HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY MID -TERM TEST ON LEXICOSEMANTICS

FOR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH (No 1)

Subject Code: EN11

Full name: LE THI THUY

Date of birth: 02/06/1996

Class: 0721.FDNAV515A

Student ID: 21C-71-55.1-03701

I. Answer the following questions: (40 points)

1. What is a word ? its typical features?

A word is the fundamental unit of language; it can stand alone and express ideas, actions,
concepts, or qualities. A word is the smallest meaningful unit of language that can convey
meaning on its own and combine with other words to form complex expressions. Words have
unique structural, phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical characteristics.

Typical features of a word:

1. Meaning: Every word has a distinct meaning or concept that it represents, whether it be
things, behaviours, attributes, or connections.
2. Structure: Morphemes, the smallest units of meaning, comprise one or more words. For
instance, "book" is a single morpheme, whereas "books" consists of two morphemes
("book" and "s").
3. Independence: Words are independent units that can stand alone, unlike morphemes,
which sometimes need to be combined to convey meaning.
4. Stability: Although words can take on various forms (such as "run," "runs," "ran," and
"running"), they always have a similar form and structure that makes them easily
recognized as distinct forms of the same word.
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 5. Function: Words have different grammatical functions in sentences. They can serve as
verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and more.
6. Combination: Words can be joined to form sentences, clauses, and phrases, which helps
with intricate communication and expression.
7. Phonology: Words consist of specific sequences of sounds (phonemes) that are
understood within the context of a particular language.
8. Morphology: The study of word forms and their constituents (roots, suffixes, and
prefixes) is categorized under this field. For instance, "unhappiness" is made up of the
suffix "-ness," the prefix "un-," and the root word "happy."
9. Syntax: The arrangement and relationships of words within a sentence are determined by
certain rules known as syntax. For instance, "The cat sat on the mat" follows the
syntactical rules of English.
10. Lexical Category: Verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns (like "dog," "run," and "happy")
are examples of the various lexical categories (parts of speech) that words fall under.
11. Orthography: The way words are written is determined by a standard spelling system.

Examples:

● Nouns: "cat," "freedom," "Paris."

● Verbs: "run," "is," "understand."
● Adjectives: "blue," "happy," "quick."
● Adverbs: "quickly," "very," "well."

2. What is a morpheme? What are the differences between a word and a morpheme?
(The file sent will be named after each student’s name. Plagiarism will lead to failure)

What is a morpheme?

A word is a complete unit of meaning that can stand alone, whereas a morpheme is the

smallest unit of meaning in a language. Words in sentences always convey a

complete idea, but morphemes can either stand alone (free morphemes) or require

attachment to other morphemes (bound morphemes). Understanding the difference

between the two helps clarify how language is constructed and how meaning is
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 conveyed.

Examples of Morphemes:

● Chair, dog, bird, table, computer: These are single morphemes because they cannot be
divided further and each represents a complete idea.
● Giraffe: This word consists of multiple syllables but is a single morpheme because it
represents one complete idea.

Differences Between a Word and a Morpheme:

1. Meaning:

Word: A word is a complete, autonomous, and significant unit of language. For

instance, the words "run," "house," and "beautiful" are all words.

A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning. It may or may not stand alone. For
instance, "un-" in "unhappy" is a morpheme that cannot stand alone, but "house" is a
single morpheme that can.

2. Structure:

Word: One or more morphemes can make up a word. For example, the word
"reconstruction" is made up of three morphemes: "construct," "re-," and "-ion."

Morpheme: A morpheme is a single unit of meaning and cannot be broken down further
into smaller, more meaningful parts.

3. Function:

Word: In sentences, words serve as separate entities that express entire ideas or
concepts. They can be divided into nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech.

Morpheme: Although they might not work on their own, morphemes help words make
sense. They include roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

4. Standalone Ability:

Word: A word can typically stand alone as a meaningful unit. For example, "dog" is a

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 word that conveys a complete concept by itself.

Morpheme: Some morphemes can stand alone (free morphemes), such as "dog," while
others cannot (bound morphemes), such as "un-" in "unhappy."

5. Complexity:

Word: Words can be simple (a single morpheme) or complex (multiple morphemes).

For example, "house" is simple, while "houses" is complex with the addition of the
plural morpheme "s."

Morpheme: Morphemes are always simple units of meaning but can combine to form
complex words.

II. Exercises
Exercises on Prefixes

I. Which negative adjective fits each of the following definitions?

1. Unmarried: not having a husband or wife.
2. Inedible: means impossible to eat
3. Illiterate: means unable to read or write.
4. Unemployed means not having a job.
5. Unpartial means fair in giving judgment, not favouring one side.
6. Irreplaceable means incapable of being replaced.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of oven cooks things particularly fast? Microwave oven.

2. What kind of drug can help somebody with an infection? Antibiotic

3. What kind of company has branches in many countries? Multi-national

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4. How does a passenger aeroplane normally fly? On auto-pilot

5. What is a student who is studying for a second degree? Postgraduate

6. What do "underground railway in the US" and "underground passage in the UK"
mean? Subway

III. Rewrite the following sentences using prefixes:.

1. He's in favour of the American approach.

He's pro-American in his approach.

2. The BBC tried to avoid pronouncing foreign words incorrectly.

The BBC tried to avoid mispronouncing foreign words.

3. Most people say they have to work too hard but are paid too little

Most people say they are overworked but underpaid.

4. He dated his cheque with a date that was late than the real date.

He post-dated his cheque.

5. She's still on good terms with the man who used to be her husband.

She's still on good terms with her ex-husband.

6. He made so many mistakes in the letter that he had to write it again

He made so many mistakes in the letter that he had to rewrite it.

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IV. Use your knowledge of prefixes to write definitions of the underlined words

Although Jim is an ex-soldier, he's only semi-literate. When he tries to write a letter, he
misspells half the words and his wife has to rewrite it for him. His wife used to work in a
sub-department of the post office, where her main job was redirecting mail. Jim's very
pro-army but he over-emphasizes its good points. His wife, on the other hand, is rather
anti-army and she undervalues its positive aspects.

- Ex-solider: a person who was a former solider

- Semi-literate: a person who has some basic reading and writing skills but is not fully
proficient.
- Misspells: Writes a word incorrectly.
- Rewrite: To rewrite something, usually with enhancements or modifications.
- Sub-department: A department that is smaller than its parent division.
- Redirecting: shifting something is emphasis or direction, like directing someone to a
new place or altering a task's path.
- Pro-army: In favour of or supporting the army or military forces.
- Overemphasizes: Gives something too much attention, giving the impression that it is
more significant than it is.
- Anti-army: Reluctant to support or adhere to the military or the army.
- Undervalues: Ignores the actual value or worth of something; regards something as
less significant or valuable than it truly is.

V. Which word is the odd one out of each set and why?

1. legible, loyal, legal, legitimate: => LEGIBLE

The words loyal, legal, and legitimate all pertain to qualities related to behavior, ethics, or
legality, reflecting principles, lawfulness, and adherence to rules. Conversely, legible refers
specifically to the clarity and readability of text, which is unrelated to the themes of loyalty,
law, or legitimacy.

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 2. insert, internal, inedible, income: => INEDIBLE
“Insert”, “internal”, and “income” all refer to something being inside or moving inward. In
contrast, inedible pertains to something that cannot be eaten. Therefore, inedible is the odd one
out.

3. uncomfortable ,unlock ,unfold, unzip: => UNCOMFORTABLE

"Unlock," "unfold," and "unzip" all involve removing a restriction or opening something. In
contract, "Uncomfortable" describes a state of discomfort, which is not an action of
removing a restriction.
4. extract, ex-wife, ex- communicative, exhale: => EX-WIFE

"Extract," "ex-communicative," and "exhale" all involve the prefix "ex-" meaning out or
away. However, "Ex-wife" refers to a former spouse and does not fit the pattern of actions or
states involving "ex-" meaning out or away.

5. worship, kinship, friendship, partnership: => WORSHIP

"Kinship," "friendship," and "partnership" all end with the suffix "-ship" indicating a state or
condition of being. "Worship" ends in "-ship" but does not indicate a state or condition of
being related in the same sense as the others; it refers to the act of showing reverence and
adoration.

Một số yêu cầu:

+ Sinh viên nộp file word lên hệ thống

+ Ghi rõ mã đề trong bài làm.

Chú ý:

+ Chế tài xử lý đối với bài phát hiện có sự sao chép ( VD: nếu phát hiện sao chép thì bài
làm của sinh viên sẽ không được công nhận và nhận điểm 0….)
+ Giảng viên có thể trao đổi, nhận xét góp ý cho bài làm của sinh viên trên diễn đàn
hoặc buổi Vclass (SV tham gia lớp Vclass đầy đủ để được giải đáp)