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TKT KAL - Unit 1. Types of Meaning

Here are the changes in meaning from sentences a) to b) for the underlined lexis: 1. a) literal b) figurative - "pick me up" means give me a lift 2. a) literal food b) non-literal/technical - "chips" refers to computer components 3. a) literal place b) figurative - "went mad" means became very frustrated/angry

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109 views29 pages

TKT KAL - Unit 1. Types of Meaning

Here are the changes in meaning from sentences a) to b) for the underlined lexis: 1. a) literal b) figurative - "pick me up" means give me a lift 2. a) literal food b) non-literal/technical - "chips" refers to computer components 3. a) literal place b) figurative - "went mad" means became very frustrated/angry

Uploaded by

Maksym Buchek
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TKT: KAL

Unit 1: Types of meaning


The TKT: KAL Exam
 The TKT:KAL exam consists of one module of
80 questions.
 You have 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete

the test
 The test is designed to test your

understanding of the different systems of


English and linguistic problems faced by
language learners
The Four Parts of the TKT: KAL Exam:
 Part 1: Lexis

 Part 2: Phonology

 Part 3: Grammar

 Part 4: Discourse
Task Types in TKT:KAL
 1: Matching

 2: Multiple Choice

 3: Find the odd one out


TKT: KAL
PART 1: LEXIS
Unit 1: Types of
meaning
Learning outcomes:
 Gain/Revise your knowledge of the
different types of meanings that items
of lexis can have and the terms used
to describe them

 Complete a TKT:KAL exam style


question to practice this knowledge
What is Lexis?
Lexis is: Vocabulary!
What affects the meaning
of items of lexis?
 TheCONTEXT or situation they
are used in

 What FUNCTION they perform

 Who is using them


Denotation and Connotation
 Exercise 1: What are the meanings of the
underlined words in the sentences below?

 1: Shall we sit at the table?


 2: I’m trying to give up chocolate.
 3: I’m going to take my books to school.
 4: He’s really skinny. I think he may be ill.
 5: This film is so boring!
Table:
 ‘a flat surface, usually supported by four legs,
used for putting things on’ (Cambridge
advanced learner’s dictionary: third edition)

 Dictionary meanings: DENOTATION (or literal


meaning)

 The literal meaning can also refer to the


original meaning or basic meaning of a word
or group of words
Sometimes Denotation is difficult to
understand:
 I’m trying to give up chocolate.

 Give up: Is an example of a MULTIWORD VERB


(a phrasal verb) [a verb +adverb/preposition]

 Why is it difficult to understand?

 Sometimes it is important to look at words in


combination when understanding their
meaning
Connotation:
 He’s really Skinny. I think he may be ill.

 What is the Denotation of the word Skinny?

 Do we usually us it with a positive or negative


meaning?

 Skinny: Has a Negative CONNOTATION

 Word sets usually have a neutral, positive or


negative connotation
Exercise 2:
 Is the denotation or connotation of these
underlined words different from their denotation or
connotation in exercise1?

 1: In business reports, it’s common to use tables and graphs


 2: I gave up ice-cream last year and feel so much healthier
 3: I usually take the bus to work
 4: He’s as skinny as he was when he was 16. He looks great.
I usuallt take the bus to work
 Is the meaning of take the same in this
sentence?

 Take the bus = a COLLOCATION

 The words take and bus regularly go together


and the meaning of take cannot be separated
from bus
 Verbs that lose their meaning like this are

called DELIXICALISED VERBS


What do these sets of words mean?
 I could eat a horse
 They received floods of letters
 He can swim like a fish

 These sets of words have a meaning which is


non-literal or imaginative

 We say that they have a FIGURATIVE meaning


Exercise 3:
 Look at the underlined words in the
sentences below and complete the table. The
first one has been done for you

Why do the speakers here use this kind of


figurative language?
Words/Sets of Words Literal Meaning Figurative Meaning

1. I ate so much I Explode like a I felt extremely full


thought I was going balloon
to burst

2. She has the voice


of an angel.

3. He has such a
sunny smile.

4. We were baking.
The weather was so
hot
Words/Sets of Words Literal Meaning Figurative Meaning

1. I ate so much I Explode like a I felt extremely full


thought I was going balloon
to burst

2. She has the voice A voice like an She speaks or


of an angel. angel’s voice
sings beautifully

3. He has such a A smile like the A happy, positive,


sunny smile. sun
attractive smile
4. We were baking. Cooking in the Extremely hot.
The weather was so oven, like bread.
hot
What name do we give some
figurative phrases such as these?

IDIOMS!!
Register
 Exercise 4:
◦ Look at the dictionary entry for the word drill

 drill /dril/ noun [C]

1. a tool or machine which makes holes

◦ Now look at drill in the sentence below. Is it the same as the meaning
above?

 When I teach I like to drill my students by getting them to repeat words


two or three times, so they can practise and remember the pronunciation
 In this case drill has changed its meaning
because it is being used by a particular
person

 The set of words used by particular groups


of people is called REGISTER

 This can mean, as with drill that a word can


change its meaning or a different word is
used instead of a more common one.
Register can also refer to…
 REGISTER and STYLE (how the information is
conveyed) also refer to the kinds of words used in a
particular kind of text

 E.g- a letter of complaint or a relaxed chat at a


party

 The different contexts/types of text will require


using different types of words e;g:
 FORMAL
 INFORMAL (OR COLLOQUIAL)
Any questions?
Lets try some activities…
Follow up activity 1:
 Look at the underlined items of lexis in the
table below and make notes about the
meaning and register of each one:
Item of Lexis Figurative Register
Meaning?

1. Last Sunday was


boiling hot.

2. I would appreciate it
if you could…

3. Overwork can lead


to serious fatigue.

4. So, how’s it going?

5. See you soon. Tons


of love, Anne.
Item of Lexis Figurative Meaning? Register

1. Last Sunday was Yes. Here it means very, Informal with this meaning.
very hot.
boiling hot.

2. I would appreciate it No. Formal.


if you could…

3. Overwork can lead No. Used by people in the medical


profession
to serious fatigue.

4. So, how’s it going? No – but going doesn’t have Informal.


a literal meaning

5. See you soon. Tons Yes. Here tons means lots Informal.
NOT a weight.
of love, Anne.
Follow up Activity 2:
 Look at the underlined items of lexis in the
sentences below. How does their meaning
change from sentence a) to sentence b) ?

 1. a) Could you pick up that pen for me?


b) If you’ve got the car could you pick me up?

 2. a) I had chips for my dinner


b) How many chips are in a computer?

 3. a) I went to the cinema last Saturday


b) I nearly went mad trying to do my homework

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