Unit 1: Types of meaning

The TKT:KAL exam consists of one module of 80 questions. You have 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete the test The test is designed to test your understanding of the different systems of English and linguistic problems faced by language learners

Part 1: Lexis Part 2: Phonology

Part 3: Grammar
Part 4: Discourse

1: Matching 2: Multiple Choice

3: Find the odd one out

Unit 1: Types of meaning

Gain/Revise your knowledge of the different types of meanings that items of lexis can have and the terms used to describe them Complete a TKT:KAL exam style question to practice this knowledge

Lexis is: Vocabulary!

 The

CONTEXT or situation they are used in

What Who

FUNCTION they perform

is using them

Exercise 1: What are the meanings of the underlined words in the sentences below?

1: Shall we sit at the table? 2: Im trying to give up chocolate. 3: Im going to take my books to school. 4: Hes really skinny. I think he may be ill. 5: This film is so boring!

a flat surface, usually supported by four legs, used for putting things on (Cambridge
advanced learners dictionary: third edition) Dictionary meanings: DENOTATION (or literal meaning) The literal meaning can also refer to the original meaning or basic meaning of a word or group of words

Im trying to give up chocolate. Give up: Is an example of a MULTIWORD VERB (a phrasal verb) [a verb +adverb/preposition] Why is it difficult to understand? Sometimes it is important to look at words in combination when understanding their meaning

Hes really Skinny. I think he may be ill. What is the Denotation of the word Skinny? Do we usually us it with a positive or negative meaning? Skinny: Has a Negative CONNOTATION

Word sets usually have a neutral, positive or negative connotation

Is the denotation or connotation of these underlined words different from their denotation or connotation in exercise1?
1: In business reports, its common to use tables and graphs 2: I gave up ice-cream last year and feel so much healthier 3: I usually take the bus to work 4: Hes as skinny as he was when he was 16. He looks great.

Is the meaning of take the same in this sentence? Take the bus = a COLLOCATION The words take and bus regularly go together and the meaning of take cannot be separated from bus Verbs that lose their meaning like this are called DELIXICALISED VERBS

I could eat a horse They received floods of letters He can swim like a fish

These sets of words have a meaning which is non-literal or imaginative

We say that they have a FIGURATIVE meaning

Look at the underlined words in the sentences below and complete the table. The first one has been done for you

Why do the speakers here use this kind of figurative language?

Words/Sets of Words

Literal Meaning

Figurative Meaning

1. I ate so much I thought I was going to burst 2. She has the voice of an angel.

Explode like a balloon

I felt extremely full

3. He has such a sunny smile. 4. We were baking. The weather was so hot

Words/Sets of Words

Literal Meaning

Figurative Meaning

1. I ate so much I thought I was going to burst 2. She has the voice of an angel.

Explode like a balloon A voice like an angels voice A smile like the sun

I felt extremely full She speaks or sings beautifully A happy, positive, attractive smile Extremely hot.

3. He has such a sunny smile.

4. We were baking. The weather was so hot

Cooking in the oven, like bread.

IDIOMS!!

Exercise 4:

Look at the dictionary entry for the word drill

drill /dril/ noun [C]

1. a tool or machine which makes holes

Now look at drill in the sentence below. Is it the same as the meaning above?
When I teach I like to drill my students by getting them

to repeat words two or three times, so they can practise and remember the pronunciation

In this case drill has changed its meaning because it is being used by a particular person The set of words used by particular groups of people is called REGISTER This can mean, as with drill that a word can change its meaning or a different word is used instead of a more common one.

REGISTER and STYLE (how the information is conveyed) also refer to the kinds of words used in a particular kind of text E.g- a letter of complaint or a relaxed chat at a party The different contexts/types of text will require using different types of words e;g:

FORMAL INFORMAL (OR COLLOQUIAL)

Lets try some activities

Look at the underlined items of lexis in the table below and make notes about the meaning and register of each one:

Item of Lexis

Figurative Meaning?

Register

1. Last Sunday was boiling hot.

2. I would appreciate it if you could

3. Overwork can lead to serious fatigue. 4. So, hows it going?

5. See you soon. Tons of love, Anne.

Item of Lexis

Figurative Meaning?

Register

1. Last Sunday was boiling hot.

Yes. Here it means very, very hot.

Informal with this meaning.

2. I would appreciate it if you could

3. Overwork can lead to serious fatigue. 4. So, hows it going?

No.

Formal.

No.

Used by people in the medical profession Informal.

No but going doesnt have a literal meaning Yes. Here tons means lots NOT a weight.

5. See you soon. Tons of love, Anne.

Informal.

Look at the underlined items of lexis in the sentences below. How does their meaning change from sentence a) to sentence b) ?
1. a) Could you pick up that pen for me? b) If youve got the car could you pick me up? 2. a) I had chips for my dinner b) How many chips are in a computer?

3. a) I went to the cinema last Saturday b) I nearly went mad trying to do my homework