English Semantics

Questions for review

PART 1
1. What is meant by SEMANTIC FEATURES? Describe the semantic features of each of the
following words: house, home, class, school, die, kill, thicken, bachelor.

2. Provide the semantic features associated with each of these words: dog, puppy, cat, and kitten.
3. Indicate the semantic features of the words stallion and girl.
4. State the semantic properties of the following words and then classify them into groups of
words which share the same semantic properties/features:
a. child, actress, doe, oak, make, plod, imagine, elm, build, charity, ewe, tiptoe,
stalk
5. What is the semantic property shared by each of the following word groups?
a. mother, breast-feed, pregnant
b. darken, kill, beautify
6. Apply the MEANING POSTULATE for the sentence “If X gives Y to Z, then Z receives Y from
X,” and vice versa.
7. Justify that the following sentences contain phrases that have SENSE but no REFERENCE:
a. The present king of France is bald.
b. By the year 3000, our descendants will have left earth.
8. What are REFERENCE, REFERENT, & SENSE? Give examples for each.
9. What notion does the word mean designate in the following sentences? (R or S)
a. I didn’t mean to offend you.
b. These clouds mean rain.
c. The word “CACTUS” means a plant with spines.
d. These words mean nothing.
10. Make a distinction between DENOTATION and CONNOTATION. Explain the meanings of the
adjectives in Russell’s example “I’m thrifty; you are tight; he is stingy,” and describe their
differences in connotation.
11. What is the meaning of the term CONNOTATION in semantics? What are the connotations
which the noun police may have?
12. Important factors for interpreting connotative meanings of words. Give examples to illustrate.
13. What are the CONNOTATIVE meanings which can be associated with the use of the words
child and winter?
14. Give the definitions of hyponymy, hypernym and hyponym.
15. Draw a chart to show the relationship between vocalize and croon.
16. What is the semantic relationship between the words in each pair of the following?
a. violin − fiddle
b. elbow − arm
c. big − small
17. What is Homonymy? What are two types of homonymy? Give example for each.
18. What is Homophony? Homography? Give examples.
19. What are the meanings which can be associated with the polysemous words break, delete,
chip, wing.
20. Give some examples to illustrate the difference in meaning between HOMONYMY and
POLYSEMY.

1
21. What are the related meanings of the word “mouth”? What is this type of interrelatedness
called?
22. The following words are POLYSEMOUS: chimney, guard. Give at least two possible closely
related meanings of each word and tell what common concept is contained in the meanings.
23. Which words in the following two sentences show the relation between them? Explain this
relation.
a. I gave Mary a rose.
b. I gave Mary a flower.
24. Explain the possible meanings of each of the following AMBIGUOUS utterances. How can
you disambiguate the following sentences?
a. This suit is lighter.
b. She can’t bear children.
c. Dr. Jekyll is a butcher.
d. I know a man with a dog who has fleas.
e. The chicken is ready to eat.
25. Explain the AMBIGUITY in the following and provide two sentences that paraphrase the two
possible meanings:
a. They are moving chairs.
b. Jill left directions for Jack to follow.
c. I’ll meet you at the bank.
d. It takes a good ruler to make a straight line.
26. What type of ambiguity does the phrase “French history teacher” belong to? Give the
meanings which can make it ambiguous.
27. What is meant by “FIGURE OF SPEECH”? Name at least 6 figures of speech and give
definitions & examples for each.
28. Give two sentences in which METAPHORS are used.
29. What are the METAPHORICAL MEANINGS of these sentences?
Walls have ears.
Dr. Jekyll is a butcher.
My new car is a lemon.
John is a snake in the grass.
You came in thirty-seven minutes after the fifty-minute class started. You were a bit
late.
If you are not happy with the service, go talk to the City Hall.
30. What is meant by the following idiomatic expression: Everyone in this town has a big nose?
31. Explain the meaning of the idiom “to let your hair down” in the sentence ‘It’s wonderful to let
your hair down at the weekend after you’ve been working hard all week.’
32. What’s the meaning of the idiom “I’ll eat my hat” in the sentence “If it wasn’t your brother
who stole it, I’ll eat my hat”

PART 2

33. Side and edge are SYNONYMS, but one cannot be substituted for the other in some cases. Say
why and give an example to illustrate.
34. Why aren’t height and depth SYNONYMS? / Height and depth have a great deal of meaning
in common, e.g. measurement and vertical, but they are not called synonyms. Why?
35. The following pairs of words share at least one sense in common, but do not share all their
senses: deep / profound; ripe / mature. Think of a linguistic context in which only one member
of each pair can be used but the other cannot.
2
36. Explain MARKEDNESS and give different forms to prove they are marked and unmarked.
a. intelligent − smart
37. Provide two sentences that PARAPHRASE the two meanings of each of the following:
a. Old men and women will be served first.
b. John saw her duck.
38. Show the LOGICAL RELATIONS in the following paraphrases:
a. The dog bit the man.
b. The man was bitten by the dog.
39. Which RELATION is illustrated in each of the pairs of words below?
a. flourish − thrive
b. casual − informal
c. drunk − sober
40. Which of these relations (IMPLICATURE, ENTAILMENT and CONTRADICTION) is
exemplified in each of the following pairs?

a. Vera is an only child.

b. Olga is Vera’s sister.

c. The park wardens killed the bear.

d. The bear is dead.

e. Jules is Mary’s husband.

f. Mary is married.
41. We finished that chapter yesterday. How do you know what day “yesterday” refers to?
42. What is the difference between temporal and spatial DEIXIS?
43. What is meant by “PROPOSITION”? Write four propositions implied by each of the sentences
below.
a. John’s friend, Tony, who is a dentist, likes apples.
b. The man gave the woman a big expensive emerald ring.
44. What is wrong with this sentence? Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
45. Explain DIRECT SPEECH ACT and give three examples.
46. Which utterances are PERFORMATIVE (P) or CONSTATIVE (C)?
a. “I name this ship Hibernia.”
b. “I admit that I was hasty.”
c. “I think I was wrong.”
d. “I give you supper every night.”
47. Could CONSTATIVES become PERFORMATIVES? How?
48. What are COMMISSIVES? Give two examples.
49. Interpret the meaning of each of the following:
a. “I’m coming soon,” the mother told the little child.
b. The meeting is over.
c. Watch your step!
d. It’s so cold tonight.
50. What has been PRESUPPOSED by the following sentences?
a. Have you stopped hugging your sheepdog?
b. Would you like another beer?
51. What are the PRESUPPOSITIONS for the following sentences? / What is the presupposition
each of the following may carry?
a. Who bought the badminton set?
3
 b. My brother is rich.
c. Bill regrets that the circus has left.
d. Dinosaurs were carnivorous or herbivorous reptiles.
52. What verbs in both groups of sentences imply a PRESUPPOSITION? Give your interpretation
of it.
a. Have you stopped exercising regularly?
b. Have you tried exercising regularly?
c. Nick admitted that the team had lost.
d. Nick said that the team had lost.
53. Define SPEECH ACT. What are the three related acts involved in a speech act? Give examples.

THE END