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.
Activity 2
Show the learners the list of adjectives. First, ask them to come up with a concrete noun that each adjective could describe in a literal sense.
Next, do the same exercise, but this time apply the adjectives to describing people in a metaphorical sense. Ask learners to discuss how the level of temperature relates to the description of emotions (i.e. hotter = 'angry'/'enthusiastic', cold = 'indifferent', 'cruel').
To check learner understanding, try the next exercise. For each of the sentences, learners decide whether the adjective is being used to describe emotion or temperature. Ask learners to try individually, then share answers in pairs, before completeing the task as a whole class.
Activity 3
Show the learners the list of adjectives. In the same way as the previous activity, ask learners to discuss how these words describe literal size and also human characteristics. The next slide has a useful explanation of how words can be used in literal and metaphorical senses.
Next, learners identify which of the sentences are using the adjectives in each way.
To finish the lesson, ask learners to choose five (or more!) adjectives from the lesson and to write new pairs of sentences in both the literal and metaphorical sense. Learner could also think of other adjectives to try.
This lesson is adapted (with permission) from Words and Meanings: A Systematic Guide for the Teaching of English Vocabulary, by Gabriele Stein.
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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:
- a large, round ball that is kicked in games
- the game with two teams that use this ball
mouse can mean:
- a small rodent
- a piece of computer equipment
Activity 2
Look at this list of adjectives. They each have a general meaning related to temperature. What concrete nouns could these adjectives describe? E.g. a hot cup of coffee.
- hot
- warm
- lukewarm
- cool
- cold
- icy
We could also use these adjectives to describe people.
- hot
- warm
- lukewarm
- cool
- cold
- icy
How does the temperature relate to the description of emotions?
In each sentence, is the adjective used to mean temperature or emotion?
Answers
Activity 3
Here's another list of adjectives. They each have a general meaning, related to how an object looks or feels. What kinds of things could these adjectives describe? E.g. a deep valley.
- deep
- narrow
- hazy
- hard
- shallow
We could also use these adjectives to describe people.
How does the description of physical qualities relate to aspects of people?
When we use these adjectives to describe the physical quality of an object or place, we are using it in a literal sense, e.g. a deep valley.
When we use these adjectives to describe a person or idea, we are using it in a metaphorical sense, e.g. a deep thinker.
In each sentence, is the adjective used with a literal or metaphorical meaning?
Answers
Choose five adjectives from this lesson. Write a sentence for each, with some using the adjective in a literal and others in a metaphorical sense.
Swap your sentences with a partner and ask them to work out the sense of each adjective.
Extension:
Can you think of any other adjectives that we can use in both senses?
Try to come up with at least three. Write two sentences for each and explain both uses.