Nguyễn Ngọc Thúy An

Nguyễn Trần Châu Anh

NON-LITERAL MEANING
1. IDIOMS

1. Which sentence below is correct?

A. Idiomatic expressions are phrases whose meanings cannot be inferred from

the meanings of the words that make them up
B. All idioms can only be understood through their idiomatic senses
C. The non-literal language is essentially random and idiosyncratic
D. All are correct

=> Most idioms also have possible, though unlikely, literal compositional interpretations
along with their idiomatic senses. Which meaning is intended usually depends on the
context in which the expression is used.

=> Although the non-literal language is often thought of as essentially random and
idiosyncratic, in reality, it tends to be more systematically organized than has usually been
recognized. We have found ample evidence in English of numerous structural metaphors,
orientational metaphors, and ontological metaphors which are by no means random but
highly structured and rule-governed.

2. In this sentence: “He is a pain in the neck!”, what kind of intended non-literal
meaning does the sentence convey?

A. He is a very stupid person

B. He is very weak and lacking confidence
 C. He is annoying
D. He is a mean person who doesn’t like spending money.

=> It is immediately apparent that if we try to interpret this sentence literally, it would
typically sound anomalous or nonsensical unless special circumstances are taken into
account.

3. What is the idiomatic sense of the underlined sentence: "He couldn’t do it. He got
cold feet."?

A. He had a body part with a low temperature.

B. He suddenly felt nervous about doing something that was planned.
C. He acted in a deliberately cruel way.
D. He was not friendly at all.

=> Some sentences are ambiguous: they may contain a phrase that could be understood
either idiomatically (figuratively) or literally, depending upon the context in which the
sentence is used.

4. What is the best sense of the underlined phrase in the conversation below?

“Did you hear that Tom stabbed Henry in the back last week?”

“Wow, that’s unbelievable! No wonder I haven’t seen them talking to each other in the office
lately.”

A. Tom took a knife (or another sharp object) and put it into Henry’s back
B. Tom deceived Henry's faith
5. What is the idiom that best describes this picture?

A. An apple a day keeps the doctor away

B. One bad apple spoils the bunch
C. The apple of someone’s eye
D. How do you like them apples?

2. STRUCTURAL + ORIENTATIONAL METAPHORS

6. Determine whether this statement is true or false:

“Structural metaphors allow us to use one highly structured and delineated concept to
structure another.”

A. True
B. False

=> A structural metaphor is a metaphorical system in which one complex concept (typically
abstract) is presented in terms of some other (usually more concrete) concept.

7. Determine whether this statement is true or false:

“Many orientational metaphors are coherent with each other and are understood because
they are grounded in the way we experience the world.”

A. False
B. True

=> According to our book, there is an external systematicity among the various
spatialization metaphors, in which, for example, all the metaphors involving UP are positive
in some way or evoke general well-being when viewed against our cultural knowledge and
understanding.
8. Try to identify the structural metaphor using the format described below.

“Spending time with your loved one is never enough.”

“Seeing the police coming, he took all the money and ran away.”

A. LOVE IS MONEY
B. TIME IS A THIEF
C. TIME IS A RESOURCE
D. LOVE IS AN ADVENTURE

9. Try to identify the structural metaphor using the format described below.

“Here’s a gift for you, Weasley!”

“Thank you! But what is it?”

“It’s chocolate.”

“You’re so nice. And what flavor is it?”

“In life, you’ll never know what you’re gonna get. So why don’t you just open it up?”

A. FRIENDS ARE ANGELS

B. CHOCOLATE IS A GIFT FROM HEAVEN
C. LIFE IS A GIFT
D. LIFE IS A BOX OF CHOCOLATES

=> The idiom was popularized in the 1994 film Forrest Gump when the lead character
Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) says: “My mom always said life was like a box of
chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”
=> This phrase means that life is unpredictable and that it is full of surprises; you never
know what will happen next.

10. Decide which of the following metaphors goes with which of the ordinary
sentences below:

I. CONSCIOUS IS UP; UNCONSCIOUS IS DOWN

II. FUTURE EVENTS ARE UP (and AHEAD)
III. STATUS IS UP; LOW STATUS IS DOWN

● She'll rise to the top.

● All upcoming events are listed in the paper.
● Wake up.

A. III, II, I
B. III, I, II
C. I, II, III
D. I, III, II

11. Decide which of the following ordinary sentences goes with which of the
metaphors below:

I. I'm feeling down today.

II. He couldn't rise above his emotions.
III. The number of books printed each year keeps going up.
 ● HEALTH AND LIFE ARE UP; SICKNESS AND DEATH ARE DOWN
● RATIONAL IS UP; EMOTIONAL IS DOWN
● MORE IS UP; LESS IS DOWN

A. I, II, III
B. III, I, II
C. II, I, III
D. I, II, III

12. What is the best sense of this metaphor?

"After all the fans left the stadium, the bleachers were a disaster area."

A. Lots of caution tape was used to block off sections.

B. Reporters were everywhere trying to catch a story.
C. After the game, the stadium was hit by a tornado.
D. Trash & leftover food and drinks littered the ground.

13. What kind of metaphor was used in this sentence: “Time is a rushing river”?

A. Structural metaphor
B. Orientational metaphor
C. Ontological metaphor

14. If a city contains people from many countries and cultures, you can use a metaphor
and describe it as a _________.
 A. cooking pot
B. melting pot
C. frying pan
D. metal pot

=> The expression melting pot to mean a pot in which all things melt together (literal
meaning);

=> A melting pot is a metaphor for a society where many different types of people blend as
one. America is often called a melting pot. Some countries are made of people who are
almost all the same in terms of race, religion, and culture.

15. Explain the metaphorical sense of the lyrics below:

“My lover’s got humor

She’s the giggle at a funeral

Knows everybody’s disapproval

I should’ve worshipped her sooner...”

(Hozier – Take Me To Church)

A. His lover is rude and graceless

B. His lover is a funeral director
C. His lover is optimistic
D. His lover is naive

=> Metaphors are often used in music, movies, poetry, and books to deepen the color and
imagery of comparisons.

=> In this popular song, Take Me To Church, we find the example of Hozier describing his
lover. Instead of using a straight-forward line like, “she is funny,” he opts for the metaphor,
“she’s the giggle at a funeral.” This is a powerful metaphor stating that his lover is so full of
humor that even in really sad moments, she finds a way to lighten the mood.

16. Explain the metaphorical sense of the verse below:

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the East, and Juliet is the sun...”

(William Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet)

A. Juliet is standing on the balcony - a higher position than the ground

B. Juliet is sweating now (because of the hot weather)
C. Romeo doesn’t dare to come closer to Juliet because he thinks she is aloof and
arrogant
D. Romeo is admiring the beauty of Juliet

=> This verse is another beautiful exchange that takes place between Romeo and Juliet
during the famous balcony scene. In these beautiful and vivid verses, Romeo compares
Juliet to the sun. This metaphor implies that Romeo perceives Juliet as being incredibly
bright, radiant, and glorious. Moreover, the sun is regarded as the life-giving element of the
universe. The comparison between the sun and Juliet illustrates that Romeo sees Juliet as
the quintessential life-giving being.

17. How many categories are ONTOLOGICAL METAPHORS divided? (Image)

A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5

3 categories (Container Metaphor, Entity Metaphor, Personification)

18. What kind of metaphor was used in this sentence: “The experience shattered him."
(Image)

A. Structural metaphor
B. Orientational metaphor
C. Ontological metaphor

The experience is not human, but it is given a quality of human beings, such as shattered,
which means break or cause to break suddenly and violently into pieces.

19. How many kinds of purposes are there in ONTOLOGICAL METAPHORS?

A. 4
B. 5
C. 6
D. 7

We have 5 kinds of purposes such as (1) Setting a goal (2) Referring (3) Quantifying (4)
Identifying aspects (5) Identifying a cause

20. Which category of ontological metaphor is used in the sentence below?

“His religion tells me that he cannot drink wine.”

A. Personification
B. Entity Metaphor
C. Container Metaphor

For sure, religion can not tell people anything. But thanks to personification, it can become
like a human

21. Do you know how many particular subtypes of metonymy? (Image)

A. 5
 B. 6
C. 7
D. 8

There are 8 particular subtypes of metonymy on page 339. They are

(1) THE PLACE FOR THE EVENT

(2) THE PART FOR THE WHOLE

(3) OBJECT USED FOR USER

(4) THE PLACE FOR THE INSTITUTION

(5) PRODUCER FOR PRODUCT

(6) CONTROLLER FOR CONTROLLED

(7) INSTITUTION FOR PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE

(8) THE FACE FOR THE PERSON

22. Which subtype of metonymy is used in this sentence below?

“There are a lot of good heads in the university.”?

A. THE PART FOR THE WHOLE

B. PRODUCER FOR PRODUCT
C. THE FACE FOR THE PERSON
D. OBJECT USED FOR USER

In this sentence, we are using ONE ENTITY "good heads" to refer to "intelligent people". The
point is not just to use a part (head) to stand for a whole (person) but rather to pick out a
particular characteristic of the person, namely, intelligence, which is associated with the
head.
23. Which subtype of metonymy is used in this sentence below?

“He’s got a Picasso in his room."

A. OBJECT USED FOR USER

B. THE FACE FOR THE PERSON
C. PRODUCER FOR PRODUCT
D. THE PART FOR THE WHOLE

When we think of a Picasso, we think about his works of art in terms of their relation to the
artist, that is his conception of art, his technique, his role in art history.

24. The sentence “Nixon bombed Hanoi." belongs to which subtypes of metonymy?
A. CONTROLLER FOR CONTROLLED
B. PRODUCER FOR PRODUCT
C. THE FACE FOR THE PERSON
D. THE PLACE FOR THE EVENT

In this sentence, Nixon himself may not have dropped the bombs on Hanoi, but via the
CONTROLLER FOR CONTROLLED metonymy, we think of Nixon as doing the bombing and
hold him responsible for it.

25. Which purpose of metonymy is used in the sentence below?

“That was a beautiful catch.”
A. Setting a goal
B. Identifying a cause
C. Referring
D. Quantifying
The ontological metaphors in each sentence below treat an abstract concept as though it
were a physical object. Specifically, “A beautiful catch” here in this sentence refers to an
athlete catching a ball very nice.

26. Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

“METONYMY is a kind of non-literal language in which one _____ is used to refer to
another ______ that is associated with it in some way.”

ANSWER: entity