Reading comprehension test. Lexical Analysis of the English Language. NAME: ________________________________________ DATE_____________ MARK: _______ I.
Answer the following questions. 1. Why is important that the learner acquire the full knowledge of a word? (4 points) _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Explain what a multi-word item is. (2 points) _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. Why nonnative speakers usually avoid using multi-word items? (4 points)
________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ II.
T/F. (1 point each) 1. T/F Idioms are specially associated with journalism as well as informal conversation and also in horoscopes. 2. T/F Many multi-word item are particularly idiomatic. 3. T/F A sentence can be analyzed in a number of different ways. 4. T/F the three important criteria which help distinguish holistic multi-word items from other kinds of strings are institutionalisation, fixedness and non- compositionality. 5. T/F Multi-word item are language-specific and they have particular sociocultural connotations and associations.
III.
Match a multi-word item from 1-5 with the corresponding definition. (1 point each) Then provide three examples of each one. (2 points each)
1. Compounds
a. A very complex group. They have holistic meanings which cannot be retrieved from the individual meanings of the component words.
2. Idioms
b. They are preconstructed phrases, stereotyped collocations. They are called also prefabricated routines.
3. Fixed phrases
c. They are the largest and most tangible group. But the least interesting. They may differ from single words only by being written as two or more orthographic words.
4. Prefabs
d. They are combinations of verbs and adverbial or prepositional particles.
5. Phrasal verbs
e. They cover a number of multiword items. Their compositionality is variable in kind and degree, and may arise from the fact that they are grammatically ill-formed or because they have specialist and non-predictable pragmatic functions.
1. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________________ 3. _________________________________________________________________ 4. __________________________________________________________________ 5. ____________________________________________________________________
Answer key. I. 1) Because not only is important to know the meaning and the pronunciation of a word, but also its grammatical behavior if it is a noun, adjective, adverb, etc. It is important to know in which situations we use the word that’s why we need to acquire the full knowledge of a word to express what we want appropriately.
2) A multi-word item is a vocabulary item which consists of a sequence of two or more words. This sequence of words semantically and/or syntactically forms a meaningful and inseparable unit. 3) Nonnative speakers usually avoid using multi-word items because they are in some cases confusing for learners. Students tend to translate the multi-word item word by word and the result of this is completely different to the real meaning, so they prefer no use them to avoid misunderstandings.
II. 1) T 2) F 3) T 4) T 5) T
III. 1-C 2-A 3-E 4-B 5-D
1. Lifetime, basketball, railroad. 2. Bite your tongue, above the law, hands are tied. 3. In fact, on time, on sale. 4. That reminds me of, the point is, the fact is.
5. Make out, cut down, look up.