Week 7 exercise SAMPLE ANSWERS

Metaphor, image metaphor and metonymy

Identify the following expressions as involving (a) metaphor, (b) image metaphor, or (c)
metonymy.
i. He bought a jug to share with his mates. c

ii. Mars was a ruby hanging just above the horizon. b

iii. “Raaargh!” the warrior’s voice thundered. b

iv. Why are you so frigid towards me? a

v. London won’t sign the agreement. c

vi. The freshly cut grass is a green carpet. b

vii. She was still smouldering years after the incident. a

Specific vs. generic

Which of the underlined noun phrases in the following sentences are specific (referring)
expressions, which are generic (non-referring), and which are ambiguous (may be interpreted
as either generic or specific)? Label each sentence with ‘S’ for ‘specific’, ‘G’ for ‘generic’, or
‘S/G’ for phrases that may be interpreted either way. Two have been done for you.

Hint: Imagine trying to point to the referent(s). Could you refer to all of them? Then the NP
has reference and is specific. Or, are you really predicating something of a denotation, rather
than referring to (and potentially pointing to) one or more referents? Then the NP is generic.

1. I own 40 DVDs. S – You could point to these 40 DVDs.

2. DVDs are becoming obsolete. G – You could not point to all DVDs, everywhere.
3. She loves to shop. S
4. Never marry a dentist. G
5. I hate lollies. G
6. Your tie is ghastly. S
7. Who chose those curtains? S
8. A dog is a man’s best friend. G
9. A dog is stuck in that pit. S
10. The smallest dog in the world weighs 600 grams. S
11. My pet lizard weighs over 500 grams. S
12. No lizard is as big as a dog. G
13. No lizard is as big as a dog. G
14. Willow bark has laxative properties. G
15. He took a case of beer to the party. S
16. I’m afraid of sharks. G
17. That shark is pretty big. S
18. The desks in this room are uncomfortable. S
19. The desk is a relatively recent invention. G
20. Sentences are hard to write. G
Denotation and connotation
The following words are more-or-less neutral; that is, they have neither a strongly positive
nor strongly negative connotation. For each neutral word, supply one or more words with a
favourable connotation and one with an unfavourable connotation. The denotation of all three
words in each item should be as similar as possible. One has been done for you.

Neutral Positive Negative

1. thin slender scrawny

2. car machine, ride heap, wreck

3. speak express, elucidate blather, gibber

4. walk stride stagger, strut

Come up with 3 more examples:

Neutral Positive Negative

1. police officer defender of the peace pig

2. child darling brat

3. house home, mansion hovel