81 Questions
What are complementary or binary pairs?
Pairs of words that form a two-term classification, also known as antonyms.
What are examples of complementary or binary pairs?
dead/alive, pass/fail, hit/miss.
What is the relationship between opposites called when the positive of one term does not necessarily imply the negative of the other?
Gradable antonyms.
What are some examples of fully gradable antonyms?
rich/poor, fast/slow, young/old, beautiful/ugly.
What are the identifying characteristics of gradable antonyms?
Intermediate terms, relative terms, and one term more basic/common than the other.
What are examples of pairs with the characteristic reverse relation?
push/pull, come/go, go/return, ascend/descend.
What is the characteristic reverse relation?
A relation between terms describing movement, where one term describes movement in one direction and the other the same movement in the opposite direction.
What are converses?
Terms which describe a relation between two entities from alternative viewpoints, where one cannot exist without the other.
What is an example of converses?
husband/wife, above/below, employer/employee.
What do we know about David if we are told that Helen is David's employer?
That David is Helen's employee.
What is synonymy?
Synonymy refers to different phonological words which have the same or very similar meanings.
Why are examples of absolute synonymy hard to find?
Examples of absolute synonymy are hard to find, perhaps because there is little poni in a language having two words with exactly the same sense.
What are some examples of synonyms that belong to different dialects?
Examples of synonyms that belong to different dialects include American English freeway and British English motorway.
What is an important source of synonymy?
An important source of synonymy is taboo areas where a range of euphemisms may occur, for example, in the vocabulary for sex, death and the body.
What does it mean when synonyms belong to different registers or different situations?
When synonyms belong to different registers or different situations, it means that one word may be more formal or informal than the other depending on the context.
What does it mean when one of the synonyms is collocationally restricted?
When one of the synonyms is collocationally restricted, it means that certain words may only be used in specific contexts or with certain words.
What are antonyms?
In traditional terminology, antonyms are words which are opposite in meaning.
What are simple antonyms?
Simple antonyms is a relation between words such that the negative of one implies the positive of the other.
What is an example of how synonyms can portray positive or negative attitudes of the speaker?
An example of how synonyms can portray positive or negative attitudes of the speaker is that naive or gullible seem more critical than ingenuous.
What is an example of how synonyms may originate from different languages?
An example of how synonyms may originate from different languages is cloth (from Old English) and fabric (from Latin).
The relationship between words such that the negative of one implies the positive of the other is called ______ antonyms
simple
Taboo areas may be an important source of ______
synonymy
Synonyms may belong to different ______ or to different situations
registers
An example of synonyms that originate from different languages are cloth (from Old English) and ______ (from Latin)
fabric
An example of how synonyms can portray positive or negative attitudes of the speaker is that naive or gullible seem more critical than ______
ingenuous
Antonyms are words which are ______ in meaning
opposite
We speak of tall or high buildings, but only tall people and ______ mountains
high
An example of how taboo areas may contribute to synonymy is in the vocabulary for sex, death, and the ______
body
Synonyms that belong to different dialects include American English freeway and British English ______
motorway
Absolute (or pure) synonymy is hard to find, perhaps because there is little ______ in a language having two words with exactly the same sense
poni
The pairs of words that form a two-term classification are sometimes called ______ or binary pairs.
complementary
Gradable antonyms are fully ______, that is to say, they occur normally with a wide range of degree modifiers.
gradable
Between the gradable antonyms hot and cold, we can find intermediate terms such as warm, tepid, and ______.
cool
The terms in gradable antonyms are usually ______, so a thick pencil is likely to be thinner than a thin girl.
relative
In some pairs of gradable antonyms, one term is more basic and common than the other. The unmarked term is more ______ than the marked one, whereas the marked one often has negative connotations.
neutral
The characteristic reverse relation is between terms describing ______, where one term describes movement in one direction and the other the same movement in the opposite direction.
movement
Pairs such as come/go, go/return, and ascend/______ are examples of reverse relations.
descend
Converses are terms which describe a relation between two entities from alternative viewpoints, where one cannot exist without the other, as in the pairs husband/______.
wife
Helen is David's employer, so we know that David is ______ employee.
Helen's
Pairs such as inflate/deflate, expand/contract, and fill/______ are examples of reverses.
empty
Synonyms are words that have the same exact meaning.
False
Synonyms may belong to different dialects, like American English freeway and British English motorway.
True
Taboo areas are not an important source of synonymy.
False
Antonyms are words that are opposite in meaning.
True
Complementary or binary pairs are pairs of words that form a two-term classification.
True
Gradable antonyms are only used to describe physical characteristics.
False
Synonyms never portray positive or negative attitudes of the speaker.
False
Intermediate terms cannot be found between gradable antonyms such as hot and cold.
False
Reverses are pairs of words that have no relation to each other.
False
Collocational restrictions can occur with one or both of the synonyms.
True
Gradable antonyms are fully gradable and occur normally with a wide range of degree modifiers.
True
Pairs such as push/pull on a swing door are examples of converse relations.
True
Pairs such as dead/alive and hit/miss are examples of simple antonyms.
True
Reverses are only applied to terms describing movement.
False
Pairs such as beautiful/ugly and tall/short are examples of relative gradable antonyms.
True
The unmarked term in some pairs of gradable antonyms is more neutral than the marked one.
True
Converses are terms which describe a relation between two entities from alternative viewpoints.
True
Pairs such as inflate/deflate and fill/empty are examples of binary pairs.
False
Pairs such as rich/poor and fast/slow are examples of ungradable antonyms.
False
In some pairs of gradable antonyms, there are no intermediate terms between the two extremes.
False
What is the term used for words that are opposite in meaning?
Simple antonyms
What is an example of a pair of words with the characteristic reverse relation?
Expand/contract
What is the term used for words that describe a relation between two entities from alternative viewpoints, where one cannot exist without the other?
Binary pairs
What is an example of how taboo areas may contribute to synonymy?
Sex/death vocabulary
What is an example of how synonyms may belong to different dialects?
Freeway/motorway
What is the term used for words that have the same or very similar meanings?
Synonyms
What is an example of how synonyms may portray positive or negative attitudes of the speaker?
Naive/gullible
What is the term used for words that are fully gradable and occur normally with a wide range of degree modifiers?
Gradable antonyms
What is an example of how one of the synonyms may be collocationally restricted?
Wife/spouse
What is the term used for a relationship between words such that the negative of one implies the positive of the other?
Simple antonyms
What is the difference between gradable and non-gradable antonyms?
Gradable antonyms have intermediate terms and are relative, while non-gradable antonyms do not have intermediate terms and are absolute.
What is the difference between complementary/binary pairs and converse pairs?
Complementary/binary pairs are a two-term classification, while converse pairs describe a relation between two entities from alternative viewpoints.
What is the defining characteristic of reverses?
Reverses can be applied to any process which can be reversed.
What is the difference between marked and unmarked terms in gradable antonyms?
The unmarked term is more basic and common than the marked one, and the marked one often has negative connotations.
What is the defining characteristic of converse pairs?
Converse pairs describe a relation between two entities from alternative viewpoints, where one cannot exist without the other.
What is the difference between synonyms and antonyms?
Synonyms have similar meanings, while antonyms have opposite meanings.
What is the defining characteristic of taboo areas in relation to synonymy?
Taboo areas may be an important source of synonymy.
What is an example of a converse pair?
Husband/wife
What is the difference between relative and absolute antonyms?
Relative antonyms have intermediate terms and are relative, while absolute antonyms do not have intermediate terms and are absolute.
What is an example of a pair of gradable antonyms?
Tall/short
What is the difference between pairs of simple antonyms and pairs of gradable antonyms?
Pairs of simple antonyms are a two-term classification, while pairs of gradable antonyms have intermediate terms.
Test your knowledge of synonyms with this quiz! Explore different examples of synonyms and see if you can identify which words have similar meanings. From dialects to origins, challenge yourself to become a synonym master.
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