Cambridge English: Terms Quiz #2

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).