Cambridge English: Terms Quiz #5

Antonym

A word with the opposite meaning of another word.

Example: Hot is an antonym of cold.

Connotation versus Denotation

Denotation is the literal meaning of a word; connotation is the emotional or cultural association.

Example: Snake (denotation: a reptile; connotation: danger or betrayal).

Etymology

The study of the origin and history of words.

Example: The word telephone comes from Greek roots tele- (far) and phone (sound).

Figurative language

Language that uses figures of speech to create meaning beyond the literal.

Example: Time is a thief.

Hypernym versus Hyponym

A hypernym is a general category word; a hyponym is a specific word within that category.

Example: Animal is a hypernym of dog. Dog is a hyponym of animal.

Idiom

A phrase with a figurative meaning that cannot be understood literally.

Example: It’s raining cats and dogs.

Intensifier

A word that strengthens the meaning of another word.

Example: That was really fun.

Jargon

Specialized language used by a particular group or profession.

Example: In medicine, BP means blood pressure.

Lexis

The total stock of words in a language (its vocabulary).

Example: The lexis of law includes terms like plaintiff and defendant.

Root

The base part of a word that carries its core meaning.

Example: Write is the root of rewrite and writer.

Semantic

Relating to meaning in language.

Example: The semantic difference between child and kid is subtle.

Semantic field

A group of words related by meaning.

Example: Words in the semantic field of weather: rain, storm, sunshine, cloudy.

Active voice versus Passive voice

In active voice, the subject performs the action; in passive, the subject receives it.

Example: Active: The dog chased the ball. Passive: The ball was chased by the dog.

Adjunct

A word, phrase, or clause that adds extra information but is not essential to the sentence.

Example: She sang beautifully in the morning.

Clause

A group of words containing a subject and a verb.

Example: She runs every morning.

Coordination versus Subordination

Coordination links two equal clauses; subordination links a main clause with a dependent one.

Example: Coordination: I came, and I saw. Subordination: I came because I was invited.

Grammar

The rules that govern the structure of language.

Example: In English grammar, adjectives usually come before nouns: red car.

Head word

The main word in a phrase that determines its type.

Example: In the tall building, building is the head word.

Mode

The form or channel of communication (spoken, written, digital, etc.).

Example: Texting is a digital mode of communication.

Modification (premodification vs postmodification)

Adding detail to a word before (premod) or after (postmod).

Example: Premod: red car. Postmod: the car that is red.

Mood (declarative, interrogative, imperative)

The function of a sentence type: declarative = statement, interrogative = question, imperative = command.

Example: Declarative: It is raining. Interrogative: Is it raining? Imperative: Close the window.

Noun phrase

A group of words built around a noun.

Example: The little brown dog.

Object

The person or thing receiving the action of the verb.

Example: She kicked the ball. (ball = object).

Phrase

A group of words without a complete subject-verb pairing.

Example: Under the table.

Prefix versus Suffix

A prefix is added to the beginning of a word; a suffix is added to the end.

Example: Prefix: unhappy. Suffix: happiness.

Sentence

A complete thought that contains at least one clause.

Example: She reads books.

Syllable

A unit of pronunciation containing a vowel sound.

Example: Water has two syllables: wa-ter.

Syntax

The arrangement of words in sentences.

Example: She loves pizza (normal syntax) vs. Pizza she loves (marked syntax).

Tense

The form of a verb showing time.

Example: Past tense: She walked. Present tense: She walks.

Acronym

A word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word.

Example: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

Initialism

An abbreviation consisting of initial letters, pronounced separately.

Example: BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

Amelioration

A word's meaning becomes more positive over time.

Example: "Knight" once meant servant but gained an elevated meaning of noble warrior.

Archaism

A word or expression that has fallen out of common use but may appear in older texts or poetry.

Example: "Thou" (old form of "you").

Backformation

Creating a new word by removing a supposed affix.

Example: "Edit" from "editor."

Blending

Combining parts of two words to form a new one.

Example: "Smog" (smoke + fog).

Borrowing

Taking words from another language.

Example: "Piano" from Italian.

Broadening

A word's meaning becomes more general.

Example: "Holiday" used to mean a religious festival, now means any vacation.

Clipping

Shortening a longer word.

Example: "Phone" from "telephone."

Coinage

The invention of an entirely new word.

Example: "Kodak" (brand name invented by George Eastman).

Colloquial

Informal, everyday language.

Example: "Gonna" for "going to."

Compounding

Combining two whole words to form a new one.

Example: "Toothbrush."

Conversion

Changing a word's class without altering its form.

Example: "Google" (noun) → "to google" (verb).

Derivation

Adding affixes to create a new word.

Example: "Happiness" from "happy" + "-ness."

Eponym

A word derived from a person's name.

Example: "Sandwich" from the Earl of Sandwich.

Narrowing

A word's meaning becomes more specific.

Example: "Meat" once meant all food, now specifically animal flesh.

Neology

The creation of a new word or expression.

Example: "Selfie."

Obsolete

A word that has completely fallen out of use.

Example: "Gramercy" (once meant thank you).

Pejoration

A word's meaning becomes more negative over time.

Example: "Silly" once meant happy/blessed, now means foolish.

Telescoping

Overlapping two words into one by omitting part of them.

Example: "Forecastle" → pronounced "fo'c'sle."

Phonology

The study of sound systems in language (how sounds function and interact).

Example: English distinguishes between /p/ and /b/ as separate phonemes.

Morphology

The study of word structure and formation (roots, prefixes, suffixes).

Example: "Unhappiness" = "un-" (prefix) + "happy" (root) + "-ness" (suffix).

Old English (c. 451-1100)

Earliest form of English, heavily Germanic.

Ex: “Hwæt! Wē Gār-Dena in geārdagum...” (Beowulf).

Middle English (c. 1100-1500)

Influenced by French/Latin after Norman Conquest.

Ex: Chaucer’s “Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote...”

Early Modern English (1500-1800)

Shakespeare, King James Bible; grammar/vocab stabilizing.

Ex: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”

Late Modern English (1800-present)

Vocabulary expanded with science, colonialism, globalization.

Ex: Words like telephone, democracy, computer.

Graphology

The writing system of a language, as well as other visual elements on a page; the study of the way people make letters and words

Ex: Writing a title in ALL CAPS to show importance.

Orthography

The part of language concerned with letters and spelling; the conventional spelling system of a language

Ex: In English, “colour” (UK) vs. “color” (US) show different orthographies.

Pragmatics

How the context in which words and phrases are used affect their meaning

Ex: If someone says “Nice job” sarcastically after you drop something, pragmatics helps you understand they don’t literally mean praise.

Noun

A person, place, or thing.

Ex: dog, city, book

Proper nouns

Specific name (capitalized).

Ex: Paris, Einstein, Amazon

Verb

Action or state.

Ex: run, think, is

Transitive verbs

Needs a direct object.

Ex: She kicked the ball.

Adjective

Describes a noun.

Ex: blue sky, tall tree

Predicate adjective

Follows a linking verb, describes the subject.

Ex: The cake is delicious.

Adverb

Describes a verb, adjective, or adverb.

Ex: She sings beautifully.

Adverbs of manner

Show how something is done.

Ex: He drives carefully.

Pronoun

Replaces a noun.

Ex: she, it, they

Possessive pronouns

Show ownership.

Ex: mine, yours, his, theirs

Preposition

Shows relation in space/time.

Ex: on the table, after lunch

Spatial prepositions

Indicate physical location.

Ex: under the bed, between the chairs

Interjection

Short exclamation.

Ex: Wow! Ouch!

Volitive interjections

Express wishes/desires.

Ex: Heaven forbid! Long live the king!

Conjunction

Connects words/clauses.

Ex: and, but, or

Subordinating conjunctions

Introduce dependent clauses.

Ex: because, although, if, since, when, until, after

Coordinating conjunctions

Connect equals (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Ex: I like tea and coffee.

Determiners

Introduce nouns, give info about definiteness/quantity.

Ex: THIS book, SOME people

Definite articles

Refers to a specific thing. (basically just the word "the")

Ex: THE dog barked

Analogy

Explaining something by comparing it to something similar.

Ex: “Life is like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get.”

Audience

The group the text/speech is aimed at.

Ex: A children’s book has a different audience than a scientific journal.

Cataphoric reference

Where a word refers to a later part of a text for its meaning

Ex: In the following text, the underlined words refer cataphorically to ‘Sarah’: Although I had not seen her in years, I recognized my old friend Sarah immediately.

Dialectical structure

A three-part argument, moving from thesis (an initial argument) to antithesis (the counterargument) and finally to a synthesis that combines the two.

Example: A philosopher might propose "All swans are white" (thesis), then counter with "However, there are black swans" (antithesis), leading to a more nuanced synthesis that "Swans can be both white and black".

Direct speech

The use of the exact words spoken by a speaker/character.

Ex: She said, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Discourse

Any spoken or written language that is longer than a single sentence.

Ex: newspaper articles, speeches, podcast episodes, essays, novels, poems

Discursive

A style in which facts and opinions are put forward and explored in order to develop an argument.

Ex: academic essays, opinion editorials (op-eds), policy papers, compare/contrast essays

Exophoric reference

Where a word refers to something outside a text for its meaning, typically as a consequence of a writer or speaker’s expectations as to the knowledge already possessed by the text’s intended audience.

Ex: “Look at that!” (requires context outside the text to understand)

First person narrative

Where a character in a story narrates the events that they are experiencing. Recognised by the use of I, we, us, our.

Ex: “I opened the door and stepped into the dark room.”

Foregrounding

Using grammatical or syntactic devices to draw attention to a particular idea in a text.

Ex: “Silent. Completely silent. Then the gunshot.” (repetition foregrounds silence)

Form

Generally, the specific type of whatever category is being considered (e.g. textual form, verb

form, grammatical form).

Used on its own, the word ‘form’ often refers to textual form. The division of texts into specific

forms (e.g. speech, dialogue, poem, novel, website) involves categorising texts according to how

their structural elements combine to create a unified and recognisable whole.

Different forms of text can usually be subdivided into genres (e.g. persuasive speech, romantic

novel, cooperative dialogue), depending on their content.

Ex: Shakespeare’s Hamlet takes the form of a five-act tragedy.

Formality

The extent to which spoken or written texts either conform to standard conventions or employ more personal language strategies.

Ex: Formal: “We regret to inform you…” vs. Informal: “Sorry, can’t make it!”

Genre

A subdivision of textual form determined by the text’s content (e.g. fantasy novel, tragic play,

ballad, online review, television commercial, formal report).

Ex: Horror, romance, detective fiction, science fiction.

Implicature

A meaning that is suggested by an utterance, rather than being explicitly stated or directly entailed by the words used.

Ex: A: “How was the test?” B: “Well, I didn’t sleep last night.” (implies it went badly)

In medias res

Beginning a narrative in the middle of the events without any build-up or initial explanation.

Ex: “The ship was already sinking when I woke up.”

Inference

The act of deducing implied meanings.

Ex: He wore muddy boots and carried a spade → we infer he’d been gardening.

Intertextuality

Where a text produces additional meaning by referring in some way to another text.

Ex: Her novel echoes Pride and Prejudice in its characters’ romantic struggles.

Irony

When the intended meaning of a text or utterance differs radically from its literal interpretation.

Ex: A fire station burns down.

Narrative structure

The way in which a story is constructed.

Ex: Exposition → rising action → climax → falling action → resolution.

Omniscient narrator

Where the narrator in a story knows all the thoughts, actions and feelings of the characters.

Ex: “She dreamed of freedom, while across town her brother secretly planned to leave.”

Perspective

Point of view.

Ex: Told from the child’s perspective, the war seemed like a confusing game.

Prose

Ordinary language, without a rhyming pattern or rhythmic structure.

Ex: “The sun rose and lit the fields with golden light.”

Protagonist

The main character in a literary work.

Ex: Harry Potter is the protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s series.