Лексикология английского языка. Practice Makes Perfect

Н. Н. Морозова

ЛЕКСИКОЛОГИЯ 
английского языка

 PRACTICE 
MAKES PERFECT 

Учебное пособие для семинарских занятий

по курсу «Английская лексикология»

Направление 035700. 62  Лингвистика

Направление 050100. 62  Педагогическое образование

Москва

2013

УДК 42
ББК 81.432.1-923.2
         М601

Рецензенты:

Е. А. Никулина, зав. кафедрой лексики английского языка, 

доктор филологических наук, профессор

Е. Л. Фрейдина, профессор кафедры фонетики английского 

языка, доктор филологических наук

М601    Морозова Н. Н. Лексикология английского языка. 
Practice Makes Perfect: Учебное пособие. — М.: Прометей, 2013. 
– 102 с.

Данное учебное пособие предназначено для студентов факультетов иностран
ных языков педагогических вузов.

Основная цель пособия - научить студентов находить в тексте, анализировать 

и интерпретировать различные языковые явления современного английского языка.

В пособие включены разнообразные упражнения по основным разделам курса 

«Лексикология английского языка». Это задания, связанные с дискурсивными характеристиками слов, этимологией, словообразованием, семантикой, парадигматическими 
и синтагматическими характеристиками слов, фразеологией. Специальный раздел 
посвящен особенностям употребления английского языка в США, а также проблемам 
международного английского языка, что является важным в эпоху глобализации.

Задания предназначены как для занятий в аудитории, так и для самостоятельной 

работы студентов. Некоторые упражнения основаны на сопоставлении английского и 
русского языков, что, на наш взгляд, помогает глубже понять то или иное языковое 
явление.

Задания пособия различаются по объему и по трудности. Выбор упражнений 

для анализа и обобщений остается за преподавателем, который проводит семинарские занятия в группе.

Хочется надеяться, что материал пособия поможет студентам хорошо подгото
виться к экзамену по лексикологии и создаст прочную базу для написания курсовых 
и выпускных квалификационных работ.

ISBN 978-5-7042-2484-6

© Н. Н. Морозова, 2013
© Издательство «Прометей», 2013

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 5

WORDS IN DISCOURSE: INFORMAL REGISTER .............................. 7
WORDS IN DISCOURSE: FORMAL REGISTER .................................15
WORDS AND THEIR ORIGIN ....................................................... 24
WORD –BUILDING IN ENGLISH .................................................. 36
Affixation ........................................................................ 36
Conversion ....................................................................... 40
Composition ..................................................................... 43
WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS ................................................. 49
THE DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE OF MEANING ........................ 54
ENGLISH HOMONYMS .................................................................62
PARADIGMATIC RELATIONS OF WORDS ......................................70
ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGY ............................................................77
AMERICAN ENGLISH ................................................................. 83
REVISION ................................................................................. 90
ONLINE REFERENCE TOOLS....................................................... 92

ANSWER KEY ........................................................................... 94
Words in Discourse: Informal Register .................................. 94
Words and their Origin ....................................................... 95
Word-building .................................................................. 96
Words and Their Meanings .................................................. 98
The Development and Change of Meaning ............................... 98
Homonyms ....................................................................... 99
Paradygmatic Relations of Words ......................................... 99
English Phraseology .......................................................... 99
American English .............................................................100

A man who doesn’t think for himself
does not think at all.

Oscar Wilde

INTROduCTION

Nowadays scientists carry out research in such fields of Linguistics as discourse analysis, pragmatics, cognitive semantics. 
They analyze various types of texts and speech utterances, taking 
different approaches.
However, we truly believe that to be successful in any of these 
studies you should be well aware of the properties of word, its main 
characteristics and functions. It is not by chance that word is considered to be the main unit of language.
The book contains some practical materials for seminars in 
English Lexicology. The main aim of the textbook is to teach students to observe, analyze and interpret different language phenomena. Numerous exercises collected in the book serve the 
purpose.
The exercises which are included in the book vary in length and 
difficulty. They are meant both for class work and home studies. 
Some exercises are based on comparison between the English and 
Russian languages which is, in our opinion, important for a deeper 
understanding of any language phenomena. The choice of the exercises is left to the teacher. 
We hope the book will be useful for the students of English. 
Firstly, it helps students to upgrade and improve their language 
skills. Secondly, it is good for the students working on their diploma 
projects. Finally, it is handy for the students who have their teaching 
practice because contemporary English textbooks for foreign lan

ЛексикоЛогия ангЛийского языка

guage learners include numerous exercises based on the main issues 
of lexicology.
So, as the saying goes: “Practice makes perfect.” It means that the 
more you try the better you will get at doing things. 

WORdS IN dISCOuRSE: 
INFORMAl REgISTER

1.
Analyze the pairs of words. Speak about the difference in
their  stylistic characteristics

Father – dad;  commence – begin; canteen – eatery; milk – cat 
beer; poet – minstrel; wife – spouse; girl – lass – maiden; good-bye – 
farewell– bye; policeman – bobby – cop; good-morning – hello – hi.

Find a synonym to the underlined word. What is the difference 
between them?

A. Their discourse was interrupted.

B. Meet my better half!

C. Jack took his departure.

D. Somebody’s nailed my bag.

E. Where’s Daddy? 

F. The old man kicked the bucket.

G. All the money she earns she boozes.

H. Pray, proceed!

I. Here we are now! And don’t look so miz.

J. –“How long did they cook you?
– “Since eight this morning. Over twelve hours!”
– “You didn’t unbutton then?”

ЛексикоЛогия ангЛийского языка

– “Me? They got a lot of dancing to do before they get anything 
out of me.”

K. I must decline to pursue this painful discussion. It is not 
pleasant to my feelings. It is repugnant to my feelings!

K. I am not in favour of this modern mania for turning bad people 
into good people at a moment’s notice.

M. They’ll never apprehend him.

N. Where did you purchase the book?

O. I think it’ll commence quite soon.

2. Match the words from column A with the words from column B

A 
handy
 
loo
 
guy
    
quid
     
terrific
     
junkie
     
info
     
ta-ta
     
mate
       
ta
      
to kip

B 
addict
 
toilet
 
pound
 
great
 
man 
 
convenient
 
to sleep
 
thanks
 
information
 
friend
 
goodbye

3. Rewrite the sentences using informal English

When are you going to collect your bicycle?
Most of the children are very clever.
Would you like to go out for a meal?
What’s the matter?
The man in the market wanted ten pounds for a ring.

4. Explain the meaning of the underlined words. If necessary 
use the dictionary

A. It’s rush hour and the roads are chock-a-block.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

B. You’re mad, crazy, completely bananas!

C. My boss pays me peanuts.

D. The cops nicked him for driving at seventy in a fifty speed limit 
area.

E. She didn’t work hard and flunked her exam.

F. The president stepped out of the stretch limo.

G. Sue has arranged for me to go on a blind date this Saturday 
with a bloke that she knows through work.

H. We turfed out our old office furniture.

I. The articles he writes are too turgid which makes them difficult 
to read.

10. That car was a rip-off.

5. Read the dialogue. Prove that it belongs to the informal 
speech

– What do you think of the exams, Mike? I reckon, they were dead 
easy.
– Maybe they were easy enough for you but they were much too 
hard for me.
– Oh, come on. You’ve probably done better than you think.
– No, I’m dead certain I’ve failed in Latin and most likely in 
French. Thanks goodness it’s all over though. We can forget about it 
now at least until the results come out.
– Yes. Now I can get on with reading all the books I’ve been 
wanting to read for months.
– What! Well, it’s up to you, I suppose, I’ve had enough of reading. 
I’m not going to open another book for months. Don’t you think we all 
deserve a break?
– Yes. I’ll take a day or two off perhaps. But if I’m going to university in October, I’ll have to get down to some serious work again 
pretty soon.
– I’ve got to get through A level exams first. I’ll worry about university if and when I ever get there.

ЛексикоЛогия ангЛийского языка

– That’s the trouble with you. You always try to do everything at 
the last minute.
– And you’re too serious. You never stop swatting.
– Well, I like reading.
– I can’t stand it. I don’t know why I decided to try to go to the university in the first place. I think I’ll run away and join the army or 
something.

6. Speak about some peculiarities of informal speech using 
the examples given below. The examples are taken from the 
films: “Overboard”, “Blind date”

A. You’re goddamned bored, you gotta invent things.

B. If I ever get you, lady. You’re dead meat! You got that?

C. I’ m sorry I came down on you (was rude).

D. My children may be rotten (bad) but they are mine.

E. It’s a lousy idea.

F. Where’s my damn boots?

G. In the beginning it was okay. I got an “A” in English but I’m 
flunkin’ math.

H. I see this woman, maybe 35, kinda classy (pretty).

I. Is she reasonably pretty? –“Reasonably” doesn’t begin to describe it. I’m looking at her picture now. She’s an honest-to– got 
knockout (a real beauty).

J. I thought you were special, I really did. I’m sorry you got fired. 
I’m sorry you got arrested. But you know why I’m most sorry? I’m 
sorry you’re not special. That you’re mean and self-pitying. And you 
don’t give a damn about how I feel. And I feel shitty. O, God! 

K. Rambo, shut up! You’ll wake up the whole neighbourhood! What 
the hell’s got into you? 

L. Let’s talk business. But this guy, he don’t wanna hear about it. 

M. Things’re still sort of iffy.

N. The boy often plays hooky. 

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

7. Quite a lot of slang and low colloquial words end in “o”. 
Sometimes they are called O-words. Here are some examples: 
promo (promotion), limo (limousine). give more examples of 
your own using dictionaries

8. Slang words are often used to show approval or disapproval 
towards what is being said. Write the given words into two 
columns: a) word denoting approval; b) words denoting disapproval

Swell, nuts, poppycock, nifty, bong, baloney, hogwash, cool, dizzy, 
balderdash, bum, duff, byzantine.

9. Slang words often appear in those spheres of communication 
that are important for people. The words “intelligent” and 
“stupid”, for example, have a lot of synonyms in slang. Read 
the words. How does each word differ from its neighbours? 

Intelligent (intellectual): brainy, egghead, bookworm, double 
dome, smart ass.
Stupid (a fool): dumb, dodo, deadhead, bonehead, turkey, peabrained, jerk. 

10. Translate the following English slang words and expressions 
into Russian using Russian slang. For example: a cool girl – 
клёвая девочка

1. kiddo; 2. a tough guy; 3. cranky; 4. cop; 5. cop-shop; 6. shit; 
7. gormless; 8. Crickey! 9. A cool cat; 10. I don’t dig it. 

11. Read some examples of words used in business (office) slang 
and their definitions. Speak about the main peculiarities of 
slang.

404 – clueless person; Alpha geek – the most knowledgeable 
person in office; dead tree addition – a paper version of a document 
also available in an electronic form; idea hamsters – creative people, 
idea generators; plug-and-play – an employee who does not require