Answer Keys
Answer Keys
Answer Keys
Exercise 1: For each group of words given below, state what semantic features
are shared by the (a) words and the (b) words, and what semantic features
distinguish between the classes of (a) words and (b) words.
The first is done as example.
1. (a) lobster, shrimp, crab, oyster, mussel
(b) trout, sole, herring, salmon, mackerel
The (a) and (b) words are [+edible water animal].
The (a) words are [+shellfish].
The (b) words are [+fish].
2. (a) widow, mother, sister, aunt, seamstress
(b) widower, father, brother, uncle, tailor
The (a) and (b) words are [+human].
The (a) words are [+female].
The (b) words are [+male].
3. (a) bachelor, son, paperboy, pope, chief
(b) bull, rooster, drake, ram, stallion
The (a) and (b) words are [+animate] and [+male].
The (a) words are [+human].
The (b) words are [+animal].
4. (a) table, pencil, cup, house, ship, car
(b) milk, tea, wine, beer, water, soft drink
The (a) and (b) words are [+inanimate] and [+concrete].
The (a) words are [+solid].
The (b) words are [+liquid].
5. (a) book, temple, mountain, road, tractor
(b) idea, love, charity, sincerity, bravery, fear
The (a) and (b) words are [+inanimate].
The (a) words are [+concrete thing].
The (b) words are [+abstract notion].
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6. (a) rose, lily, tulip, daisy, sunflower, violet
(b) ash (taàn bì), oak (soài), sycamore (sung daâu), willow (lieãu),
beech (soài)
(c) pine (thoâng), cedar (tuyeát tuøng), jew (thuûy tuøng), spruce (vaân
sam), cypress (baùch)
The (a) (b) and (c) words are [+plant].
The (a) words are [+flowering plant].
The (b) words are [+deciduous tree].
The (c) words are [+evergreen tree].
7. (a) book, letter, encyclopedia, novel, notebook, dictionary
(b) typewriter, pencil, ballpoint, crayon, quill, charcoal, chalk
The (a) and (b) words are [+non-living thing].
The (a) words are [+thing to read or write].
The (b) words are [+thing used to write or draw with].
8. (a) walk, run, skip, jump, hop, swim
(b) fly, skate, ski, ride, cycle, canoe, hang-glide
The (a) and (b) words are [+motion] or [+way of movement].
The (a) words are [+movement made without the help of any means].
The (b) words are [+movement made with the help of a certain kind of means].
9. (a) ask, tell, say, talk, converse
(b) shout, whisper, mutter, drawl, holler
The (a) and (b) words are [+way of talking].
The (a) words are [+generic].
The (b) words are [+specific].
10. (a) alive, asleep, awake, dead, half-dead, pregnant
(b) depressed, bored, excited, upset, amazed, surprised
The (a) and (b) words are [+state closely associated with living things].
The (a) words are [+physical state].
The (b) words are [+emotional state].
1
This semantic feature is optional.
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2. Aunt: [+human], [±mature], [+female], [+father’s/mother’s sister (-in-law)]
3. Hen: [+animate], [+bird], [+fowl], [+fully grown], [+female]
4. Oak (-tree): [+plant], [+deciduous tree], [+tough hard wood]
5. Flower: [+part of a plant], [+colored], [+usually good-smelling],
[+bloom/blossom], [+fruit or seed is developed]
6a. Palm: [+part of a hand], [+inner surface], [+between the wrist and the fingers]
6b. Palm (-tree): [+plant], [+tree] [−branches] [+a mass of large wide
leaves at the top], [+in warm or tropical climates]
7. Bachelor: [+human], [+mature], [+male], [+stay single]2
8. Actress: [+human], [+female], [+professionally artistic], [+perform a role]
9. Plod: [+motion], [+walk], [+slowly and laboriously]
10. Ewe: [+animate], [+sheep], [+fully grown], [+female], [+producing wool
and meat]
11a. Fly: [+motion], [+through air or space], [+fast], [+wings or a means of
transport]
11b. Fly: [+animate], [+insect], [+two wings], [+in and around houses]
12. Stallion: [+animate], [+horse], [+fully grown], [+male], [+for breeding]
13. Police-officer: [+human], [±male], [+member of the police force],
[+disciplined]
14. Beauty: [+attractive feature], [+combination of shape, color, behavior,
etc.], [+giving pleasure to senses]
15. Imagine: [+mental state], [+form a concept or an image], [+thoughtfulness]
16. Doe: [+animate], [+deer, reindeer, rabbit or hare], [+fully grown],
[+female]
17. Drive: [+motion], [+operate/direct], [+related to a vehicle]
2
This semantic feature is required.
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21. Rose: [+plant], [+bush/shrub], [+sweet-smelling flowers], [+different
colors, usually pinkish or red], [+thorns], [+symbol for love]
22. Chick: [+animate], [+bird], [+fowl], [− −fully grown], [±male]
23. Pap: [+thing], [+food], [+soft or semi-liquid], [+for babies or invalids]
24. Tiptoe: [+motion], [+walk], [+on toes], [+silently]
25. Pine(-tree): [+plant], [+evergreen tree], [+needle-shaped leaves],
[+pale soft wood]
26. Owe: [+state], [+be in debt], [+obligation/duty], [+pay/repay]
27. Computer: [+thing], [+electric/electronic device], [+storing/processing
data], [+making calculations], [+controlling machinery]
28. Honesty: [+abstract notion], [+virtue], [+trustfulness], [+hard to evaluate]
29. Maid: [+human], [+mature], [+female], [+servant]
30. Spinster: [+human], [+mature], [+female], [+stay single]
Exercise 3: How can you distinguish the words given in the following table
from one another, considering their semantic features?
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• Huynh, ñeä, tyû and muoäi all share their three prominent semantic
features: [+born by the same parents], [±male] and [±older].
Exercise 4: Organise the given words (and probably those of your own) into
three semantic fields: shirts, end, short, forward(s), long, hats, lend,
coats, shorts, beginning, trousers, amble, out, limp, tiptoe, plod,
socks, trudge, borrow, stomp, in, stump, backward(s), and tramp.
ANSWER:
(1) Articles of clothing: shirts, socks, hats, coats, shorts, trousers, etc.
(2) Ways of walking3: amble, limp, tiptoe, plod, trudge, stomp,
stump, tramp, etc.
Amble = ride or walk at a slow, leisurely pace: He came ambling down the road.
3
Exercise 5: Try to fill in the each of the two blanks with an appropriate word
to prove that there is no lexical gap in the given semantic fields.
sheep giraffe
Exercise 7: Identify all the possible connotations associated with the word
Christmas.
The word Christmas could call up “images of Christ trees, family
gatherings, presents and carols”; “these associations may be specific for a
particular culture or group of people; they may even be individual. [Asher
and Simpson, 1994: 2155].
Exercise 8: Interpret the meaning the following sentences and state what
kind of figure of speech (also called figurative language) used in each of
them.
1. When he gets going, Jack is a streak of lightning.
Jack is a streak of lightning is a metaphor which means Jack is very
fast.
2. I found the fifty-two pounds of books you left for me to carry.
Your kindness really moved me.
Your kindness really moved me is an expression of irony which
means you were not kind to me at all.
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The man is a demon for work is a metaphor which means the man is
an energetic person who works very hard.
4. When you take that course, plan to study thirty hours a day.
Study thirty hours a day is an overstatement/a hyperbole which
means study for a long time every day.
9. Dick was fairly pleased when he won the brand-new car in the
contest.
Fairly pleased is an ironical understatement which means very
pleased.
10. If you are not happy with the service, go and talk to the City Hall.
The City Hall, which is [+sign], is a metonymy meaning the city’s
Mayor, which is [+person].
15. Keep overeating like that and pretty soon you’ll weigh a thousand
pounds.
Weigh a thousand pounds is an overstatement/a hyperbole which
means be too heavy or get too fat.
16. After she heard the good news, she grinned like a mule eating
briars.
Grinned like a mule eating briars is a simile which means smiled
broadly.
17. The captain was in charge of one hundred horses.
Horses, which is [+instrument], is a metonymy which means
cavalries or soldiers fighting on horseback, which is [+agent].
19. You can depend on Gina; she is a rock when trouble comes.
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She is a rock is a metaphor which means she is strong-minded or she
has strong nerves.
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25. Alice came in gently, like a May breeze.
Alice is like a May breeze is a simile which means Alice is as young,
fresh, sweet and warm as a breeze signaling the beginning of a
summer.
26. Susie is a picture of loveliness in her new dress.
Susie is a picture of loveliness is a metaphor which means Susie is very
lovely.
27. A thousand thanks are for your kindness.
A thousand thanks are for your kindness is an overstatement/a
hyperbole which means thank you very much for your kindness.
28. I walked past the big sad mouth which didn’t know what to say
then.
Mouth, which is [+part], stands for person, which is [+whole]. This is
a synecdoche.
The whole sentence means I passed by the talkative person who was
then too upset to give an immediate response.
30. Give every man thine ears, bid a few thy voice.
This sentence consists of two metonymies: give every man thine4
ears which means listen to everyone, and bid a few thy voice which
means talk to only a few people. The whole sentence means you
should listen to everyone but talk to only a few people.
4
Both thine and thy mean your. Respectively, thine and thy occur before a
noun beginning with a vowel and a consonant.
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A storm is a metaphor which means a heated argument, a bitter
disagreement or a terrible conflict.
36. I’ve told you a thousand times not to touch that again.
A thousand times is an overstatement/a hyperbole which means
more than one time.
5
Mis- is a verb-forming prefix meaning ‘wrongly.’ Re- is another verb-
forming prefix meaning ‘again.’
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His words stands for/substitutes for that person himself. This is a
metonymy.
The whole sentence means you can trust him.
40. The police team has cemented close ties with the hospital staff.
- Cemented literally means joined (the police team and the hospital
staff) together as with cement.
- Cemented in this context is a metaphor which means firmly
established or strengthened.
The whole sentence means close connections have been established
between the police team and the hospital staff.
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44. In 1940, after the fall of France, England had no defense left but
her ancient valor.
The fall of France is a metaphor which means the failure of France.
England is compared to a woman who had no defense left but her
former bravery in war. This is an expression of personification.
The whole sentence means after the failure of France in 1940,
England could not defend herself against her war enemy/enemies.
45. The fire snaps6 and crackles7 like a whip8; its sharp9 acrid10 smoke
stings11 the eyes. It is the fire that drives12 a thorn13 of memory in
my heart.
- In the fire crackles like a whip, the sound of fire is explicitly
compared to that of a whip. This is a simile.
- Smoke and fire are each given a human act: sting the eyes and
drives a thorn in the heart. These are two expressions of
personification.
rubber
A sting = a sharp pointed organ of some insects, e.g. bees, wasps, etc.,
11
14
Captain (n) 1 person in charge of a ship or civil aircraft. 2 (a) officer in the
British Army between the ranks of lieutenant and major; (b) officer in the British
Navy between the ranks of commander and admiral. 3 person given authority
over a group or team: He was (the) captain of the football team for five years.
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The whole sentence means it is terrible to be exposed to real life in
one’s early childhood without any parental protection.
SUPERORDINATE HYPONYM
books novels
1.
reptile crocodile
2.
flower tulip
3.
vegetables carrots
4.
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1. luggage and suitcase
luggage
suitcase briefcase handbag (or purse) trunk rucksack (or backpack) ………
2. green vegetable and bean
green vegetable
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6. plant and coconut
plant
tongue tip tongue blade tongue front tongue back tongue root
wardrobe dressing table chest of drawers writing desk Welsh dresser ………
Exercise 11: The following pairs of words are partial synonyms, i.e. they
do not share all their senses. For each pair, (a) gives a sentence in which
the two can be used interchangeably; (b) gives another sentence in
which only one of them can be used.
15
Vocalize = say or sing (sounds or words); utter
16
Croon (sth) (to sb) = sing or say (sth) softly and gently: croon a sentimental tune;
croon soothing to a child.
Yodel (also yodle) = sing (a song) or utter a musical call, with frequent changes
from the normal voice to high falsetto notes, in the traditional Swiss manner.
Hum (sth) (to sb) = sing (a tune) with close lips: I don’t know the words of the song
but I can hum it to you.
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1. strong/powerful
(a) There are strong/powerful arguments for and against capital
punishment.
(b) He loves strong coffee.
2. ripe/mature
(a) This cheese is ripe/mature enough for us to eat.
(b) We cannot eat this fruit because it isn’t ripe yet.
3. broad/wide
(a) The Thames is a broad/wide river.
(b) My boss is not broad-minded.
4. soil/earth
(a) We can plant the trees on this good soil/earth.
(b) The rocket fell back to earth.
5. edge/side
(a) This house is at the edge/side of the forest.
(b) I will be on your side.
6. permit/allow
(a) Photography is not permitted/allowed in this area.
(b) If the weather permits, we’ll go boating.
Exercise 12: Identify various meanings of each of the two given polysemous
words and then point out which meaning exemplify partial synonymy.
ANSWER:
1. deep
(i) This is a deep well. (Deep means extending a long way from top to bottom)
(ii) He only gave a deep sigh. (Deep means taking in or going out a lot of air)
(iii) You have my deep sympathy. (Deep means profound)
(iv) With his hands deep in his pockets, he went away.
(Deep means far down in something)
The third meaning of deep is synonymous with profound.
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2. broad
(i) The river is very broad at this point.
(Broad means wide or large in size from one side to the other.)
(ii) He just gave a broad smile. (Broad means clear, obvious or unmistakable)
(iii) Luckily, my boss is a man of broad views. (Broad means liberal, tolerant)
(iv) He speaks English with a broad Yorkshire accent.
(Broad means having many sounds typical of a particular region)
The first meaning of broad is synonymous with wide.
Exercise 15: Identify the continuous scale of values between the two given words.
1. love -- hate: love, like, be indifferent to, dislike, hate
2. hot -- cold: hot, warm, tepid (also called lukewarm), cool, cold
5. none -- all: none, few/little, some (= a few/a little), half, most, almost all, all
6. possibly -- certainly: possibly, probably, quite probably, almost
certainly, certainly
7. never--always: never, rarely/seldom, occasionally, sometimes, often,
usually/frequently, always
Exercise 16: State whether the following pairs of antonyms are binary, gradable or
relational by writing B (binary), G (gradable) or R (relational):
1. G; 2. B; 3. B; 4. G; 5. R; 6. G; 7. B; 8. R;
9. R; 10. R; 11. G; 12. G; 13. B; 14. B; 15. G; 16 R
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