Synonymy
Please note: there are two pages of activities for this lesson.
Activity 1
Start by explaining the meaning of the term synonym. For an example, ask learners to think of some synonyms for the word 'argument'.
In the next slide, show the two possible examples. Ask learners if these two words have the exact same meaning or if there are any subtle differences. Try asking learners in what situations they would/would not use each word.
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Synonymy 1
Activity 1
A synonym is a words that has the same, or a very similar, meaning to another.
Take for example the word argument.
How many words can you think of that have the same or a very similar meaning?
For the word argument, some synonyms are quarrel or row.
The words quarrel and row have the same general meaning.
Synonymy 2
Activity 5
Just like with nouns, there are also many synonyms which are adjectives. These have the same, or very similar, meanings to each other, and are used in different contexts.
What does the term adjective mean? What examples can you think of? Can you think of any synonyms?
Find the synonymous adjective in these two sentences:
Polysemy
Activity 1
Explain that the word polysemy refers to the idea that words can have more than one meaning.
Ask the learners to think of more than one meaning for the words football and mouse and discuss with a partner or small group. Show the next slide to reveal some possible answers.
As an extension, see if learners can come up with any other words with multiple meanings.
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Polysemy
Objective
To understand how polysemy applies to different word classes.
Activity 1
Some words may have only one meaning, but most tend to have more.
Let's take for example the words football and mouse.
How many meanings can you think of for each?
football can mean: