Semantic types
Which scholar classified phraseological units into fusions, unities, and collocations?
V. V. Vinogradov
Which scholar developed the structural classification of phraseological units into one-top and two-top units?
A. I. Smirnitsky
Which functional type acts as a noun equivalent, as in “a nest-egg,” meaning “savings”?
Substantive phraseological units.
Which scholar based her classification of phraseological units on the contextual criterion?
N. N. Amosova.
Which of Kunin’s classes names objects, states, or qualities, as in “a bull in a china shop”?
Nominative phraseological units — Class 1.
What semantic type has a meaning that cannot be guessed from the meanings of its individual components?
a phraseological fusion
Which two structural groups does Smirnitsky compare with affixed words and compound words, respectively?
one-top units and two-top units
Which functional type denotes an action or state, as in “to catch red-handed”?
Verbal phraseological units.
What kind of context characterizes phraseological units: variable or fixed?
Fixed, or non-variable, context.
Which class includes proverbs and sayings that take the form of complete sentences?
Communicative phraseological units — Class 4.
“To play the first fiddle” means “to be a leader.” Which semantic type does it represent?
A phraseological unity. Its meaning is transferred but can be understood through the metaphorical image.
“To give up” is a one-top unit. Which structural subtype does it represent?
the verb + postposition type
Which functional type describes a quality, as in “penny wise and pound foolish”?
Adjectival phraseological units.
What does Amosova call a binary fixed expression in which one component has a specialized meaning dependent on the other?
A phraseme. One component has a phraseologically bound meaning, while the other provides the distinguishing context.
Which class includes “By George!” and other stable expressions of feelings and intentions?
Interjectional phraseological units — Class 3.
Which semantic type combines words in their original meanings, although their combinations differ across languages?
A phraseological collocation
“Now or never” and “part and parcel” are two-top units. Which structural subtype do they represent?
phraseological repetitions
Identify the functional types of “hand over fist” and “Hear! Hear!”
“Hand over fist” is an adverbial phraseological unit; “Hear! Hear!” is an interjectional phraseological unit.
In Amosova’s classification, is “to toe the line” a phraseme or an idiom? Explain why.
An idiom. Its meaning—“to do exactly as one is told”—belongs to the whole expression rather than its individual components.
“To break the ice” can become “The ice is broken.” Which class does it belong to, and why?
Nominative-communicative phraseological units — Class 2. This verbal word-group can be transformed into a sentence by using the passive voice.
Classify these three expressions according to the lecture: “on Shank’s mare,” “old salt,” and “cash and carry.” Give their meanings.
“On Shank’s mare” — fusion: on foot. “Old salt” — unity: an experienced sailor. “Cash and carry” — collocation: a self-service shop
Identify the structural subtypes of “in the course of,” “grey matter,” and “to read between the lines.”
prepositional-nominal, attributive-nominal, and verbal-nominal units.
Identify the functional types of “a thorn in the flesh,” “as long as,” and “in the course of.”
“A thorn in the flesh” is substantive; “as long as” is conjunctional; “in the course of” is prepositional.
Classify “Dutch courage” and “to play with fire” according to Amosova. Explain the difference between their contextual types.
“Dutch courage,” meaning courage given by drink, is a phraseme: one component has a specialized, context-dependent meaning. “To play with fire,” meaning to be involved in something risky, is an idiom: the whole expression has an inseparable figurative meaning.
Classify all four expressions according to Kunin: “wear and tear,” “to break the ice,” “By George!” and “A stitch in time saves nine.”
“Wear and tear” — nominative; “to break the ice” — nominative-communicative; “By George!” — interjectional; “A stitch in time saves nine” — communicative.