SPI English · Free notes
Vocabulary: SPI English
Vocabulary has 43 questions in the SPI bank, and two of them are from the 2022 paper. Thirty-one are EASY and twelve MODERATE, and nearly all of them give one word with four options. So the mark depends on knowing the word, and a method helps only when the word is new to you: try each option in the sentence, and strike the options that mean the same. These pages give the words the bank has used, with their meanings, and a few more of the same kind.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Synonyms
19 questionsA synonym question asks for the option nearest in meaning to a word, and the sentence around the word decides which of its meanings counts.
Antonyms
14 questionsAn antonym question asks for the option opposite in meaning to a word, and the usual wrong options are words that mean the same.
Spelling and One-Word Substitutes
10 questionsThese questions test the form of a word: how it is spelt, which single word replaces a phrase, and which pairs of words English always uses together.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 7 reference tables · 19 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 7 reference tables · 19 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (2)
Words about people and how they behave11 rows
| Word | Meaning | Nearest word |
|---|---|---|
| industrious | hard-working | diligent |
| polite | having good manners | well-mannered |
| amiable | friendly and pleasant | friendly, cheerful |
| eulogy | a speech or writing in praise of someone | praise Not an elegy, which is a sad poem for the dead. |
| caution (verb) | to tell someone about a danger | warn |
| tarnish | to spoil a good name or a shine | taint, stain |
| atrocity | an act of great cruelty | brutality, cruelty |
| humble | not proud of oneself | modest |
| candid | saying openly what one thinks | frank |
| timid | shy and easily frightened | shy |
| generous | happy to give to others | giving, kind |
Words for size, change and understanding10 rows
| Word | Meaning | Nearest word |
|---|---|---|
| mammoth | very large | huge As a describing word it means huge, not the animal. |
| enormous | very large | huge |
| meagre | very small in amount | scanty |
| abundant | more than enough | plentiful |
| diminish | to become or make smaller | decrease |
| monotonous | dull, with no change or variety | dull, tedious |
| frolic | lively, playful fun | merriment |
| vivid | bright and clear | bright |
| discern | to make out something hard to see | detect |
| elusive | hard to catch, hold or understand | baffling |
Watch out for (6)
- The meaning you know best can be the wrong one→ Put the option back into the sentence
- Same area is not same meaning→ Put the option back into the sentence
- 'All of these' needs every option→ Words about people and how they behave
- Eulogy is praise, not prayer→ Words about people and how they behave
- A look-alike is not a synonym→ Words for size, change and understanding
- Frolic names the fun, not the feeling→ Words for size, change and understanding
Reference tables (2)
Everyday words and their opposites9 rows
| Word | Meaning | Opposite |
|---|---|---|
| misery | great unhappiness | contentment, happiness |
| clever | quick to learn and understand | foolish |
| ancient | very old, from long ago | modern |
| gratitude | thankfulness | ingratitude |
| scarcity | a shortage | plenty, abundance |
| ascend | to go up | descend |
| honest | telling the truth | dishonest |
| visible | able to be seen | invisible |
| permanent | lasting for ever | temporary |
Harder words and their opposites9 rows
| Word | Meaning | Opposite |
|---|---|---|
| fallible | able to make mistakes | perfect, infallible |
| vague | not clear or definite | precise |
| conscientiously | carefully, with a sense of duty | carelessly |
| incidental | minor, coming along with the main thing | essential |
| disdainful | looking down on others | respectful, reverential |
| vigilant | watchful and alert | oblivious, unaware |
| ratify | to approve a treaty or law formally | annul, cancel |
| frugal | careful not to waste money | extravagant |
| transparent | clear enough to see through | opaque |
Watch out for (7)
- Choosing the synonym by mistake→ Strike the synonyms, then match the strength
- Too strong an opposite→ Strike the synonyms, then match the strength
- Giving up is not losing→ Strike the synonyms, then match the strength
- A prefix does not always mean not→ Everyday words and their opposites
- A word from the same topic is not an opposite→ Everyday words and their opposites
- Three options agree, so the fourth wins→ Harder words and their opposites
- Fallible has nothing to do with falling→ Harder words and their opposites
Reference tables (3)
Spelling patterns that trip students6 rows
| Pattern | Correct | Common misspelling |
|---|---|---|
| i before e | achieve, believe, field | acheive, beleive |
| e before i after c | receive, deceive, ceiling | recieve, cieling |
| Drop the silent e | wisdom, truly, argument | wisedom, truely, arguement |
| Keep the base word | avoidable, enjoyable | aviodable, enjoiable |
| Learn the ending | tendency, dependency | tendancy, dependancy |
| Double c, single s | occasion | occassion, ocasion |
One word for a phrase10 rows
| Phrase | One word |
|---|---|
| which cannot be solved | insoluble |
| which cannot be heard | inaudible |
| which cannot be seen | invisible |
| which cannot be divided | indivisible |
| which cannot be read (handwriting) | illegible |
| which cannot be believed | incredible |
| which cannot be cured | incurable |
| not qualified for something | ineligible |
| to say beforehand what will happen | predict |
| to bring into being, to produce | generate |
Fixed word pairs8 rows
| Pair | Meaning or use |
|---|---|
| sweet and sour | a taste that is both at once |
| this and that | various small things |
| Adam and Eve | the first man and woman in the Bible story |
| safe and sound | unharmed |
| ups and downs | good times and bad times |
| pros and cons | the points for and against |
| bread and butter | a person's main way of earning a living |
| now and then | sometimes, not often |
Watch out for (6)
- The ie rule has exceptions→ Spelling patterns that trip students
- A swapped pair of letters is easy to miss→ Spelling patterns that trip students
- Illegible is not ineligible→ One word for a phrase
- Insoluble is not insolvent→ One word for a phrase
- Rhyme is not a pair→ Fixed word pairs
- Do not swap the order→ Fixed word pairs
Question weightage by concept
9 concepts · 43 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
Question weightage by concept
9 concepts · 43 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Words about people and how they behave | 7 | 16% |
| Put the option back into the sentence | 6 | 14% |
| Words for size, change and understanding | 6 | 14% |
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Harder words and their opposites | 7 | 16% |
| Everyday words and their opposites | 4 | 9% |
| Strike the synonyms, then match the strength | 3 | 7% |
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Spelling patterns that trip students | 5 | 12% |
| One word for a phrase | 4 | 9% |
| Fixed word pairs | 1 | 2% |
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SPI paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.