Lexical meaning
Scott Thornbury · 2017
1 The corrections to the non-standard forms and their explanations are as follows: a trees, with : Wrong forms. These are probably spelling mistakes rather than confusion between similar words of different meanings. b small : Wrong choice of word, no doubt due to an overlap in meaning. c very good news : Wrong form. The learner is not aware that news is one of a small set of words (like measles and species) that have singular meaning but plural form. d hard : The learner has overgeneralized the -ly adverb suffix: hard is both adjective and adverb. e She made films like ‘Gentlemen prefer blondes’ : This is a case of the wrong words. The error probably derives from a mistranslation. The use of did for made is a common mistake where the learner’s own language may use only one verb for both sets of meanings. f a famous scientist : Notorious is the wrong word. The meaning is roughly the same as famous but it has negative connotations. Cientific is a case of the wrong form, both in terms of spelling and part of speech. g fed on : This is a case of the wrong form of the word, if we take a word’s form to include its associated prepositions. To feed insects and to feed on insects convey two distinct ideas. h quit : This is a case of the wrong word: you get rid of things you do not like, but you quit your job. i obliged/lessened (or, more formally, abated ): wrong form of the word (in the case of obliged ) and wrong word: supplies , resources , numbers dwindle, but rain tends to lessen , die out , abate , etc. 2 b homonyms; c antonyms; d polysemes – although there is a difference in meaning, they are related since they share the meaning ‘series of things that are linked in some way’; e co-hyponyms – kinds of furniture; f polysemes; g antonyms; h synonyms; i hyponymy: snake is the superordinate term for swamp adder ; j polysemes. 3 The dictionary categorises the words as: deceased : formal; defunct : formal; lifeless : [not marked]; to croak : old fashioned slang ; to depart this life : polite word/phrase; to expire : literary; to pass away : polite word/phrase; to perish : [not marked]; to pop off : humorous.