Questions and Tasks

I. Consider your answers to the following:

1. What words are called synonyms?

2. Describe the items of identity and those of difference in synonymous groups.

3. Say why synonyms are one of the language’s most important expressive means. Illustrate your answer with examples.

4. What is meant by dual characteristics of synonyms?

5. How are synonyms traditionally defined? On what criterion is this definition based? Which aspects of this definition are open to criticism?

6. How are synonyms defined in terms of componential analysis (semantic criterion)? On what criterion is this definition based?

7. Why is the definition of synonyms based on the criterion of interchangeability open to question? Illustrate your answer with examples.

8. What are ideographic synonyms? What subgroups are possible to distinguish in the group of ideographic synonyms?

9. What are stylistic synonyms? In what way do they develop?

10. What are absolute synonyms? Why are they rare in the language?

11. What is a euphemism? What notions usually cause the use of euphemisms? What function do they perform in speech?

12. What is a synonymic dominant? What are its characteristic features?

13. Give an example of contextual synonyms.

14. What are the sources of synonymy?

15. Which words are usually classified as antonyms?

16. What is the difference between contrary and contradictory notions?

17. What are absolute and derivational antonyms? Give your own examples.

18. What is the difference between gradable and complementary antonyms?

19. Which words are called converse antonyms? Give your own examples of conversives.

20. To which parts of speech do most antonyms belong? How do you account for this?

21. What is meant by antonymic connotation? Give your own examples of antonyms which possess “reflected associations”.

22. Explain why antonyms can be regarded as an important expressive means. Illustrate your answer with your own examples.

II. Give synonyms to the following words, find a synonymic dominant in each group:

1. accurate; 2. uncivilized; 3. hide; 4. agree; 5. calm; 6. cry; 7. idle; 8. intelligent; 9. ignorant; 10. quick.

III. Give synonyms of Germanic origin:

Voluntary, to reply, to inquire, faith, error, radiant, vocation, to cease, beverage, comestible, to envisage, to educate (a child), to discard (clothes).

IV. Give synonyms of Romanic origin:

Earth, freedom, friendship, begin, small, end, home, kind-heartedness.

V. Give synonyms of Scandinavian origin:

Heaven, lacking, obtain, guy, sick, present, to elevate.

VI. In what respect do the following synonyms differ?

1. distant, remote; 2. policeman, bobby, cop; 2. dumb, mute; 3. lonely, solitary; 4. competition, contention; 5. cheat, swindler, blackleg, knave; 6. silent, tacit; 7. robber, shoplifter, thief; 8. servant, help; 9. mansion, house, habitation, residence; 10. help, aid; 11. girl – lass; 12. foolish – unwise; 13. gay – blithe; 14. pretty – bonny; 15. country – clime.

VII. Analyze the reasons for using the following euphemisms and classify them accordingly into four groups:a) superstitious taboos, b) social and moral taboos, c) the need to soften painful news, d) using a learned word which sounds less familiar and so less offensive:

1. Lodger – paying guest; 2. to die – to breathe one’s last, to depart this life, to pay one’s debt to nature, to go to one’s last home, to go to the way of all flesh, to kick the bucket, to hop the twig, to join the majority; 3. mad – derange, insane; 4. cemetery – memorial park, necropolis; 5. sweat – perspiration; 6. toothpowder – dentifrice; 7. Shut up! – Hush! 8. trousers – inexpressibles, inexplicables, unmentionables, one’s sit-upons, drawers, pants; 9. pawn – loan office; 10. pregnant – in the family way, in an interesting (delicate) condition; 11. toilet – water-closet, retiring room, public comfort station.

IX. Give antonyms to the following words. Say whether they are derivational or absolute:

Fragile, just, alert, grateful, discord, amity, reject, active, ugly, artless, movable, assist, arrange, courage, attentive, descend, safety, consistent, aware, benefactor, timidity, fortune, competent, continue, preceding, correct, sufficient, frequent.

X. Classify the following antonyms according to their meaning into contradictory and contrary:

Include – exclude, truth – falsehood, hope – despair, eager – unwilling, innocent – guilty, to lose – to win, esteem – aversion, miserable – happy, handsome - plain, public – private, to close down – to re-open, the poor – the rich, depart – return, encouragement – discouragement.

SEMINAR XI

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2456