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might be related to. (Many words sound alike but are spelled very differently. Chances are they are very
different in meaning e.g. bare — bear; affect — effect.)
8. 1 Semantic Fields
List at least 5 words you associate with each of the following areas. Do any of your words cross areas?
ECONOMICS PSYCHOLOGY RELIGION MUSIC YOUR OWN FIELD OF STUDY
8. 2 The Vocabulary of the Script
Think of at least 5 words which relate to each of the following «scenes». Do any of your words cross
scenes?
A RESTAURANT THE LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY THE DENTIST
8. 3 Suggest a Topic
For each of the following word sets, suggest an area to which it relates, the topic of a text in which you are
most likely to find most of the words. I. leaders, executives, abilities, |2. nuclear weapons, aggression, manager,
performance, |geopolitical considerations, job, production, supervisor, |deterrence, restraint, selection, qualities,
attributes, |attack, civilian targets personality traits Do any of these words cross topics?
8. 4 Imagine a Scene — Suggest a Script
What do all the following words have in common? For each of them, imagine a specific scene that it
suggests. Tip ransom allowance refund honorarium bounty tuition retainer bonus rent fare child support bus
money wage salary reward alimony prize
8. 5 Identify the Topic
In the following short «text» , what words are used to identify and to refer to the topic? What is the topic?
What replacement or substitution words or phrases are used instead of repeating it? Is there any ellipsis
(word(s) or idea(s) left out)?
«Did Gordon give us any work to do for tomorrows?»
«Of course! 5 pages to read and ten questions to answer.»
«Have you finished doing it?»
«Yes, most of it».
«Does that mean I can get it from you this evening?»
«Yes, if you'll do the same favor for me some time.»
8. 6 Co — reference or Synonymous Reference
In each of the following sets, some of the words have more in common with each other than they do with the
other words in the set. Group together those words in each set which share a common meaning. Specify what
you think that meaning is.
1. obligatory, compulsory, binding, voluntary, enforceable
2. legal, bona fide, legitimate, illicit, lawful
3. rule, law, institution, custom, violation, precedent, principle, standard
4. allow, permit, grant, sanction, censure
5. calm, concerned, anguished, distressed, agitated
6. achievement, calamity, catastrophe, disaster
7. provoke, please, irritate, annoy
8. dispute, disagreement, accord, argument, strain
9. biased, prejudiced, subjective, objective
10. conclude, deduce, infer, introduce
11. judge, appraise, evaluate, ignore, assess
12. anticipation, expectation, retrospection, plan, intention
Other Useful Groupings of Words
Words of related or overlapping meaning can sometimes be interchanged. They usually vary, however, in
the degree to which they express a given concept.
8.7 Downtoners and Emphasizers
Words that are related in meaning may be positioned on a continuum according to the degree to which they