


Sources
Bryson, B. (1990) Mother Tongue: Penguin: London