WORD ASSOCIATIONS

Understanding the relationship between words or ideas in a structure

paves the way for a better understanding of those words or ideas. These
relationships or associations may differ among people, even when they
speak the same language and live in the same community.
Word relationship may be classified as follows:
1. SIMILARITY. This means words have the same meaning or a meaning
that is about the same. In using this classification, care has to be taken
because although certain words may be similar in meaning, certain words
may fit into the context while others will not. Synonyms fall under this
class.
EXAMPLE:
talk- chat, speech, address, oration
unmarried- spinsters, bachelorette, old maid
2. CONTRAST. This means words are opposite in meaning. Words in
contrast may be referred to as antonyms.
EXAMPLE:
volatile- calm
indigent- wealthy
3. PART-WHOLE / WHOLE-PART. This may be either a whole object given
first, followed by something that is part of that object (e.g. face-nose); or
a part is given before the whole (e.g. finger-hand).
EXAMPLES: house- room
tree- leaf
4. CLASSIFICATION/ SUBORDINATION. Words belonging to the same
genus may also be called grouping because the relationship between the
words is one of similarity or certain characteristics.
EXAMPLE:
animal (four-legged beast) lion, elephant, horse
stringed musical instruments- guitar, violin, bass
fish-milkfish, shark, catfish
A. COORDINATION. Two or more members belonging to the same group
are given without mention of the class to which they belong.
EXAMPLE:
tiger, lion, elephant (animals)
narra, pine, evergreen (nonfruit-bearing trees)
B. SUPERORDINATION/ ASSOCIATION. In this classification, a member
or members that belong to the same group are given, followed by the
EXAMPLE:
sampaguita- flower
oregano, laurel, black pepper- spices
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5. PREDICATION. This is the relationship between a noun and its verb, a

doer and its action and the action and its receiver (object).
EXAMPLE:
birds- fly
build-nest
horse- neighs
gallops- across field
6. DERIVATION. This refers to words that have the same root.
EXAMPLE:
fact- manufacture
friend- befriend, friendly, friendliness
7. COMPLETION. Compound words are formed by combining two or more
words.
EXAMPLE:
back+ground= background
play+back = play back
8. ASSONANCE. This refers to a similarity or sameness in sound of
pronunciation.
EXAMPLE:
sight- cite (homonyms)
sight- scythe (similarity in sound)
9. MISCELLANEOUS RELATIONS. It may come in other forms like
characteristics, habitat/origin, sound produced, physical description and
cause-effect.
EXAMPLE:
Solomon- wisdom (attribute)
mole (an animal)- ground (habitat)
frog- croak (sound)
elephant- huge (physical description
rain- flood (cause and effect)