Antithesis is that rhetorical or literary device in which there are two opposite ideas used together in a sentence to form a contrasting effect. A parallel structure is used to show this contradiction.

For example,

• We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

In the above example, you can see that the famous Martin Luther King Jr. has used a parallel structure in his quote, which makes this sentence an antithetical one. The words ‘brothers’ and ‘fools’ or ‘live’ and ‘perish’ can be said as contradictory elements. These words are not exact opposites; but they are creating a contrasting effect which is effective for an antithetical statement.

Apart from this discussion, in this particular quote, the speaker is talking about the importance of humanity that everyone should live together as brothers, without any fight or conflict.

Why Writers or Speakers use Antithesis?

Just like the other literary devices, an antithesis is also an effective device in communicating ideas. The contradictory elements used in antithetical statements can be used to express a particular point that a writer or a speaker is trying to communicate.

It can be a useful tool in making a text rich and memorable to read. The contrasts used in such statements are strict and can be humorous or ironic. The readers should be clever enough to get what the writer is trying to communicate because writers can be very ironic in nature. Sometimes, writers use antithesis in order to pass on some comments in an indirect way. So, readers should have the capability to get those hidden meanings.

Without any purpose, a writer does not use antithesis. Writers do use antithesis with intentions and plans.

In literature, there are hundreds of examples of antithesis as; writers do need such kind of literary devices to communicate their thoughts. One of the most famous examples of antithesis used by Alexander Pope is in his famous ‘An Essay of Criticism’, in which he says,

‘To err is human; to forgive divine.’

In this antithetical statement, Pope reveals the truth by using two contradictory ideas. He is trying to reveal that human beings are imperfect and make mistakes but god is the most forgiving. Two contradictory ideas can be perfection (god) and imperfection (humans) because the erring human beings always make mistakes and commit sins.

Types of Antithesis

Antithesis can be presented in different forms, depending on how the opposing ideas are structured within the sentence. Here are two key types:

1. Simple Antithesis

A simple antithesis is the direct opposition of two ideas in a single sentence, often using a parallel structure. This form is straightforward and concise, making it easy for the audience to grasp the contrasting elements.

Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” – Charles Dickens

2. Complex Antithesis

A complex antithesis involves contrasts embedded in longer or more intricate sentences. These antithetical elements may span multiple ideas, often using layered parallel structures to present the opposition in a more nuanced way.

Example: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Check Out: What is an Antecedent?

Antithesis in Famous Quotes

1. Speech is silver, but silence is gold.

2. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. (Charles Dickens)

3. Folks who have no vices have very few virtues. (Abraham Lincoln)

4. Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit. (Aristotle)

5. Give me some sunshine, Give me some rain, Give me another chance I wanna grow up once again. (Swanand Kirkire)

6. Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. (Helen Keller)

What Did You Learn?

Writers or speakers use antithesis in order to communicate a point by the help of two contradictory elements. In antithetical statements, a parallel structure is used to show the contradiction. The contrasts can be humorous or ironic.

Open and close ended questions: These are the types of questions that you can come across in job interviews, projects, or surveys.

What are Open-ended Questions?

Open-ended questions are such questions that do not restrict someone in giving answers. People can answer freely without having any word limit or options (like yes or no).

The answers of such questions are usually longer. You can find out such answers, mainly, in job interviews. However, a few people may ask open-ended questions in surveys as well; but, in surveys, you may find out two-three questions, that are open-ended questions, out of 20 or more.

Following is the list of a few open-ended questions that you can come across in job interviews.

• How can you describe yourself?
• Can you list some of your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why do you want to work here?
• If you get hired, how can you help this company?
• Tell me something about this company.
• Where do you see yourself five years from now?
• Tell me something about your greatest achievement.

When to Use Open-ended Questions

Open-ended questions are most effective in situations that require in-depth insights or detailed responses. These are ideal for job interviews, where candidates can elaborate on their experiences and skills, or in brainstorming sessions, where creative ideas need to flow freely.

They are also used in qualitative research to understand participants’ thoughts, opinions, and behaviors without restrictions. Open-ended questions encourage thoughtful, detailed answers, making them useful when deeper information is needed.

Job Interview: “Can you describe a challenging project you worked on and how you managed it?”

Check Out: What Is a Clause?

What are Close-ended Questions?

Close-ended questions are such questions that require a particular answer or may have specific options to select. They are very specific in a sense that the answers for such questions may be of one word or it could be very short. Close-ended questions can be very complicated in nature.

For instance, most of the close-ended questions may contain a yes or no answer. So, sometimes, a person can get confused whether to choose a yes or no without any debate. These types of questions are most likely to be asked on surveys because they are easy to analyze as a statistical data.

Following are a few close-ended questions for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

• Are you a graduate?
• May you help me please?
• Are you going to visit her or not?
• Do you want to become a doctor?
• Is this dress looking good on me?

Other examples of close-ended questions

• What is your date of birth?
• Does it contain salt or sugar?

The above examples do not expect a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer but the answers of these questions will be of one or two words.

When to Use Close-ended Questions

Close-ended questions are best used in contexts that require quick, specific answers or measurable data, such as surveys, polls, or assessments.

These questions are straightforward and easy to analyze, making them ideal for gathering large amounts of quantifiable data quickly, especially in customer satisfaction surveys or demographic questions. Their simplicity helps in creating clear, actionable results.

Customer Satisfaction Survey: “On a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with our service?”

Hybrid Questions: Combining Open and Close-ended Questions

Hybrid questions blend both open-ended and close-ended formats, allowing respondents to provide a specific answer first, followed by an opportunity to elaborate if needed.

These questions are useful in scenarios where a clear initial response is required, but additional context can be valuable, such as in feedback forms or post-event surveys. Moreover, hybrid questions balance brevity with depth, improving the quality of the feedback.

Event Feedback: “Did you enjoy the event? If yes, what did you like the most?”

What Did You Learn?

Open-ended question is the opposite of a close-ended question. Close-ended questions expect a particular short answer whereas; open-ended questions do not expect a particular answer and are not specific in nature.

A common noun is the opposite of a proper noun. It means that a common noun can be any person, place or a thing which is not specific; that is why we do not need to start it with a capital letter.

For example,

•  boy
• bed
• pencils
• house
• car
• cats

You can see in the above examples, there is a person ‘boy’, things ‘pencils, bed, house, and car’, and animal ‘cats’. So, a common noun can be singular or plural like, cat-cats, pencil-pencils, boy-boys, etc.

More About Common Nouns

There are a few categories of a common noun. Let me list them for you.

• Countable Nouns: The things that you can count are known as countable nouns. For example, pens, animals, girls, cities, dresses, etc.

• Non-countable Nouns: The things that you cannot count are non-countable nouns. For example, water, air, carbon dioxide, sound, etc.

• Abstract Nouns: Things that you can touch or see are called abstract nouns. For example, love, courage, passion, etc.

• Concrete Nouns: Things that you can touch or see are concrete nouns. For example, book, bag, chair, etc.

• Collective Nouns: A collective noun represents a group. For example, family, army, staff, etc.

• Compound Nouns: The nouns that contain more than one noun are called compound nouns. For example, martial-law, waterfall, etc.

• Verbal Nouns: A verbal noun shows action (verb). For example, cooking, writing, walking, etc.

• Gender-specific Nouns: Nouns that are gender-specific (male or female) are called gender-specific nouns. For example, sister, son, actor, etc.

Common Noun vs. Proper Noun

Common Noun: You can only capitalize it when it comes at the beginning of a sentence. Otherwise, you do not need to capitalize a common noun within a sentence. For example,

1. Boys are playing in the playground. (Correct)

2. The boys were asked to play in the playground. (Correct)

Both of the above examples are correct. In the first example, ‘boys’ is capitalized because it is the very first word of the sentence. It may not be capitalized when it comes within a sentence, just like in the second example.

See an incorrect sentence below.

• The Boys were asked to play in the playground. (Incorrect)

Proper Noun: that can be any person, place, or a thing which is specific or particular. It is necessary to capitalize a proper noun whether it comes at the beginning or within a sentence because it always refers to a specific person, place, thing, or an idea. It can be the names of days or months; or any title of a book, movies, or plays. For example,

• Switzerland
• Albert Einstein
• Pacific Ocean
• The Oxford University
• Simon
• Honda
• Romeo and Juliet
• Tuesday
• January

Let us check out the use of proper nouns within a sentence.

1. They were talking about Simon, who is my best friend.

2. You are as smart as Albert Einstein.

3. I love eating Nutella; the yummiest of all.

How a Common Noun Evolves into Proper Noun

Common nouns can transform into proper nouns when they start representing a specific person, place, brand, or entity, rather than a general idea.

This often happens in cases where a word gains significance in a particular context, often through branding, historical events, or popular culture. As proper nouns refer to specific things, they are always capitalized, unlike their common noun counterparts.

• Common Noun: apple (a general type of fruit)
• Proper Noun: Apple (a well-known technology brand)

In this case, “apple” is a common noun referring to the fruit. However, once the word “Apple” became associated with the tech giant, it became a proper noun, representing a specific brand.

• Common Noun: amazon (a large river in South America)
• Proper Noun: Amazon (a global e-commerce company)

While “amazon” originally referred to the famous river or even mythical female warriors, it later evolved into a proper noun with the founding of the e-commerce giant Amazon.

Common Noun and Pronoun: What’s the Difference?

Common nouns name general people, places, things, or ideas, while pronouns are used to replace those common nouns in sentences.

Pronouns help avoid repetition by standing in for nouns that have already been mentioned. They are a type of shorthand that makes communication smoother, particularly in longer texts or conversations.

For instance, once a common noun is introduced, a pronoun can be used to replace it to avoid redundancy.

• Common Noun: boy
• Pronoun: he

Sentence: The boy was playing outside. He was very happy.

Here, “boy” is the common noun, and “he” is the pronoun used to replace it in the second sentence, avoiding the need to repeat “the boy.”

• Common Noun: pencil
• Pronoun: it

Sentence: She picked up the pencil. It was very sharp.

In this example, “pencil” is the common noun, while “it” serves as the pronoun that replaces “pencil” in the second sentence.

Pronouns simplify language by standing in for common nouns, making writing and speech more efficient and less repetitive.

What Did You Learn?

So, a common noun can be any place, person, thing, or an idea which is not specific like a proper noun. This is the reason that you do not capitalize it. You should only capitalize it when it comes at the beginning of a sentence.

In English, almost each and every sentence has at least one clause in it. A clause expresses a complete thought and meaning; and it has a subject and a predicate. As, subject is the one who performs the action (which is the verb), this is the reason that a clause can express a complete thought and idea.

For example,

• The students are still reading the novel.

In the above example, you can see that ‘the students’ is the subject and this subject is doing the action (verb), which is ‘reading’.

As I said above that a clause expresses a complete idea or a thought but you can find out such clauses as well that do not consist of a complete thought. Let me tell you two basic types of a clause.

An Independent Clause

An independent clause is such a clause that has a subject and a verb and that expresses a complete thought and idea. It means that if we separate out this clause from a sentence, it can give a complete meaning. So, we can say that an independent clause can stand alone.

For example,

• Though he was taking much interest in it, John refused to buy the play station.

In the above example, the clause ‘John refused to buy the play station’ is an independent clause because it can give a complete thought without any grammatical error.

More examples of an Independent Clause

1. She will complete her project after a few days.

2. If you are working on it, let me give a break time.

In example (1), the independent clause is ‘she will complete her project’ whereas, in example (2), ‘let me give a break time’ is an independent clause that is giving a complete thought.

A Dependent Clause

Unlike an independent clause, a dependent clause is such a clause that does not stand alone. Though, it might have a subject and a verb but still it cannot express a complete thought or an idea. If we separate out this particular clause from a sentence, it cannot provide a grammatically correct meaning.

For example,

• Though he was taking much interest in it, John refused to buy the play station.

In the above example, the clause ‘though he was taking much interest in it…’ is a dependent clause. It does not give a complete thought. No matter, this clause has a subject ‘he’ and a verb ‘taking’, it still cannot be considered a grammatically correct independent clause.

A dependent clause must be connected with an independent clause to give a complete idea. For instance, in the above example, the dependent clause ‘though he was taking much interest in it…’ should be connected to another clause (an independent clause) to provide a complete meaning to the readers. Without the independent clause ‘John refused to buy the play station’, nobody would be able to know ‘who’ was taking much interest in ‘what’?

Other Examples of a Dependent Clause

1. She will complete her project after a few days.

2. If you are working on it, let me give a break time.

In example (1), the dependent clause is ‘after a few days’ whereas, in example (2), ‘if you are working on it’ is a dependent clause that is not giving a complete thought.

Other Types of Clauses

All the following types are related to dependent clauses that cannot stand alone to express a complete thought.
1. A Noun Clause > contains a subject and a verb + acts as a noun. For example, ‘She remembers what you ordered last night.’ (The red colored clause is a noun clause.)

2. An Adjective Clause > It begins with when, where, why, who, whom, that, or which + contains a subject and a verb + acts as an adjective. For example, ‘My friend, who always wears black, will be joining us very soon.’ (The red colored clause is an adjective clause.)

Click here to find out more information about an adjective clause.

3. An Adverbial Clause > contains a subject and a verb + acts as an adverb. For example, ‘I will try to reach at the airport as soon as possible.’ (The red colored clause is an adverbial clause.)

Difference Between Phrases and Clauses

A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a verb, and it can express a complete or incomplete thought. In contrast, a phrase is a group of words that does not contain both a subject and a verb, and it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

• Clause: “He walked to the store.” (subject: he, verb: walked)
• Phrase: “Walking to the store” (no subject performing the action)

Phrases add extra detail, while clauses can form the foundation of complete sentences.

What Did You Learn?

A clause, in a sentence, contains a subject and a verb. The clause that expresses a complete thought or an idea is known as an independent clause. On the other hand, the clause that cannot express a complete thought or an idea is known as a dependent clause.

Collective nouns are words which are used to refer to a group of people, things, or animals. Though, a collective noun represents a group but it denotes that group as a singular unit.

Take a look at the list of most common collective nouns,

• Family
• Army
• Staff
• Team
• Committee
• Department
• Society
• Public
• Class
• Company
• Audience
• School
• Group
• Council
• Board
• Firm
• Jury

Use of Collective Nouns in Example Sentences

1. My team is better than yours.

2. The audience was very much excited for today’s show.

3. The teacher asked one of his students to call upon the next class for the presentation.

In the above examples, ‘team’, ‘audience’, and ‘class’ are known as collective nouns. Each of these collective nouns is singular in appearance but in fact, these collective nouns have more than one person in them. For instance, a team cannot have a single person in it or you cannot imagine an audience having a single person. There must be two or more than two people in it.

List of Collective Nouns by Category

Collective nouns are words used to refer to groups of people, animals, or objects. Grouping collective nouns into specific categories can help readers visualize how these words function in various contexts. Below are some common collective nouns, organized by category:

1. People

These collective nouns describe groups of people in various professions, activities, or settings.

• Choir: A group of singers or musicians.
• Panel: A group of experts or people gathered for discussion or judgment.
• Cast: A group of actors in a play, movie, or TV show.
• Crew: A group of people who work together, especially on a ship or aircraft.
• Team: A group of people collaborating to achieve a common goal, such as in sports or work.
• Band: A group of musicians playing together.
• Class: A group of students in a school or educational setting.
• Committee: A group of people appointed to perform a specific task or make decisions.

2. Animals

Animal collective nouns are often colorful and imaginative, representing groups of specific types of animals.

• Herd: A group of grazing animals, such as cattle or elephants.
• Flock: A group of birds, like pigeons or sheep.
• Pack: A group of carnivorous animals, such as wolves or dogs.
• Swarm: A large group of insects, especially bees or locusts.
• Pride: A group of lions.
• School: A group of fish swimming together.
• Colony: A group of penguins or ants living together in a specific area.
• Troop: A group of monkeys.

3. Objects/Things

These collective nouns describe groups of inanimate objects or things.

• Bunch: A group of things of the same kind, such as grapes, keys, or flowers.
• Stack: A neat pile of items, like books or papers.
• Collection; A group of similar items gathered together, like stamps or paintings.
• Fleet: A group of ships, airplanes, or vehicles traveling together.
• Set: A group of related objects, such as a set of dishes or tools.
• Pile: An untidy heap of objects, like clothes or leaves.
• Range: A group of mountains or hills.
• Suite: A set of connected rooms or musical compositions.

Rare or Unusual Collective Nouns

While many collective nouns are commonly known, some are rare or unique, particularly those describing animals or objects. These less familiar collective nouns can add a fun twist to your vocabulary and enrich your writing.

1. Animals

• A Parliament of Owls: Refers to a group of owls. The term “parliament” adds a sense of wisdom, as owls are often associated with knowledge and mystery.
• A Murder of Crows: A chilling collective noun for a group of crows. The word “murder” is likely linked to old folklore associating crows with death and omens.
• A Drove of Pigs: Used to describe a group of pigs being driven together.

2. Objects/Things

• A Quiver of Arrows: A group of arrows stored together in a quiver, ready to be used by an archer.
• A Clutch of Eggs: Refers to a group of eggs, typically laid by a bird at one time.
• A Bale of Turtles: Used to describe a group of turtles.

Adding these rare and unusual collective nouns not only diversifies your vocabulary but also makes your writing more vivid and interesting!

Check Out: Abstract and Concrete Nouns.

Few Rules to use Collective Nouns in Sentences

Remember to use a singular verb form with a collective noun. For example,

• The class goes to the playground.

• The board does something very aggressive, which is unbelievable.

In the above examples, both ‘goes’ and ‘does’ are singular verb forms for ‘to go’ and ‘to do’.

However, collective nouns can be used singular or plural. In this way, you have to be careful while using the same form of collective noun within the whole sentence. For example,

• The family is excited and plans to go for a long trip next weekend. (Correct)
• The family is excited and they plan to go for a long trip next weekend. (Wrong)
• The family are all excited and they plan to go for a long trip next weekend. (Correct)

If you are confused in the above last example sentence then, free to add a word like ‘members‘ to denote each individual person of the respective collective noun. For instance,

• The family members are all excited and they plan to go for a long trip next weekend. (Correct)

More examples,

1. Your team is going to show its best. (Singular)
• After the training, the team move to their rooms to take rest. (Plural)

2. The class was very busy in preparing the most difficult project. (Singular)
• The class sit peacefully and have waited for the lecturer to join them. (Plural)

As I said above, if you feel any confusion, add a word like ‘members’ for instance, team members, or you can replace the word like, you can replace the word ‘class’ with ‘students’ and vice versa.

What Did You Learn?

A collective noun is such a word which is used to refer to a group of things, people, or animals as a singular unit. These nouns are singular by nature that is why, they require singular verbs. However, when a collective noun is used in a plural form, remember to use plural verb with it.