Lexis and Semantics - English Language A Level Unit

A 9 lesson unit comprising a 70 slide PowerPoint, 9 different worksheets (8 include a text for analysis) and a summary terminology and theory sheet, exploring the topic of lexis and semantics. This unit can be used for any of the major exam boards.

Each lesson includes a starting discussion prompt which acts as a learning objective, detailed notes on the terminology listed below, a worksheet containing a text (or revision cards for lesson 9), and a homework task. The following terminology is covered:

• Open and closed word classes – noun, verb, adjective, adverb, determiner, conjunction, preposition and pronoun
• Types of noun – proper, abstract, concrete, collective, count, non-count
• Types of pronoun – personal, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative, relative, indefinite, interrogative
• Types of verb – dynamic, stative, transitive, intransitive, primary auxiliary, modal auxiliary, linking (copula) and imperative
• Verb processes – material, relational, mental, verbal, dynamic, stative
• Adjective and adverb forms – base, comparative and superlative
• Types of adjective – descriptive/qualitative, evaluative, quantitative, interrogative, proper, demonstrative, indefinite, possessive, compound, degrees of comparison
• Types of determiner – article, demonstrative, possessive, interrogative, quantifier, cardinal and ordinal number
• Types of conjunction – co-ordinating, sub-ordinating, correlative/paired
• Cognitive and structural semantics
• Denotative and connotative meaning-
• Semantic/lexical fields and collocates
• Lexical connectors – addition, consequence, comparative, temporal, enumeration and summative
• Anaphoric and cataphoric references, substitution, ellipsis
• Synonymy, antonymy and hyponymy
• Euphemism and dysphemism
• Metaphor

The final lesson is a consolidation activity complete with guided revision cards. Alternatively, you could use an app such as Quizlet so that the students could produce digital revision resources.

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