SSC CGL Exam

Study Material For English

 ONE WORD SUBSTITUTION
One word substitution is the use of one word in place of a wordy phrase in order to make the sentence
structure clearer. The meaning, with the replacement of the phrase remains identical while the sentence
becomes shorter.

Categories of One word Substitution

● Generic Terms
● Government/Systems
● Venue/Spots
● Group/Collection
● People/Person
● Murder/Death
● Profession/Research
● Sound

One Word Substitution for Generic Terms

An act of abdicating or renouncing the throne Abdication

An annual calendar containing important dates and statistical information Almanac

such as astronomical data and tide tables

A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that is born in water and breathes Amphibian

with gills

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden Allegory

meaning, typically a moral or political one

A statement or proposition on which an abstractly defined structure is Axiom

based

A nation or person engaged in war or conflict, as recognized by Belligerent

international law

An examination of tissue removed from a living body to discover the Biopsy

presence, cause, or extent of a disease

The action or offence of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred Blasphemy

things; profane talk
The arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence Chronology

A vigorous campaign for political, social, or religious change Crusade

Lasting for a very short time Ephemeral

Spoken or done without preparation Extempore

Release someone from a duty or obligation Exonerate

Fond of company Gregarious

Making marks that cannot be removed Indelible

Incapable of making mistakes or being wrong Infallible

Certain to happen Inevitable

A sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past Nostalgia

A solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases Panacea

A doctrine which identifies God with the universe Pantheism

Excessively concerned with minor details or rules Pedantic

The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as Plagiarism
one's own

Safe to drink Potable

The emblems or insignia of royalty Regalia

Violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred Sacrilege

A position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or Sinecure
financial benefit

A thing that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event Souvenir

 An imaginary ideal society free of poverty and suffering Utopia

Denoting a sin that is not regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace Venial

In exactly the same words as were used originally Verbatim

One Word Substitution for Government/Systems

A state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority or Anarchy

other controlling systems

A form of government in which power is held by the nobility Aristocracy

A system of government by one person with absolute power Autocracy

A self-governing country or region Autonomy

A system of government in which most of the important decisions are Bureaucracy

taken by state officials rather than by elected representatives

A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible Democracy

members of a state, typically through elected representatives

A state, society, or group governed by old people Gerontocracy

A state or country run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous Kakistocracy
citizens

Government by new or inexperienced hands Neocracy

Government by the populace Ochlocracy

A small group of people having control of a country or organization Oligarchy

Government by the wealthy Plutocracy

Government not connected with religious or spiritual matters Secular

 A form of government with a monarch at the head Monarchy

A political system based on government of men by God Thearchy

One Word Substitution for Venue OR Spot

A collection of historical documents or records providing information Archives

about a place, institution, or group of people

A large cage, building, or enclosure for keeping birds in Aviary

A building where animals are butchered Abattoir

A place where bees are kept; a collection of beehives Apiary

A building containing tanks of live fish of different species Aquarium

A place or scene of activity, debate, or conflict Arena

A collection of weapons and military equipment Arsenal

An institution for the care of people who are mentally ill Asylum

A hole or tunnel dug by a small animal, especially a rabbit, as a dwelling Burrow

A collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible Cache

place

A public room or building where gambling games are played Casino

A large burial ground, especially one not in a churchyard Cemetery

A room in a public building where outdoor clothes or luggage may be Cloakroom

left

A place where a dead person's body is cremated Crematorium

a Christian community of nuns living together under monastic vows Convent

Nursery where babies and young children are cared for during the Creche
working day

A stoppered glass container into which wine or spirit is decanted Decanter

A large bedroom for a number of people in a school or institution Dormitory

The nest of a squirrel, typically in the form of a mass of twigs in a tree Drey

A room or building equipped for gymnastics, games, and other physical Gymnasium
exercise

A storehouse for threshed grain Granary

A large building with an extensive floor area, typically for housing aircraft. Hangar

A box or cage, typically with a wire mesh front, for keeping rabbits or Hutch
other small domesticated animals

A place in a large institution for the care of those who are ill Infirmary

A small shelter for a dog Kennel

A place where wild animal live Lair

A place where coins, medals, or tokens are made Mint

A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition Menagerie

A building or buildings occupied by a community of monks living under Monastery

religious vows

A place where bodies are kept for identification Morgue

A piece of enclosed land planted with fruit trees Orchard

A large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply Reservoir

A small kitchen or room at the back of a house used for washing dishes and Scullery
another dirty household work
 A close-fitting cover for the blade of a knife or sword Sheath

A room or building for sick children in a boarding school Sanatorium

A place where animal hides are tanned Tannery

A large, tall cupboard in which clothes may be hung or stored Wardrobe

One Word Substitution for Group/Collection

A group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place Battery

A large bundle bound for storage or transport Bale

A large gathering of people of a particular type Bevy

An arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present Bouquet

A family of young animals Brood

A group of things that have been hidden in a secret place Cache

A group of people, typically with vehicles or animals travelling together Caravan

A closed political meeting Caucus

An exclusive circle of people with a common purpose Clique

A group of followers hired to applaud at a performance Claque

A series of stars Constellation

A funeral procession Cortege

A group of worshippers Congregation

A herd or flock of animals being driven in a body Drove

 A small fleet of ships or boats Flotilla

A small growth of trees without underbrush Grove

A community of people smaller than a village Hamlet

A group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals Herd

A large group of people Horde

A temporary police force Posse

A large number of fish swimming together Shoal

A strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid Torrent

One Word Substitution List for Person or People

One who is not sure about God's existence Agnostic

A person who deliberately sets fire to a building Arsonist

One who does a thing for pleasure and not as a profession Amateur

One who can use either hand with ease Ambidextrous

One who makes an official examination of accounts Auditor

A person who believes in or tries to bring about a state of lawlessness Anarchist

A person who has changed his faith Apostate

One who does not believe in the existence of God Atheist

A person appointed by two parties to solve a dispute Arbitrator

One who leads an austere life Ascetic

One who does a thing for pleasure and not as a profession Amateur

One who can either hand with ease Ambidextrous

An unconventional style of living Bohemian

One who is bad in spellings Cacographer

One who feeds on human flesh Cannibal

A person who is blindly devoted to an idea/ A person displaying aggressive Chauvinist

or exaggerated patriotism

A critical judge of any art and craft Connoisseur

Persons living at the same time Contemporaries

One who is recovering health after illness Convalescent

A girl/woman who flirts with man Coquette

A person who regards the whole world as his country Cosmopolitan

One who is a centre of attraction Cynosure

One who sneers at the beliefs of others Cynic

A leader or orator who espoused the cause of the common people Demagogue

A person having a sophisticated charm Debonair

A leader who sways his followers by his oratory Demagogue

A dabbler (not serious) in art, science and literature Dilettante

One who is for pleasure of eating and drinking Epicure

One who often talks of his achievements Egotist

Someone who leaves one country to settle in another Emigrant

A man who is womanish in his habits Effeminate

One hard to please (very selective in his habits) Fastidious

One who runs away from justice Fugitive

One who is filled with excessive enthusiasm in religious matters Fanatic

One who believes in fate Fatalist

A lover of good food Gourmand

Conferred as an honour Honorary

A person who acts against religion Heretic

A person of intellectual or erudite tastes Highbrow

A patient with imaginary symptoms and ailments Hypochondriac

A person who is controlled by wife Henpeck

One who shows sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality Indefatigable

Someone who attacks cherished ideas or traditional institutions Iconoclast

One who does not express himself freely Introvert

Who behaves without moral principles Immoral

A person who is incapable of being tampered with Impregnable

One who is unable to pay his debts Insolvent

A person who is mentally ill Lunatic

A person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society Misanthrope

A person who primarily concerned with making money at the expense of Mercenary
ethics
 Someone in love with himself Narcissist

One who collect coins as hobby Numismatist

A person who likes or admires women Philogynist

A lover of mankind Philanthropist

A person who speaks more than one language Polyglot

One who lives in solitude Recluse

Someone who walks in sleep Somnambulist

A person who is indifferent to the pains and pleasures of life Stoic

A scolding nagging bad-tempered woman Termagant

A person who shows a great or excessive fondness for one's wife Uxorious

One who possesses outstanding technical ability in a particular art or Virtuoso

field

One Word Substitution for Death/Murder

A solemn procession, especially for a funeral Cortege

A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead Elegy

A phrase or form of words written in memory of a person who has died Epitaph

Killing of one's son or daughter Filicide

Destruction or abortion of a fetus Foeticide

Killing of one's brother or sister Fratricide

Killing of a large group of people Genocide

 Killing of one person by another Homicide

Killing of infants Infanticide

Burial of a corpse in a grave or tomb Interment

Killing of one's mother Matricide

A room or building in which dead bodies are kept Mortuary

A news article that reports the recent death of a person Obituary

Killing of a parent or other near relative Parricide

Killing of one's father Patricide

An examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death Postmortem

Action of killing a king Regicide

Killing of one's sister Sororicide

Act of intentionally causing one's own death Suicide

Killing of one's wife Uxoricide

List of One Word Substitutes for Profession/Research

The medieval forerunner of chemistry Alchemy

A person who presents a radio/television programme Anchor

One who studies the evolution of mankind Anthropologist

A person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft Astronaut

The scientific study of the physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, Botany

distribution, classification, and economic importance of plants
A person who draws or produces maps Cartographer

A person who writes beautiful writing Calligrapher

A person who composes the sequence of steps and moves for a Choreographer
performance of dance

A person employed to drive a private or hired car Chauffeur

A person who introduces the performers or contestants in a variety Compere

show

A keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection Curator

The branch of biology concerned with cyclical physiological phenomena Chronobiology

A secret or disguised way of writing Cypher

The study of statistics Demography

The use of the fingers and hands to communicate and convey ideas Dactylology

A person who sells and arranges cut flowers Florist

A line of descent traced continuously from an ancestor Genealogy

The therapeutic use of sunlight Heliotherapy

The art or practice of garden cultivation and management Horticulture

One who supervises in the examination hall Invigilator

The theory or philosophy of law Jurisprudence

A person who compiles dictionaries Lexicographer

The scientific study of the structure and diseases of teeth Odontology

One who presents a radio programme Radio Jockey

The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing Rhetoric

 The branch of science concerned with the origin, structure, and Petrology
composition of rocks

One who study the elections and trends in voting Psephologist

An artist who makes sculptures. Sculptor

The scientific study of the behaviour, structure, physiology, classification, Zoology

and distribution of animals

One Word Substitution for Sound

The branch of physics concerned with the properties of sound Acoustics

The sound of Alligators Bellow

The sound of Deers Bell

The sound of Crows Caw

The sound of Geese Cackle

The sound of Hens Cluck

The sound of Dolphins Click

The sound of Frogs Croak

The sound of Crickets Creak

The sound of Monkeys Gibber

The sound of Camels Grunt

The sound of Owls Hoot

The sound of Penguins Honk

The sound of Cattle Moo

 The sound of Horses Neigh

The sound of Nightingales Pipe

The sound of Ducks Quack

The sound of Parrots Screech

The sound of Rats Squeak

The sound of Birds Twitter

The sound of Elephants Trumpet

The sound of Mosquitoes Whine

Directions – In questions given below, out of the four options, pick the one which can be substituted
for the given words/ sentence.

1. The Government wing responsible for making Rules:

1. Judiciary
2. Executive
3. Court
4. Legislature

Answer: 4

2. Life history of a person written by that person:

1. Autobiography
2. Topography
3. Flexography
4. Biography

Answer: 1
3. One who does not take any alcoholic drink:

1. Saint
2. Teetotaller
3. Forestaller
4. Vegetarian

Answer: 2

4. A speech delivered without any previous preparation:

1. Elocution
2. Dialogue
3. Extempore
4. Dialect

Answer: 3

5. A disease which attacks many people in a particular area in one time:

1. Epidemic
2. Pandemic
3. Sardonic
4. Academic

Answer: 1

6. The sound of Monkeys:

1. Corrigendum
2. Deism
3. Decorum
4. Gibber

Answer: 4

7. Persons living at the same time:

1. Contemporaries
2. Convalescent
 3. Coquette
4. Cosmopolitan

Answer: 1

8. A person who deliberately sets fire to a building:

1. Amateur
2. Ambidextrous
3. Arsonist
4. Auditor

Answer: 3

9. One who is bad in spellings:

1. Cacographer
2. Cannibal
3. Chauvinist
4. Connoisseur

Answer: 1

10. A community of people smaller than a village:

1. Augment
2. Hamlet
3. Plundering
4. Fortune

Answer: 2