Chapter 3

Lexical Relations

– Homonyms are unrelated senses of the same phonological word.

Some authors distinguish between homographs, senses of the same
written word, and homophones, senses of the same spoken word.
– Polysemous if the senses of the same phonological word are
judged to be related. Polysemous senses are listed under the same
lexical entry, while homonymous senses are given separate entries.
– Synonyms are different phonological words that have the same or
very similar meanings. Some examples might be the pairs below:
couch/sofa boy/lad lawyer/attorney toilet/lavatory
– An important source of synonymy is taboo areas where a range of
euphemisms may occur, for example in the English vocabulary
for sex, death, and the body.

– As this entry suggests, the words may belong to different registers,

those styles of language, colloquial, formal, literary, and so on, that
belong to different situations.
– Antonyms are words which are opposite in meaning. It is useful,
however, to identify several different types of relationship under a
more general label of opposition. There are a number of relations
that seem to involve words which are at the same time related in
meaning yet incompatible or contrasting.
– Complementary antonyms This is a relation between words such
that the negative of one implies the positive of the other. The pairs
are also sometimes called contradictory, binary, or simple antonyms.
In effect, the words form a two-term classification. Examples
would include: dead/alive pass/fail hit/miss
– Gradable antonyms This is a relationship between opposites
where the positive of one term does not necessarily imply the
negative of the other, for example hot (warm tepid cool) cold
– Reverses is between terms describing movement, where one term
describes movement in one direction, →, and the other the same
 movement in the opposite direction, ←; for example the terms push
and pull. Other such pairs are come/go, go/return, ascend/descend.
When describing motion the following can be called reverses: (go)
up/down, (go) in/out, (turn) right/left.
By extension, the term is also applied to any process that can be
reversed: so other reverses are inflate/deflate, expand/contract,
fill/empty, or knit/unravel.
– Converses These are terms which describe a relation between two
entities from alternate viewpoints, as in the pairs: own/belong to
above/below employer/employee Thus if we are told Alan owns
this book then we know automatically This book belongs to Alan.
– Taxonomic sisters The term antonymy is sometimes used to
describe words which are at the same level in a taxonomy.
Taxonomies are hierarchical classification systems; we can take as
an example the color adjectives in English, and give a selection at
one level of the taxonomy as below:
red orange yellow green blue purple brown
We can say that the words red and blue are sister-members of the
same taxonomy and therefore incompatible with each other.
– Some taxonomies are closed, like days of the week. Others are open,
like the flavors of ice cream sold in an ice cream parlor: someone
can always come up with a new flavor and extend the taxonomy.
– Hyponymy is a relation of inclusion. A hyponym includes the
meaning of a more general word, for example: dog and cat are
hyponyms of animal sister and mother are hyponyms of woman
– The more general term is called the superordinate or hypernym

(alternatively hyperonym). Hyponymy is a vertical relationship in a

taxonomy while taxonomic sisters are in a horizontal relationship.
Meronymy is a term used to describe a part–whole relationship
between lexical items. Thus cover and page are meronyms of book.
The whole term, here book, is sometimes called the holonym.
Member–collection is a relationship between the word for a unit
and the usual word for a collection of the units. Examples include:
ship fleet tree forest fish shoal book library bird flock
– Portion–mass This is the relation between a mass noun and the
usual unit of measurement or division. For example, a count noun,
 is added to the mass noun, making the resulting noun phrase into a
count nominal: drop of liquid grain of salt /sand/ wheat sheet of
paper lump of coal strand of hair
1. In the sentence “We had to pull up and I discovered that there were problems with the engine and with the
engine valve” The relationship between the two words “engine” and “engine valve” is one of:
a)meronymy part–whole relationship
b)homonymy
c)hyponymy
d)synonymy
2. In the sentence “A cat is an animal” is an example of:
a) antonymy
b) hyponymy a relation of inclusion
c) contradiction
d) synonymy
3. Tree is the hyponym of:
a) willow, maple, fir
b)maple, strawberry, cherry
c)maple, willow, banana
d) willow, carrot, fir
4. Tree is the hypernym ( the more general term) of:
a) willow, maple, fir
b)maple, strawberry, cherry
c)maple, willow, banana
d) willow, carrot, fir
5. Which one is correct?
a) mare is an hyponym of stallion
b) mare is an hyponym of horse includes the meaning of a more general word
c) mare is an hyponym of filly
d) mare is an hyponym of buck
6. Which of the following pairs of lexical items hold a relationship of meronymy?
a) furniture / chair
b) heart / organ
c) heart / vein a part–whole relationship
d) horse / animal
7. In “There was a broken button in her blouse” the semantic relation between “blouse” and “button” is one of:
a) entailment
b) meronymy a part–whole relationship
c) hyponymy
d) synonymy
8. In the following set of categories (horse, bear, mare, animal, tiger, lion, bear, pig, rabbit, dog), which is the
member that belongs to the subordinate level?
a) mare includes the meaning of a more general word hyponym of horse
b) pig
c) animal
d) bear
9. The main difference between calm and placid is:
a) There is no difference between these two words
b) They are near-synonyms
c) Placid is relatively more normal than calm
d) Calm is relatively more normal tan placid
10. The relation between pear and fruit is a case of:
a) meronymy
b) polysemy
c) hyponymy a relation of inclusion
d) contradiction
11. Which one is correct?
a) Sow is a hyponym of pork
b) Sow is a hyponym of pig
c) Sow is a hyponym of filly
d) Sow is a hyponym of buck
 12. Kestrel is:
a) a holonym of hawk
b) a meronym of bird
c) a partonym of bird
d) a hyponym of hawk
13.
In the sentence “He had a lump in his right arm” the semantic relation between “lump” and “arm” is one of...
a) entailment
b) meronymy part–whole relationship
c) hyponymy
d) synonymy
14.
Identify the pair of lexical items which are converses:
a) hyponym:hyperonym describe a relation between two entities from alternate viewpoints
b) cold:hot
c) forwards:backwards
d) polite:rude
15.
“My bachelor brother is an unmarried man” is an example of:
a) antonymy
b) hyponymy
c) contradiction
d) synonymy
16.
Choose the correct definition:
a) hyponymy is a sense relation such that the meaning of one predicate is included in the meaning of
other
b) hyponymy is a sense relation where one word is equal to another
c) hyponymy is a sense relation where one word is equivalent to another
d) hyponymy is a sense relation where one word is different to another
17.
In the sentence “The bike’s handle bar is unbalanced” the semantic relation between “bike” and “handle bar” is one of:
a) entailment
b) meronymy part–whole relationship
c) hyponymy
d) synonymy
18.
In the sentence “We had to fix the whole dress all over again because the hem and the sleeves didn’t fit her”
The relationship between dress and sleeves is one of:
a) meronymy part–whole relationship
b) homonymy
c) hyponymy
d) synonymy
19.
The relationship between the two instances of the word “bank” in:
A. She was in the bank, queueing in front of the teller, when she heard the shooting
B. She rowed fiercely to the bank to avoid the shooting:
a) meronymy
b) homonymy unrelated senses of the same phonological word
c) hyponymy
d) synonymy
20.
The pair employer / employees is a case of:
a) gradable antonyms
b) reverse antonyms
c) converse describe a relation between two entities from alternate viewpoints
d) simple antonyms
21.
The pair pull/push is a case of:
a) gradable antonyms
b) reverse antonyms between terms describing movement
c) converses
d) simple antonyms