Synonyms for Minor?

Question

Hi teachers,There is a minor demonstration.A synonym for minor in this case could be, 'unimportant'?As a synonym 'small' for 'minor' is also possible?Thanks in advance

JohnParis · Accepted Answer

Dear Thinking Spain:

The answers to many of your recently posted questions can be found in any good dictionary or thesaurus.

Do you have either of these essential teaching tools? If you need assistance in using either of these resources, I would be very happy to assist you.

If you do not have a good dictionary or thesaurus, you can freely consult WWW.DICTIONARY.COM and WWW.THESARUS.COM where you will find answers to many of your questions yourself. These online resources are less refined and not always totally reliable but they are better than nothing - and they're free. Remember, however, you get what you pay for....

Sincerely,

John

Primary synonyms for the adjective minor:

Slight, small, unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, inconsiderable, subsidiary, negligible, trivial, trifling, paltry, petty, nickel-and-dime, informal, piffling, piddling.

Antonym: Major

Secondary synonyms for the adjective minor:

A minor poet: little known, unknown, lesser, unimportant, insignificant, obscure, minor-league.

Informal: small-time, two-bit.

Antonym: Important.

"Small" is not a synonym for minor.

However, "small-time" is an informal synonym for minor.

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Dear JohnParis,

Thank you so much for your reply and help.

The fact is that I do have quite a few dictionaries on line. Free ones of course. The thing is sometimes the synonyms I pick up from the dictionaries on line, are not appropriate or natural for the English language, though they have a latin root and they seem possible to me. But they are not.

A couple of years ago I picked up many synonyms to explain English words from readings. The thing is the other day I posted one of them and it was wrong.

This is the one:

He never earned more than $75 dollar a week.

A synonyms for 'earned' is 'gained'.

Clive and CalifJim told me that it was not a very appropriate one. I posted another sentence with the synonym and it was wrong too.

So what I'm doing now is just checking in this forum the ones I'm not so sure about.

Best regards

TS

JohnParis · Answer

Dear Think,

What a great answer!

I enjoy discussing these matters with you.

If teaching English is (or will be) your profession, then a hard-cover dictionary and thesaurus are necessary tools of your trade (just as a hammer is to a carpenter and a stethoscope is to a doctor). You won't be good at what you do if you don't own each, and since you need to buy them, why not buy the best? If you would like my recommendations as to which ones to buy, please contact me privately (my email is on my profile). I do not want to endorse any product here in public.

Your example of the synonym 'gained' for 'earned' is a perfect one. A good dictionary would have shown you that, in fact, the four definitions for the verb earn are (in order of preference):

Earn =

1. (of a person) obtain

in return for labor or services: Example: they earn $35 per hour | he now earns his living as a truck driver.

2. [with two objs.] (of an activity or action) cause (someone) to obtain

: Example: Their latest win earned them $50,000 in prize money.

3. (of capital invested) gain

as interest or profit. Example: The investment gained a profit of 20%.

4. gain or incur deservedly in return for one's behavior or achievements. Example: Over the years she has earned affection and esteem.

In your sentence "He never earned more than $75 a week", the verb 'earned' clearly falls within the FIRST definition above. When searching for a synonym, you should have searched for a word that also corresponded to the first definition. Instead, you chose a synonym that corresponded to the third definition of the verb.

Synonym for earn (first definition): earn, as in they earned $20,000: to be paid, take home, gross, net; receive, get, make, obtain, collect, bring in; informal: pocket, bank, rake in.

Please feel free to contact me via my email for recommmendations on which books to buy.

Best, John

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Dear JohnParis,

Teaching English is my profession, and I learn every single day in my classes and from my students. It's really a great job and an endless one, too. But I love it. I really do.

I appreciate very much your permission to email you. Be sure I will for your recomendations on which books I have to buy.

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate your help. It means a lot to me. I hope we'll have more than just a few discussions on these matters.

Best regards.

TS

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