II.4 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY: PRACTICAL TASKS AND EXERCISES

SELF-CHECK AND CONSOLIDATION QUESTIONS1. What does lexicology study?2. What is vocabulary?3. What is the main function of a word?4. What is the external structure of a word?5. What is the internal structure of a word?6. What is a word?7. What are stylistically neutral words?8. What are stylistically marked words?9. What is a functional style/register?10.Which stylistically marked groups of words are used in the formal style?11.Which stylistically marked groups of words are used in the informal style?12.What is slang?13.What are the characteristics of colloquial words?14.What are literary (bookish) words?15.What are officialese words?16.What are terms?17.What is a neologism?18.What is an archaism?19.Which languages has English mainly borrowed from? 20.What are translation loans?21.What is the difference between source of borrowing and source of origin?22.What are etymological doublets?

STYLISTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Exercise 1

Look at these three text extracts and decide which register types you would classify them in (formal/informal). Underline key stylistically marked words which help you decide the register. Guess what kind of text these extracts are taken from. Find examples of stylistically colored words: terms, colloquial/slang words, bookish/poetic words, officialese/literary words etc.

A)

Dear Mr Brown,

Because Mr. Jones is out of the office for the next two weeks I am acknowledging receipt of your letter dated May 20, l983. It will be brought to his attention immediately upon his return. If I may be of any assistance during Mr. Jones' absence, please do not hesitate to call.

B) Jim's dad enters with Nadia. She's in sweats and a leotard, carrying a duffel bag over her shoulder. Jim's dad is delighted, fidgety, almost giddy.JIM'S DAD: Son. This lady's here for you.JIM: I know. Hey Nadia.NADIA: Hello James. Ready to study?JIM'S DAD: Oh, you bet he is. Jim's quite the bookworm.JIM: Dad…JIM'S DAD: Oh, no, not too much of a bookworm. He's a good little kid. Er, guy. Man.JIM: Dad!!JIM'S DAD: Okay, okay. I'll let you hit those books.

C)

Bacteria have a thick, rigid cell wall, which maintains the integrity of the cell, and determines its characteristic shape. Since the cytoplasm of bacteria contains high concentrations of dissolved substances, they generally live in a hypotonic environment (i.e. one that is more dilute than their own cytoplasm). There is therefore a natural tendency for water to flow into the cell, and without the cell wall the cell would fill and burst (you can demonstrate this by using enzymes to strip off the cell wall, leaving the naked protoplast).

D) Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrowFrom my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -Nameless here for evermore.

Exercise 2. Put the words on the left into the correct columns in the table.purchase handyloo resumethus terrificquid commenceapprehend reckonguy

Formal Informalpurchase

Now find a formal/ informal/neutral synonym for each of the words from this list.

therefore toilet convenient catch/stop start man start againpound think fantastic buy

e.g. purchase—buy

Exercise 3. Rewrite these sentences in more informal English.1. When are you going to collect your bicycle?2. Most of these children are very clever.3. I think it'll commence quite soon.4. Would you like to go out for a meal?5. My flat is five minutes from where I work, thus it is very convenient.6. What's the matter?7. The man in the market wanted twenty pounds for this ring.8. Where did you purchase that book?9. They'll never apprehend him.10.I'm just going to the toilet.

Exercise 4. Now rewrite this letter in more suitable formal English.

Dear Mr CollinsWe're really sorry to say that we can't lend you the sum of five hundred quid that you need, but it may be possible to give you a loan for some of the money.If you are still interested, do you fancy getting in touch with our main office to fix up an appointment with the assistantmanager. He will be happy to talk to you about it. Yours sincerely

Source: English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate)

Exercise 5.

Replace the slang words which are in bold in the sentences below with more formal equivalents. If you don’t find them in a dictionary, it should be possible to guess what it is. Notice that some of the words have a slang meaning which is different from their everyday meaning.

1. The newsreader on TV last night seemed to be pissed as he was reading the

news.

2. He’s quite a nice bloke really.

3. Have you got wheels or shall we call a taxi?

4. I’m dying for a cuppa. I haven’t had one since breakfast.

5. I was absolutely gobsmacked when she told me she was leaving.

CHANGES IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Exercise 6.

If you meet a new word it is often possible to work out its meaning from its context. Practise by explaining what the words in bold in the following sentences may mean.

1. I very much prefer restaurants where there is no microwavery.

2. They’re building a new cineplex on the edge of the town so we should be

able to choose from a variety of films on Saturday nights.

3. Upskiing, which uses small parachutes, is a rapidly developing sport in the

USA.

4. World AIDS Day was inspired by the health globocrats of the World Health

Organization.

5. He is writing a thesis on humorology.

Exercise 7.

Now guess the meaning of the following neologisms (ca. 2006) studying their natural context and explain in which way they were formed.

DOLLARIZE Example Citation:"American officials said today that they doubted Argentina would decide to 'dollarize' its economy unless it came under dire pressure from an economic meltdown in Brazil."—"Resistance to Argentine 'Dollar'," The New York Times

COSPLAY Example Citation:The cult of cosplay sprang to life more than 15 years ago, when Japanese anime otaku (fans) began dressing up as their favourite cartoon characters at annual anime meets, where fans attended talks, meet-the-artist sessions and caught up with each other. Soon, cosplay masquerades were appearing in countries like the US, Canada, Hongkong and Taiwan. In 1990, Project A-kon in Dallas, Texas, was one of the first US anime conventions to feature a cosplay contest. —Clara Chow, "Spider can eat my shorts," The New Straits Times, March 8, 2002

EXTREME TOURISM

Example Citation:"Ah, vacation! Balmy breezes, ice-cold margaritas, compliant snipers. Snipers? Yep. The newest kick for jaded tourists who have hit all the world's hot spots is to hit the world's really hot spots. The idea behind what some are calling terror travel or extreme tourism is basically to take the U.S. State Department's travel advisory warning list and make an itinerary out of it."—Justin Doebele, "Club Dead," Forbes, December 15, 1997

III.7 THE PROBLEMS OF A WORD MEANING: PRACTICAL TASKS AND EXERCISES

SELF-CHECK AND CONSOLIDATION QUESTIONS

1. What is the difference between the lexical meaning and the grammatical meaning of a word?

2. What is denotative meaning?3. What is connotative meaning?4. What is a polysemantic word?5. What is linguistic metaphor?6. What is an antropormorphic metaphor?7. What is a zoormorphic metaphor?8. What is antonomasia?9. What is linguistic metonymy?10.What is a euphemism?11.What is the difference between homographs and homophones? 12.What is a paronym?13.What is a synonym and what are the criteria to define synonyms?14.What is a synonymic dominant?

THE STRUCTURE OF MEANING, TYPES OF MEANING

Exercise 1Define lexical and grammatical meanings of the underlined words in the following text.

An Austrian town is to open a James Bond museum to mark its brief appearance in Quantum of Solace. Local government (1) officials (2) say the museum will open in Bregenz on March 20 to celebrate the (3) location's links with 007. The museum (4) will feature props from shooting and pictures and fact sheets for (5) visitors.

Example: (1) officials Lexical meaning: ‘one who holds an office or position’. Grammatical meaning: a noun, plural number

Exercise 2Define the meaning of the polysemantic word in the following contexts:

rough

1. Grace made her way slowly across the rough ground. uneven, not

smooth_____

2. The sea was rough and no swimming allowed.

3. Rugby's a rough game at the best of times.

4. It was quite a rough part of our town.

5. All women have a rough time in our society.

6. The virus won't go away and the lad is still feeling a bit rough.

7. We were only able to make a rough estimate of how much fuel would be

required.

8. I've got a rough idea of what he looks like.

9. The bench had a rough wooden table in front of it.

Exercise 3. Provide suitable context (example of usage) for each meaning of

the polysemantic word.

1. astute, as in business;

This magazine is for smart young professionals who want to better know the

tendencies in the market.

2. clever or bright, quick, witty, and often impertinent in speech:

3. fashionable; chic; socially elegant

4. well-kept; neat; trim in appearance

5. vigorous or brisk

Exercise 4Define which of the meanings of polysemantic words and expressions below are:

a) general (wide)b) special (narrow)c) directd) figurative

soup (noun) 1 liquid food made by boiling meat, fish, or vegetables in water.

...home-made chicken soup. 2 soup

If you say that someone is in the soup, you mean they are in trouble. (INFORMAL, JOURNALISM)

She has a knack of landing herself right in the soup.

cite (verb)[citing, cited] 1. to quote or refer to (a passage, book, or author) 2. to summon to appear before a court of law

CHANGE OF WORD MEANING

   Exercise 5.

Explain the logical associations in the following groups of meaning for the

same words. Define the type of transference which has taken place.

1) the wing of a bird - the wing of a building; e.g. metaphor (similarity of form)2) the eye of a man - the eye of a needle; 3) the hand of a child - the hand of a clock; 4) the heart of a man - the heart of the matter; 5) the bridge across the river - the bridge of the nose;6) the tongue of a person - the tongue of a bell7) green grass - green years; 8) black shoes - black despair; 9) nickel (metal) - a nickel (coin) ;10) Ford (proper name) - a Ford (car); 11) Damaskus (town in Syria) - damask.

Exercise 6Define in which sentences the underlined words are used in the metaphorical or metonymical shifted meaning.

1) I went to kick the ball and I completely missed it. 2) I immediately regretted having said this. I could have kicked myself 3) He stirred his coffee with a spoon. 4) She likes her tea with two spoons of sugar.5) Some sharks have very sharp teeth and may attack people. 6) Beware the sharks when you are making up your mind how to invest.7) He fumbled with the buttons at the neck. 8) He fumbled his lines, not knowing what he was going to say.

Exercise 7 Antonomasia.The following are names of characters in popular fiction. They are so well-

known (even by those who have never read or even heard of the original

work) that they are often used in ordinary conversation. Put each on in its

correct place in the sentences below.

Walter Mitty

Big Brother

Jekyll and Hyde

Rip Van Winkle

Little Lord

Fauntleroy

Sherlock Holmes

Tarzan

Cinderella

1) He’s a strange person. Usually he’s very pleasant and reasonable, but there

are times when he gets very bad-tempered and almost violent. He’s got a

___________ personality.

2) How on earth did you guess his nationality, occupation and all those other

things about him just from his appearance? You’re a proper ___________ .

3) I don’t like this new government proposal to put details of everyone’s

private life on computers. I cant see it will mean greater efficiency and all

that, but, well, it’s a bit like ___________, isn’t it?

4) I think the neighbour’s kids should be allowed a bit of freedom to wear what

they like and get dirty having fun, not make to look like ___________ .

5) She’s really exploited by her family. They make her do everything for them,

cook, clean… She’s a sort of ___________ .

6) He’s a body-builder and weight-lifter. Have you seen him in a swimsuit? He

looks like ___________ .

7) He sounds very impressive when he talks about his adventures and

achievements, but it’s all fantasy. He’s a ___________ character.

8) Come on, ___________, wake up! It’s nearly lunch-time.

SYNONYMY

Exercise 8.

Work with your dictionary and explain why the following synonyms are partial.

Give the meanings in which they coincide.

a) tongue – language

b) dear – expensive

c) ripe - mature

Exercise 9 Prove that the following synonyms have different combinability

a) sick – ill

b) living/live – alive

c) all-every

Exercise 10The following polysemantic words enter different synonymic series. Build these series according to the common meaning that they share. Define the synonymic dominant.

1. be2. remain3. persist4. rest5. stay6. stay on

Meaning and usage1) e.g. stay the same; remain in a certain state stay, remain, rest, be2) continue in a place, position, or situation ………………………3) be left; of persons, questions, problems, results, evidence, etc.

……………………4) stay behind …………………………

Now study the difference between the synonyms STAY and REMAIN.

remain - stayRemain and stay are often used with the same meaning. Remain is more

formal than stay.To remain or stay in a particular state means to continue to be in that state. Oliver remained silent. I stayed awake.If you remain or stay in a place, you do not leave it.

Fewer women these days stay at home to look after their children.If something still exists, you can say that it remains. You do not say that it

`stays'. Even today remnants of this practice remain.If you stay in a town, hotel, or house, you live there for a short time. She was staying in the same hotel as I was.You do not use remain with this meaning.

Exercise 11Define, whether STAY and REMAIN are:

1. full or partial synonyms;

2. synonyms with identical or different combinability

Exercise 12Choose the right word (STAY or REMAIN); sometimes either can be used. Be careful to use the correct grammar form of the word.

1) I have done three exercises and two ….2) The place was so nice that we decided to … there all summer.3) Few leaves … on the trees and they are not green any longer.4) I was allowed to … at home.5) He was cut off from what … of his family.6) How long can you … in Brussels?

HOMONYMY

Exercise 13Read the sentences aloud and translate them. Find homonyms and define

their type.

1. Excuse my going first, I’ll lead the way. 2. Lead is heavier that iron. 3. He tears

up all letters. 4. Her eyes filled with tears. 5. In England the heir to the throne is

referred to as the Prince of Wales. 6. Let’s go out and have some fresh air. 7. It is

not customary to shake hands in England. If the hostess or the host offers a hand,

take it; a bow is sufficient for the rest. 8. The girl had a bow of red ribbon in her

hair. 9. He took a suite at the hotel. 10. No sweet without some sweat. 11. What

will you have for dessert? 12. The sailors did not desert the ship. 13. In England

monarchs reign but do not rule. 14. The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.

Exercise 14

Find pairs of homonyms whose meaning is given below:

1. What word means weapons and are also parts of the body?

2. What word means to get down from and also means to be on fire?

3. What word is a group of musicians and also describes a thin strip for

binding?

4. What word describes a round object and is also a formal dance?

5. What word describes the sound a dog makes, tree covering and also a

sailboat?

6. What word means the land along a river, the place where financial

transactions take place and also means a row of things?

7. What word is a large animal, and also means to support or carry?

8. What word means to hit hard and also means to send out a stream of air?

9. What word means good quality and is also the money paid as punishment?

10.What word means solid or hard and also is a business or company?

More difficult words and not only homographs:

e.g. ungenerous/ a facial expression – mean/mien

11.a bucket/ almost colorless

12.a male child/ a circular object thrown to a drowning man

13.time to go to sleep/ a noble soldier on horseback

14.a story/ the movable growth at the back of the animal

15.a low voice/ foundation

16.to inter/ a small fruit

17.an oriental country/ a large bird

18.honest/ the price a passenger pays

19.a very big mammal that lives in the sea/ to cry out

20.a manner of walking/ it closes an opening in the wall or fence

21.loss or wrong use/ the narrow part of a human body

22.a person who inherits somebody’s property/ the space above the ground

23.a liquid substance giving flavour to food/ a place from which something

comes

24.a kind of fruit/ two

head of the town council/ a female horse

IV.4 MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH WORD. TYPES OF MORPHEMES: PRACTICAL TASKS AND EXERCISES

SELF-CHECK AND CONSOLIDATION QUESTIONS1. What is a morpheme?2. What is the difference between the bound and the free morphemes?3. What is the difference between the root and the affix?4. What are derivative words and non-derivative words?5. What are simple words and compound words?6. What are full words and contracted words?7. What is affixation as a model of word building?8. What is back-formation as a model of word building?9. What is conversion as a model of word building?10.What is composition as a model of word building?11.What is shortening as a model of word building?12.What is the difference between clipping, blending and abbreviation?

Exercise 1Split the following words into morphemes and define their type.E.g.:undividedun- prefix, bound morphemedivid(e)- — root, free morpheme-ed — grammatical suffix, bound morpheme

1) shorten2) power3) immovable4) criticized5) secretaries

AFFIXATION

Exercise 2 Make a proper word to fill in the blank. Affixes to be used in the word:-ment -hood -ish -less -like -able -proof -ed -ly dis-

child1) He was remembering a story heard in his __childhood____. (period of

life when a person is a child)2) She is very ______ and selfish. (immature)3) Thousand of ______ couples come to this doctor with a hope. (having no

children)4) She looked at me with big, ______ eyes. (with appearance of a child)

5) A medicine chest should be secure and ______. (ensuring that children cannot access it)

agree1. I’ve gone out of my way to be ______ to my boss. (pleasant and trying to

please other people)2. All the government members are ______ that something should be done

about the situation. (being of the same opinion)3. We can't go on unless we have his ______ .(same opinion, joint decision)4. Orange juice seems to ______ with some babies (makes to feel unwell)5. The taste is bitter and ______ sour. (of unpleasant quality)

Exercise 3Fill each space in the sentences below with the correct form of the word in bold print about it. . E.g. decide(a) We must come to a _____ very soon.(b) We beat them_____ . We won 7:0.(c) He can never make up his mind. He's very_______.

Answers:(a) decision (b) decisively (c) indecisive

1 beauty(a) She is very _____ .(b) She's training to be a _____ .(c) They're going to_____ the town with more trees and parks.

2 pay(a) To buy this car I made a monthly _____ of £280 for two years.(b) Please make your cheque _____ to John Watson.(c) The person a cheque is made out to is called the _____ .

3 receive(a) She works as a _____ . at a hotel in Scotland(b) Ask for a_____ when you buy something, in case you need to return it.(c) I made several suggestions to improve production, but the management was not very _____ to my ideas.

4 hero(a) He received a medal for his_____ .(b) They fought _____ in the war.(c) She was described as a______.

5 produce(a) _____ of the new sports car has been halted by a strike.

(b) China is one of the world's leading _____ of rice(c) I'm afraid the talks were totally _____. We didn't reach agreement on anything.

6 explain(A) An _____ leaflet is given to all purchasers of the machine.(b) His disappearance is very strange, in fact quite_____.(c) I think you owe me an _____ for your behaviour.

7 compare(a) This is _____. better than that. In fact, there is really no _____.(b) Scientists have made_____ tests on the new drugs.

8 advise(a) Until the situation has settled down, it is _____ to travel to that country.(b) The government set up an _____ body on the use of drugs in sport.(c) I doubt the _____ of drinking alcohol while undergoing that medical treatment

9 admire(a) She was a pleasant, attractive girl, always surrounded by _____ .(b) I am full of_____ for what she has achieved.(c) I approve of him wholeheartedly. He is an _____ man.

10 stable(a) To _____ the boat in rough sea, we redistributed the weight.(b) Between 1860 and 1900 the country had a number of revolutions and uprisings. It was a time of great _____ .(c) The exchange rate is going up and down dramatically. It's very _____ at the moment.

11 economy(a) We're spending too much. We must _____.(b) This car uses a lot of petrol. It's terribly _____.(c) The Chancellor (Minister of Finance) is responsible for_____ affairs.

12 reside(a) This is the President's official _____.(b) There's no industry or entertainment nere. It's a _____ district.(c) All _____ of the neighbouring houses were warned of the gas leak

13 comfort(a) In that tense situation I found the good news very _____ .(b) I felt rather _____, so I put a soft cushion behind me.(c) She sat in terrible _____ on the hard chair for over an hour

14 dead(a) The increasing number of _____ in traffic accidents is alarming.(b) Be careful! That's a _____ poison!(c) The doctor gave him an injection to _____ the pain.

15 demonstrate(a) The _____ marched through the streets chanting slogans.(b) Grandfather rarely showed the affection he felt for his family. He was a very _____person.(c) What you say is_____ false. Let me show you the facts.

COMPOSITION

Exercise 5

Compound AdjectivesWarm-hearted means kind, considerate.Can you match the correct words from the first two columns, and then match the compound adjective with its definition from the column three?1 2 3tight- minded mean (with money)two- sighted bossynarrow- skinned good at planningthick- headed obstinatehigh- fisted hypocriticalpig- faced insensitivefar- handed intolerant

What semantic and syntactic type do these compound adjectives belong to?

Exercise 6

Rewrite each of the sentences below, forming a compound adjective from the two words in italics and making any other changes necessary.E.g. The journey took ten hours. — It was a ten-hour journey.

They make these chocolates by hand. — These chocolates are hand-made.

Her hat caught everyone's eye. — She wore an eye-catching hat.The doctor was trained in Germany. — He's a German-trained doctor.The memory was both bitter and sweet. — It was a bitter-sweet

memory.1(a) That thing looks dangerous.(b) Mr Reed is an accountant who was born in London.

(c) She always dresses very smartly.(d) It was painted red like the colour of bricks.(e) She had eyes like a cat.(f) It was an occasion which was happy and sad at the same time.(g) The tower has a shape like a mushroom. (h) He was famous all over the world.(i) We had to write a composition of 200 words.

2(a) The meal tasted awful.(b) Only planes with a single engine can land here.(c) A building of five storeys suddenly collapsed.(d) We walked along a corridor which had a red carpet.(e) This machine is operated by hand.(1) The new director is an economist educated at Oxford.(g) He has very broad shoulders.(h) She's always very satisfied with herself.(i) My sister is very conscious of dress.3(a) We'll have a guide who speaks French.(b) The walls were as blue as the sky,(c) I looked at the sea, which was rather blue but also rather green.(d) The ship sailed with a crew of eight men.(e) She had fair hair.(f) The new machinery, built in America, will arrive next month.(g) I heard a voice that sounded strange. (h) These tigers eat men.(i) He always has a bad temper.

(From B.J. Thomas Advanced Vocabulary and Idiom)

CONVERSIONExercise 7Conversion is the derivational process whereby an item changes its word-class without the addition of an affix. Conversion is particularly common in English because the basic form of nouns and verbs is identical in many cases.

Find cases of conversion in the following sentences. Indicate the part of speech of the words derived by conversion and guess their meaning.

1. The Army would radio the location to the nearest airstrip.2. We summered in Kashmir.3. They pensioned him off when they found a younger man for the job.4. You aren’t down. Nothing will down you.5. It doesn’t interfere with your own likes and dislikes.

6. When did you get the invite, Mother?7. It has been quite a wait before he heard her voice.8. The detectives tailed the thief to the station.

CLIPPINGExercise 8Many of the words in the English language are shortened forms of longer words. For instance, the word "modem" is the shortened form of "modulator-demodulator." Guess the full form of the words from which the following clipped words were formed.

1. pants2. movie3. limo4. math5. flu6. auto7. burger8. ad9. varsity10.lab11.lunch12.memo13.mum14.typo

PORTMANTEAU WORDS

The standard linguistic term for this type of word is a blend. It was Lewis Carroll in Through The Looking Glass who coined the word portmanteau to describe them. In the book Humpty Dumpty explains that: "Well, 'slithy' means 'lithe and slimy'. 'Lithe' is the same word as 'active'. You see, it's like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed into one word." Among several other words Carroll created chortle (a combination of 'chuckle' and 'snort') and galumph (a combination of 'gallop' and 'triumph').

So, a portmanteau or blend word is one derived by combining portions of two or more separate words. Interestingly, portmanteau itself is a blend word, originating from the French portemanteau, a compound formed from porter (to carry) and manteau (cloak).

Exercise 9Now guess the full form of the words from which the following portmanteau words were formed.

1. advertainment 2. Beatles 3. bionic 4. bit 5. blog 6. camcorder 7. docudrama 8. email 9. fanzine 10.freeware 11.malware 12.pulsar 13.Spanglish 14.sitcom 15.webinar

V.4 WORD COMBINATIONS. PHRASEOLOGY: PRACTICAL TASKS AND EXERCISES.

SELF-CHECK AND CONSOLIDATION QUESTIONS

1. What are the differences between free and set (phraseological) word combinations?

2. What word-combinations can be considered idioms?3. What is a cliché?4. What is a proverb?

Exercise 1. Which of the following word combinations in bold are set phrases? Classify them according to the semantic approach. What ensures the stability of their components?

1) Where do you think you lost your purse?

2) Don't lose you lose your temper when you talk to her.

3) Have a look at the reverse side of the coat.

4) The reverse side of the medal is that we’ll have to do it ourselves.

5) Keep the butter in the refrigerator.

6) Keep an eye on the child.

Exercise 2

Numeral idiom quiz.Fill in the blanks with proper numerals to make an idiom with the specified meaning.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR(S) FIVE SIX(ES) SEVEN(S) NINE TEN

1) She crawled on all _____ to the window = on her knees, feet and hands.2) He is at _____ and _____ = He is confused and doesn’t know what to do. 3) He puts _____ and _____ together.= He begins to draw conclusions about

something4) He looks out for number _____ = He only thinks about his interests. 5) "the _____ R's." = The basics of education6) He has a _____ o'clock shadow. = A man hasn't shaved for a day or two7) Things that are very cheap and common are _____ a penny.

8) This four bedroom home, located in Country Club Estates, is completed and ready to move in. This home has "the whole _____ yards" in convenience.' (=all of it)

Exercise 2Color idiom quiz

Many expressions and idioms in English are based on colours. Can you fit the correct expression into each sentence? The meaning of each expression is shown in brackets.out of the bluein black and whitein the red

saw redonce in the blue moonbrowned off

1) I’ve overspent this month and I’m _____.(owing money in the bank)2) The manager said he would consider my complaint if I put it down

_____.(in writing)3) She used to visit me every week, but now I only see her _____.( very

occasionally)4) I hadn’t heard form my brother for years and last week I got a letter

from him _____. ( very unexpectedly)5) He says that he is very _____ (depressed) because he doesn’t enjoy

his job.6) I listened to his stupid argument for about ten minutes and suddenly I

_____. (lost my temper)

II KEYSGENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH VOCABULARYExercise 1. A) Formal register (an official letter); examples of officialese/literary words: am acknowledging; receipt; assistance etc.B) Informal register (an extract from a movie script (American Pie)); examples of colloquial/slang words: bet; hit books; guy; kidC) Formal register (an extract from a book on microbiology); examples of learned words/terms: integrity; cytoplasm; dissolved substances etc.D) Formal register (an extract from a famous poem Raven by E.A. Poe); examples of literary/poetic/archaic words: dreary; 'Tis; wrought; morrow; surcease

Exercise 2.Formal Informalpurchase handyresume loothus terrificcommence quidapprehend reckon

guy

purchase-buy; handy-convenient; loo-toilet; resume-start again; thus-therefore; terrific/fantastic; quid-pound; commence-start; apprehend-catch; reckon-think; guy-man

Exercise 3.1. When are you going to pick up your bike?2. Most of the kids are very bright.3. I reckon it'll start pretty soon.4. Do you fancy going out for a meal?5. My flat is five minutes from where I work, so it's very handy.6. What's up?7. The guy in the market wanted 20 quid for this ring.8. Where did you buy/get that book?9. They'll never catch him.10.I'm just going to the loo.

Exercise 4. We regret to inform you that we are unable to lend you the sum of £500 that you require, but it may be possible to grant you a loan for part of the sum.If you are still interested, would you like to contact our main office to arrange an appointment with the assistant manager. He will be happy to discuss the matter further.

Exercise 5. 1. drunk2. man3. car4. cup of5. amazed

CHANGES IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Exercise 6.

1. cooking by microwave oven2. a building which houses a number of different cinemas3. skiing uphill4. high-ranking, powerful members of international organizations5. the study of humor

Exercise 7.dollarize (verb; affixation)For a country to abandon its national currency in favour of the U.S. dollar.

cosplay (noun; blending of costume and play)A play or skit in which fans dress up as their favorite Japanese cartoon characters.

extreme tourism (noun; compound word)Tourism that involves travelling to dangerous places or participating in dangerous events.—extreme tourist

THE STRUCTURE OF MEANING, TYPES OF MEANINGExercise 1(2) sayLexical meaning: to speak, pronounceGrammatical meaning: a finite verb, plural, third person, Present Simple(3) location'sLexical meaning: a site or positionGrammatical meaning: a noun, singular, possessive(4) will feature Lexical meaning: to give prominence toGrammatical meaning: a finite verb, future simple.(5) visitorsLexical meaning: a person who visitsGrammatical meaning: a noun, plural number

Exercise 22. turbulent3. acting with or characterized by violence4. shaggy5. difficult6. difficult or unpleasant7. approximate or tentative8. not elaborated, perfected, or corrected; unpolished

Exercise 3Sample variants2. He thinks he is smarter than me.3. We spent the night in the smart club.4. He is smart and well groomed but not good-looking.5. He moved with smart steps.

Exercise 4soup 1 General, direct meaning 2 Figurative meaning

cite (verb)[citing, cited] 1. General, direct meaning2. Special meaning (term)

CHANGE OF WORD MEANINGExercise 5

2) metaphor (similarity of form)3) metaphor (similarity of form)

4) metaphor (similarity of function)5) metaphor (similarity of form, function)6) metaphor (similarity of form, function)7) metaphor (similarity of quality, age)8) metaphor (complex associations based on synaesthesia)9) metonymy (material/thing made of material)10) metonymy (producer/thing produced)11) metonymy (place of origin/thing)

Exercise 6Define in which sentences the underlined words are used in the metaphorical or metonymical shifted meaning.

1) I went to kick the ball and I completely missed it . (direct) 2) I immediately regretted having said this. I could have kicked myself.

(metaphorical = annoyed that you got something wrong).3) He stirred his coffee with a spoon. (direct) 4) She likes her tea with two spoons of sugar. (metonimical = measure)5) Some sharks have very sharp teeth and may attack people. (direct) 6) Beware the sharks when you are making up your mind how to invest

(metaphorical = people, who treat other people out of their money).7) He fumbled with the buttons at the neck. (direct) 8) He fumbled his lines, not knowing what he was going to say.

(metaphorical = speak in a clumsy and unclear way)

Exercise 71) Jeckyll and Hyde2) Sherlock Holmes3) Big Brother4) Little Lord Fauntleroy 5) Cinderella6) Tarzan7) Walter Mitty8) Rip Van Winkle

SYNONYMYExercise 8.

a) tongue—language. If you have a look in a dictionary, you will see that these two words have only one meaning in common: 1) a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people of the same community or nation, e.g. mother/native tongue, native language etc.

b) dear—expensive. Common meaning: sold for a high price, preciousc) ripe—mature. Common meaning: characterized by full development of body

or mind

Exercise 9

a) sick - illIll and sick are both used to say that someone has a disease or some other

problem with their health. e.g. Davis is ill. A sick child.In British English ill is used only after a link verb and is not used before a noun.

Your uncle is very sick.b) Alive is never used in front of a noun. Instead living to talk about people, or live to talk about animals.

I have no living relatives. There are many problems in transporting live animals.

c) You can often use every or all with the same meaning. For example, `Every dog should be registered' means the same as `All dogs should be registered'.

However, every is followed by the singular form of a noun, whereas all is followed by the plural form.

Exercise 101. stay, remain, rest, beusage: stay the same; remain in a certain state; "The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it"; "rest assured"; "stay alone"; "He remained unmoved by her tears"; "The bad weather continued for another week"2. stay, stay on, continue, remain, beusage: continue in a place, position, or situation; "After graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser"; "Stay with me, please"; "despite student protests, he remained Dean for another year"; "She continued as deputy mayor for another year"3. remain, beusage: be left; of persons, questions, problems, results, evidence, etc.; "There remains the question of who pulled the trigger"; "Carter remains the only President in recent history under whose Presidency the U.S. did not fight a war"4. persist, remain, stayusage: stay behind; "The smell stayed in the room"; "The hostility remained long after they made up"

Exercise 11Define, whether STAY and REMAIN are:

1. partial synonyms: only some of their meanings coincide

2. different combinability: ‘remain’ cannot be used in expressions stay in the

hotel/city

Exercise 12Choose the right word (STAY or REMAIN); sometimes either can be used. Be careful to use the correct grammar form of the word.

1) I have done three exercises and two remain.

2) The place was so nice that we decided to stay/remain there all summer.

3) Few leaves remained on the trees and they are not green any longer.4) I was allowed to remain/stay at home.5) He was cut off from what remained of his family.6) How long can you stay in Brussels?

HOMONYMY

Exercise 131,2 lead/lead (homographs)3,4 tears/ tears (homographs)5,6 heir/air (homophones)7,8 bow/bow (homographs)9, 10 suite/sweet (homophones)11,12 dessert/desert (homophones)13,14 reign/rain (homophones)

Exercise 141. arms2. alight3. band4. ball5. bark6. bank7. bear8. blow9. fine10.firm11.pail/pale12.boy/buoy13.night/knight14.tale/tail15.bass/base16.bury/berry17.Turkey/turkey18.fair/fare19.whale/wail20.gait/gate21.waste/waist22.heir/air23.sauce/source24.pear/pair25.mayor/mare

MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH WORD. TYPES OF MORPHEMES.Exercise 1

1) short — root, free; -en — derivational suffix, bound2) power — root, free3) im- — prefix, bound; mov(e) — root, free; -able — derivational suffix4) critic — root, free; -ize — derivational suffix, bound; -ed — inflectional

suffix5) secretari(/y) — root, free; -es — inflectional suffix

AFFIXATIONExercise 2child

1) childhood2) childish3) childless4) childlike5) childproof

agree1) agreeable2) agreed3) agreement4) disagree5) disagreeably

Exercise 3

1 a) beautiful b) beautician c) beautify 2 a) payment b) payable c) payee 3 a) receptionist b) receipt c) receptive 4 a) heroism b) heroically c) heroine 5 a) production b) producers c) unproductive 6 a) explanatory b) inexplicable c) explanation 7 a) incomparably, comparison b) comparative 8 a) inadvisable b) advisory c) advisability 9 a) admirers b) admiration c) admirable 10 a) stabilise b) instability c) unstable 11 a) economise b) uneconomical c) economic 12 a) residence b) residential c) residents 13 a) comforting b) uncomfortable c) discomfort 14 a) deaths b) deadly c) deaden 15 a) demonstrators b) undemonstrative c) demonstrably

Exercise 5tight-fisted = mean (with money)two-faced = hypocriticalnarrow-minded = intolerantthick-skinned = insensitivehigh-handed = bossypig-headed = obstinatefar-sighted = good at planning

Exercise 61 a) That's a dangerous-looking thing, b) Mr Reed is a London-born accountant, c) She is always very smartly-dressed, d) It was painted a brick-red colour. e) She had cat-like eyes f) It was a happy-sad occasion, g) The tower is mushroom-shaped, h) He was world-famous, i) We had to write a 200-word composition. 2 a) It was an awful-tasting meal, b) Only single-engine/single-engined planes can land here, c) A five-storey building suddenly collapsed ) We walked along a red-carpeted corridor, e) This machine is hand-operated, f) The new director is an Oxford-educated economist, g) He is very broad-shouldered, h) She's always very self-satisfied i) My sister is very dress-conscious. 3 a) We'll have a French-speaking guide, b) The walls were sky-blue, c) I looked at the sea, which was blue-green, d) The ship sailed with an eight-man crew, e) She was fair-haired, f) The new, American-built, machinery will arrive next month, g) I heard a strange-sounding voice, h) These are man-eating tigers, i) He is always bad-tempered.

CONVERSIONExercise 7

1. The Army would radio the location to the nearest airstrip. = verb, ‘to transmit by radio’

2. We summered in Kashmir = verb, ‘to spend summer in some place’3. They pensioned him off when they found a younger man for the job. = verb,

‘to retire or dismiss with a pension’4. You aren’t down. Nothing will down you. = verb, ‘to bring, put, strike, or

throw down’5. It doesn’t interfere with your own likes and dislikes. = ‘a favourable feeling,

desire, or preference’; ‘feeling of distaste or aversion’6. When did you get the invite, Mother? = noun, ‘an invitation.’7. It has been quite a wait before he heard her voice. = noun, ‘the act of

waiting or the time spent waiting’8. The detectives tailed the thief to the station. to follow closely

CLIPPINGExercise 8

1. pants pantaloons 2. movie moving picture

3. limo limousine 4. math mathematics 5. flu influenza 6. auto automobile 7. burger hamburger 8. ad advertisement 9. varsity university 10.lab laboratory 11.lunch luncheon 12.memo memorandum 13.mum chrysanthemum 14.typo typographical error

PORTMANTEAU WORDSExercise 9

1. advertainment advertisement + entertainment2. Beatles beat + beetles3. bionic biology + electronic4. bit binary + digit5. blog web + log6. camcorder camera + recorder7. docudrama documentary + drama8. email electronic + mail9. fanzine fan + magazine10.freeware free + software11.malware malicious + software12.pulsar pulsating + star13.Spanglish Spanish + English14.sitcom situation + comedy15.webinar web + seminar

WORD COMBINATIONS. PHRASEOLOGY.

Exercise 11) lost your purse - it is a free word combination, as it allows any

combinations without change of the basic (denotative) meaning of words, e.g. lost you bag, found your purse etc.

2) lose your temper – it is a set (phraseological) word combination, as the meaning of the word ‘lose’ in this combination is not direct but figurative (= to become angry).

3) reverse side of the coat - it is a free word combination, as it allows any combinations without change of the basic (denotative) meaning of words, e.g. reverse side of the dress

4) reverse side of the medal - it is a set (phraseological) word combination, as the meaning of the words in this combination is not direct but figurative (= other side of the matter)

5) Keep the butter - it is a free word combination, as it allows any combinations without change of the basic (denotative) meaning of words, e.g. keep the cheese in the refrigerator etc.

6) Keep an eye - it is a set (phraseological) word combination, as the meaning of the words in this combination is not direct but figurative (= to watch closely or carefully)

Exercise 21) fours2) sixes and sevens3) two and two4) one5) three6) five7) ten8) nine

Exercise 31) in the red2) in black and white3) once in the blue mood4) out of the blue5) browned off6) saw red