The EFL Playhouse:

Oh, do you know the opposites,
The opposites,
The opposites?
Oh do you know the opposites?
The meanings aren't the same.

If I say young,
Then you say old.
If I say hot,
Then you say cold.
If I say yes,
Then you say no.
The meanings aren't the same.

If I sit down,
Then you must stand.
If I turn left,
Then you turn right.
If I can frown,
Then you can smile.
The meanings aren't the same.

Oh yes, I know the opposites,
The opposites,
The opposites.
Oh yes, I know the opposites.
The meanings aren't the same.

Teaching Suggestions

Teach opposites in pairs (i.e. right/left, up/down, young/old, boy/girl, etc.).
Paste pictures of opposites on separate index cards. Place these face down. Play a memory game in which students must locate two opposites to create a pair. Students should either name the words pictured or use the words in appropriate sentences.
Let students create a book of opposites. Photocopy line-art drawings depicting a pair of opposites onto heavy portrait-oriented B5 or A4 paper. (One picture should appear on the top half of the paper, and the other on the bottom.) Somewhere on each half, write the word illustrated. At the very top of each page, print the word "top" in the right hand corner." Duplex copies so that one pair of opposites appears on the front of a page and a second pair appears on the back. Hole-punch to fit a four- or six-ring binder. Cut sheets in half. Direct students to color pictures and trace words. Place sheets into a four- or six-ring binder, making sure that pages labeled "top" are in the top two or three holes, and unlabeled pages are at the bottom. Students have now created opposite flip books. Call out any word in the book. Students must race to find the word and its opposite. Whoever finds both first selects the next word. Note: You may choose to add one page worth of cards per day (two pairs of opposites). This allows students time to master new vocabulary.
Play an opposites game. Have all students stand. Call out a word. Students must act out its opposite. For a quieter review, choose two students sitting side by side and say a word. Whoever says its opposite first steps back to challenge the next student. Whenever the challenger loses a round, he or she sits in the sit of the student who won. The first student to make it around the class and back to his or her original seat is declared the winner.