II. Explain the meanings of the homonyms which form the basis for the

Assignment 2

Homonyms. Synonyms. Antonyms.

I. Find homonyms in the following sentences. Classify them into homonyms proper, homographs and homophones:

1. a. They were camping on a sand river bank.

b. He kept all his money in a bank.

2. a. Sitting by him I found it impossible to feel any true sense of the past at all.

b. With a look past Portia that said that no thing should alter his habits, he rose, withdrew from the breakfast table and locked himself somewhere behind the curtain.

c. A couple of undergraduates passed by us on the path.

3. a. It’s not the first time the man has loved the human race so much he’s

left his own family to starve.

b. He was breathing as if he had just run a race.

4. a. Can you spare me half an hour one day this week.

b. He concentrated so much on his pupils and then in his spare time went off in search for botanical species.

5. a. I heard another sound at my shoulder – Tom was whispering to me a

story about Mrs. Skeffington.

b. “I can’t take my own point of view”, I said trying to sound impersonal.

c. Whether the old man was pleasant or not, most of his scientific

work was sound.

6. a. I thought there might be a scene.

b. He hadn’t seen his father in a state as dark as that before.

7. a. It took three whole days.

b. One and a half million people read his first novel ‘Out of a hole’.

8. a. Our University football team got a challenge to a match from another

team and we accepted it.

b. Somebody struck a match so that we could see each other.

9. a. Do you sometime forget to wind up your watch?

b. He had an old Ford without a top, it rattled so much and the wind

made so much noise.

10. a. In Britain once there was a knight called Eliduc.

b. She looked up through the window into the night.

11. a. He had a funny round face.

b. How does your house face? – It faces the South.

12. a. Iron and lead are base metals.

b. Where does this road lead?

13. a. Eliduc was the king of Britain, who was very fond of knights.

b. I haven’t slept a wink all night.

14. a. He gave her good advice: no need to give up hope so soon.

b. The verb ‘to knead’ means to mix into mass with the hands or by

machinery, especially mix flour and water into dough for making

bread.

15. a. He should give a ball in your honour as the bride.

b. The boy was playing with a ball.

16. a. I wish you could stop lying.

b. The yellow mouse was still dead, lying as it had fallen in the

crystal clear liquid.

17. a. When he was at the door of her castle, he sent the page ahead.

b. Open your books at page twenty.

18. a. He was bound to keep the peace for six months.

b. You should bound your desires by reason.

II. Explain the meanings of the homonyms which form the basis for the

following jokes:

1. Child: Mummy, what makes the Tower of Piza lean?

Fat Mother: I have no idea dear, or I’d take some myself.

2. - I got thick last night eating eggs.

- Too bad.

- No, only one.

3. – Are your father and mother in, boy? – asked a visitor of a small boy who opened the door.

- They was in, - said the child – but they is out.

- They was in. They is out…….Where is your grammar?

- She is upstairs, - said the boy, - for a nap.

4. A husband and a wife were enjoying a quite evening by their fireside, he deep in a book and she in a crossword puzzle. Suddenly she questioned him:

- Darling, what is a female sheep?

- Ewe [ju: ], - he replied. His further explanation hardly soothed her.

5. – I spent last summer in a very pretty city in Switzerland.

- Berne?

- No, I almost froze!?

6. Officer (to a driver in a parked car): Don’t you see that sign ‘Fine for parking’?

Driver: Yes, officer. I see and agree with it.

7. Teacher: Here is a map. Who can show us America?

Nick goes to the map and finds America on it.

Teacher: Now, tell me, boys, who found America?

All boys: Nick did.

8. – What time do you get up in summer?

- As soon as the first ray of the sun comes into my window.

- Isn’t that rather early?

- No, my room faces the west.

9. – Here, waiter, it seems to me that this fish is not so fresh as the fish

you served us last Sunday.

- Pardon, sir, but it is the very same fish.

III. Give homonyms to the italicized words:

1. Using capital transferred to him by his mother, he had bought

himself an advertising agency.

2. The buildings were a pleasant colour in the strong sun, bright green

trees showed among them, and the whole thing looked very

historical.

3. From the scraps of their conversation he gathered that they had no

intention of breaking any of the dates they had made .

4. Of these four, I was thinking, Martin was by a long way the most

realistic.

5. An inch of a park gate was open for them alone and a keeper waited

with such impatience that St. Quentin broke into a stately trot.

6. I’ll go see them in the morning and get all the details.

7. She was a big woman with a plain white anxious face.

8. I have never seen so many mountain springs.

9. His voice rose for the first time.

IY. The sentences given below contain synonyms. Write down the synonymic groups and explain the difference in meaning:

1. a. She began to shake with silent laughter because it was so funny.

b. She opened the window and a stream of cold air blew down across

the room. She shivered and moved towards the fireplace.

c. Her mouth was quivering and she was in panic.

d. He was trembling with cold.

e. It makes me shudder to think of them.

f. Her lips trembled so that she could hardly frame the words.

g. He shuddered with disgust.

2. a. While Kitty chattered gaily with her neighbours she watched Walter.

b. Ashenden knew that Ron had not sent for him to talk about weather and crops.

c. As he spoke he rose from the bed.

d. He is said to be honest.

e. He’ll tell you all about himself.

f. If you wish to converse with me define your terms.

g. Kitty chattered gaily with her neighbours.

3. a. He gave his wrist-watch a glance.

b. Tommy gave her a look out of the corner of his eye.

c. But her abstract gaze scarcely noticed the blue sea and the crowded

shipping in the harbour.

d. Let me have just one peep at the letter.

4. a. Bessie got up and walked towards the window.

b. He did nothing from morning till night but wandering at random.

c. I saw a man strolling along.

d. The men sauntered over to the next room.

5. a. The next witness was Dr. Burnett, a thin middle-aged man.

b. The woman was tall with reddish curly hair and held a scarlet kimono

round her slender figure.

c. The girl was slim and dark.

d. Studying him, Mrs Page saw a spare young man with high cheekbones

and blue eyes.

6. a. There was a thick woman, who gasped when she talked.

b. She came in like a ship at full sail, an imposing creature, tall and stout.

c. She was twenty-seven perhaps, plump, and in a coarse fashion pretty.

d. He was a person of perhaps forty, red-faced, cheerful, thick.

7. a. Maria leaped from rock to rock down on the shore.

b. She bounced about on a little seat facing the driver.

c. They came out always at this time and shouted and called to one

another and skipped with skipping ropes and hopped and played.

d. “Jane”, cried Mrs Tower, springing to his feet, “I wasn’t expecting

you today”.

8. a. “It was a horrible evening, that awful party at the Green Park or

whatever that hotel was called”.

b. “It’s queer,” she said, “but I don’t feel this is happening to me at all.

It’s a dreadful feeling, I cannot explain that”.

c. “I feel terrible,” she said.

d. “I began to feel pains. Something shocking, Doctor”.

9. a. The room shone and glistened with the spotlessness of a house without

children.

b. The grass, wet with dew, sparkled on the sun.

c. Through the branches glittered the lake.

d. A sarcastic smile played upon his thin lips and his eyes gleamed.

e. Tom lifted up a diamond and swung it gently to and fro. The stone

flashed.

f. I watched their heads, grouped round the desk, their faces glowing

with their purpose.

Y. With the help of the dictionary try to give the explanation of each synonym in the following synonymic series. Point out the dominant synonym:

1. to shake – to tremble – to shiver – to shudder

2. to walk – to stroll – to saunter – to wander

3. to want - to wish – to desire – to yearn - to long

4. large – big – great

5. to jump – to leap – to spring – to skip – to hop

6. to discuss – to argue – to debate – to dispute

7. fear – horror - terror

8. to shout – to cry – to yell – to roar – to weep – to sob – to wail – to whimper

9. to like – to love – to admire – to warship

10. to look – to stare – to glance – to gaze - to glare – to peep

11. single – alone –lonely – solitary

12. well-known – famous – celebrated – notorious – great – noted – illustrious – eminent – distinguished

YI. Try to give synonyms to the italicized words:

1. He tried to make his legs go quicker than they could.

2. He returned to his lodging where Piero was waiting for him.

3. She must in her youth have been very handsome.

4. That was better than boring conferences of his political life.

5. The expression on his face was very gloomy.

6. I want to be quite frank with you.

7. He was calm, and even gay.

8. He noticed something at the foot of the page but didn’t attempt to read it

9. “Where is he”, she shouted. “Which way did he go? Look for him!”.

YII. Translate the following sentences. Pick out and state the meaning of the antonyms:

1. It’s difficult to fix a tent in dry weather, in wet the task becomes

Herculean.

2. I’m telling you the truth. Why should I tell you a lie?

3. To her all men were good or bad.

4. Her soul which was black as night, is now pure and white like the

new fallen snow.

5. Such a clock was the real master of the house; he ordered the

comings and goings, the downsittings and uprisings of his

votaries.

6. This is the anniversary of my wedding day and my thoughts have

been occupied with the ups and downs, fortunes and misfortunes

of married life.

7. I can’t quite believe all this till I see everything in black and

white.

8. Quick to feel, slow to learn – that’s me.

9. He opened his mouth again, closed it and turned into the wood.

10. The fact remains that she is poor and he is rich.

11. Following the fashion of the day her hair, naturally dark, was

dyed very fair.

YIII. Give antonyms to the following words:

Good, deep, narrow, clever, young, to love, to reject, to give, strong,

to laugh, joy, evil, up, slowly, black, sad, to die, to open, clean,

darkness, big, to add, correct, despair, different, deep, exclude,

high, to laugh.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1889