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SEMANTIC FEATURES: EXERCISE 1

SEMANTICS Identify the semantic features in each of the

following words:
exercises 1. child 6. tiptoe
2. aunt 7. owe
3. bachelor 8. plod
BI HUNH THY THNG 4. actress 9. palm
5. chick 10. flower

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4. Actress: [+ human, + female,

ANSWER KEY
1. Child: [+ human, + young (or - mature),
+ male, + innocent]
2. Aunt: [+ human], + mature, + female,
+ fathers/mothers sister (-in-law)]
3. Bachelor: [+ human, + mature, + male,
+ stay single]
+ professionally artistic, + perform a role]
5. Chick: [+ animate, + bird, + fowl, + young,
+ male]
6. Tiptoe: [+ motion, + walk, + on toes, + silently]
7. Owe: [+ state, + be in debt, + obligation/
duty, + pay/repay]
8. Plod: [+ motion, + walk,
+ slowly & labouriously]

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9. Palm: [+ part of a hand, + inner surface, SEMANTIC FEATURES: EXERCISE 2

+ between the wrist and the fingers]
Study question 2, p. 123
Palm: [+ plant, + tree, - branches,
Using semantic features, how would you
+ a mass of wide leaves at the top, explain the oddness of these sentences?
+ in warm or tropical climate] (a) The television drank my water.
10. Flower: [+ part of a plant, + coloured, (b) His dog writes poetry.
+ usually good-smelling,
+ bloom/blossom,
+ fruit or seed is developed]
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SEMANTIC FEATURES: EXERCISE 3

(a) The television drank my water.
(a) The verb drink requires a subject with the
feature [+animate] and the noun television has
the feature [-animate].
(b) His dog writes poetry.
(b) The verb write requires a subject with the
Explain the anomaly of each of the following
sentences:
1. Christopher is killing phonemes.
2. The tiger remained alive for an hour after the
hunter killed it.
3. My brother is a spinster.

feature [+human] and the noun dog has the 4. The boy swallowed the chocolate and then

feature [-human]. chewed it.

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SEMANTIC FEATURES: EXERCISE 3 ANSWER KEYS

5. Babies can lift one ton. 1. Christopher is killing phonemes.
6. The bigger key and John opened the door. This sentences is semantically anomalous
7. James sliced the ideas. because the verb kill requires a subject with the
8. Jacks courage chewed the bones. feature [+animate] and the noun phonemes has
9. I hear the cloud. the feature [-animate].

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2. The tiger remained alive for an hour after the
hunter killed it.
This sentences is semantically anomalous
because no living organism can remain alive
after being killed. In fact, the tiger died right at
the moment the hunter killed it.
4. The boy swallowed the chocolate and then
chewed it.
This sentences is semantically anomalous
because of the wrong order of the 2 verb
phrases swallowed the chocolate & chewed
it.

5. Babies can lift one ton.

3. My brother is a spinster.
This sentences is semantically anomalous
This sentences is semantically anomalous
because babies is [+young, -strong], whereas
because my brother is [+male], whereas a the verb phrase can lift one ton requires a subject
spinster is [-male]. that is [+strong].
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6. Thebigger key and John opened the door. 8. Jacks

This sentences is semantically anomalous
because of its instrument (the bigger key)
cannot be cojoined with its agent (John).
7. James sliced the ideas.
This sentences is semantically anomalous
because the noun phrase the ideas is [+abstract
notion], whereas the verb phrase sliced requires
an object that is [+concrete, +long, +round,
+soft] like a sausage or a tomato.
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courage chewed the bones.
This sentences is semantically anomalous
because Jacks courage is [+abstract notion,
-animate] whereas the verb chewed requires
a subject that is [+animate].
9. I
hear the cloud.
This sentences is semantically anomalous
because the verb hear requires an object that is
[+audible], whereas the noun cloud is [-audible].
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SEMANTIC ROLES: EXERCISE 4 I wandered lonely as a cloud

agent
Identify the semantic roles of the underlined The cloud floats on high o'er vales and hills,
parts: agent location
The little Stone is happy When all at once I saw a host of golden
Experiencer experiencer theme
The little Stone rambles in the Road alone daffodils beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Agent Location location location
The daffodils are fluttering and dancing in
Agent
the breeze. location
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Actor has lived in the Hood. SEMANTIC ROLES: EXERCISE 5

experiencer location
Study question 3, p. 123
Identify the semantic roles of the seven noun
phrases in this sentence.

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SEMANTIC ROLES: EXERCISE 5 SYNONYMY: EXERCISE 6

With her new golf club, Anne Marshall For each pair of partial synonyms below,
instrument agent
whacked the ball from the woods to the grassy (a) give a sentence in which they can be used
interchangeably
theme source goal
area near the hole and she suddenly felt & (b) give another sentence in which one of
location experiencer them can be used.
invincible.

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SYNONYMY: EXERCISE 6 ANSWER KEYS

1. edge/side 6. ask/inquire 1. edge/side
2. deep/profound 7. eat/have (a) The house is on the edge/side of the forest.
3. ripe/mature 8. help/assist (b) Ill be on your side/edge.
4. broad/wide 9. buy/purchase Their economy is on the edge/side of
5. soil/earth 10. former/older collapse.
a knife with a sharp edge/side

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2. deep/profound
(a) You have my deep/profound sympathy.
(b) How deep/profound is the river?
She gazed at him with wide deep/profound
blue eyes.
Jenner is a profound/deep thinker.
3. ripe/mature
(a) This cheese is ripe/mature for us to eat.
(b) We cannot eat this fruit because it is not
ripe/mature yet.
The government decided the time is ripe/
mature for an election.
Mature/Ripe apple trees are typically 20 feet
tall.

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4. broad/wide
(a) The Thames is a broad/wide river.
a hat with broad/wide brim
a broad/wide tree-lined road
(b) My boss is not very broad-minded/wide-
minded.
We have offices in 56 countries worldwide/
worldbroad.
5. soil/earth
(a) We can plant trees on this soil/earth.
a lump of soil/earth
(a) The rocket fell back on earth/soil.
the most powerful man on earth/soil
the planet Earth/soil

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6. ask/inquire 7. eat/have
(a) I am writing to ask/inquire about your (a) I usually just eat/have a sandwich for
advertisement in The Times. breakfast.

(b) I couldnt ask/inquire for a better boss. (b) This car eats/have petrol.
The two men entered without bothering to She has/eats dark hair & brown eyes.
ask/inquire for permission.

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8. help/assist 9. buy/purchase
(a) Some of the guests helped/assisted with the (a) Where did you buy/purchase the car?
preparation of the food.
(b) Can we talk about it later? he said, trying to
(b) Crying wont help/assist. buy/purchase a little more time.
Please help/assist yourself to some cake.
Some of the guests helped/assisted us to
prepare the food.
assist s.b to do sth

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10. former/older
(a) The cars former/older owner didnt take
ANTONOMY: EXERCISE 7
good care of it.
Study question 5, p. 123. Which of the following
opposites are gradable, non-gradable, or
(b) Years go by and Miss Emily is getting older reversives?
and older/former and former. Gradable antonyms:
(d) fair/unfair (f) high/low
Non-gradable antonyms:
(a) absent/present (c) fail/pass
Reversives:
(b) appear/disappear (e) fill it/empty it
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HYPONYMY: EXERCISE 8 HYPONYMY: EXERCISE 8

Draw a chart to show the relationship 1. cook & deep-fry
between a hypernym and a hyponym. 2. animal & foal (baby horse)
3. animal & child
colour
4. plant & coconut
red yellow blue green black 5. vocal organ & tongue tip
...

greenish aquamarine royal ...

blue blue 33 34

ANSWER KEYS 2. animal & foal (baby horse)

animal
1. cook & deep-fry
cook fish bird insect mammal reptile ...

grill toast boil fry roast bake smoke ... human animal (beast)

stir-fry saut deep-fry ... dog horse sheep ...

/ste/
stallion mare foal
* saut (v): to cook sth in a little hot oil/fat
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3. animal & child 4. plant & coconut

animal plant

fish bird insect mammal reptile ... flowering bush/ tree moss grass ...
plant shrub
human animal (beast) pine palm gum ...

man woman child

coconut betel sago palm ...

* betel /bitl/ (n): cau

* sago /seg/ palm (n):
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5. vocal organ & tongue tip PROTOTYPES: EXERCISE 9

vocal organ
Study question 1, p. 123: How is the term
prototype used in semantics?
lip tongue nose larynx lower jaw ...

The prototype is the characteristic instance of

tongue tongue tongue tongue tongue
tip blade front back root a category, as in the case of robin being the
clearest example, or prototype, of the category
bird for many American English speakers.

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HOMOPHONY: EXERCISE 10 ANSWER KEYS

Find the homophones of: Find the homophones of:

1. ad 6. altar 11. blew 1. ad, add 6. altar, alter 11. blew, blue
2. air 7. aren't 12. thrown 2. air, heir 7. aren't, aunt 12. thrown, throne
3. aisle 8. flower 13. sweet 3. aisle, I'll, isle 8. flower, flour 13. sweet, suite
4. fair 9. board 14. allowed 4. fair, fare 9. board, bored 14. allowed, aloud
5. tale 10. won 15. farther 5. tale, tail 10. won, one 15. farther, father
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LEXICAL AMBIGUITY: EXERCISE 11 LEXICAL ROLES: EXERCISE 12

Explain the lexical ambiguity in each of the
following sentences:
1. We were waiting at the bank.
2. I saw her duck.
3. We like the ball.
4. The long drill is boring.
5. That robot is bright.
6. He was knocked over by the punch.
Study question 4, p. 123
What is the basic lexical relation between each
pair of words listed here?
(a) damp/moist (d) married/single
(b) deep/shallow (e) move/run
(c) furniture/table (f) peace/piece

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POLYSEMY & METONYMY:

EXERCISE 13
(a) damp/moist synonymy Study question 6 (p. 123)
(b) deep/shallow antonymy Are these underlined words best described as
(c) furniture/table hyponymy examples of polysemy or metonymy?
(d) married/single antonymy
(e) move/run hyponymy (a) The pen is mightier than the sword.
(f) peace/piece homophony metonymy
(b) I had to park on the shoulder of the road.
polysemy

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(c) Yes, I love those. I ate a whole box on

Sunday!
metonymy
(d) The bookstore has some new titles in
linguistics.
metonymy
(e) Computer chips created an important new
technology.
polysemy
(f) Im going to sue your ass!
metonymy
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