/ TKT Essentials
Module 1 - Lexis

Unit 1.2 Lexis

The Compact OED describes lexis as “the total stock of words in a language”.
In many contexts (including these notes) it is simply another word for vocabulary.
Tip – There are a number of good dictionaries on line. For example , the Oxford Compact Dictionary at

Different kinds of meaning

Part 1

What does the word ‘fair’ mean in the following sentences?

She used to have dark hair, but she has fair hair now!

It was a fair decision, and so everyone accepted it.

The weather was fair, so we decided to go for a walk.

We still have a fair way to go. I think we’ll be there this evening

They went to an antiques fair at the weekend.

How do we know the meaning of ‘fair’ in the examples above?

Part 2

Look at the use of ‘fair’ in the following expressions. What do they mean?

to have a fair crack of the whip

to be fair game

to win fair and square

fair to middling.

How do we know the meaning of ‘fair’ in the expressions above?

Aspects of vocabulary

Meaning is obviously very important, but vocabulary use and learning is influenced by other factors such as word relationships and word formation, e.g., collocations, synonyms, compounds, affixes etc.
An awareness of these aspects can help in vocabulary teaching and learning. For example, helping to clarify meanings of new words (synonyms and antonyms); building vocabulary (affixes), showing word relationships (collocations), giving examples of words in their context (register, connotation), etc.

Part 1

Link the words on the left to the terms on the right

quiet, silent, soundless / compound nouns
love, hate, war, peace / prefixes
crystal clear, cosmetic surgery, real time / collocations
handbag, flowerpot, fingerprint / antonyms
impossible, unlikely, misspell / parts of speech
freedom, childhood, friendship / synonyms
noun, adjective, verb, adverb / suffixes

Part 2

Now complete the table below with examples based on the word ‘fair’. The first one has been done as an example.

compound nouns / fairway, fairground
prefixes
collocations
antonyms
parts of speech
synonyms
suffixes

Find it!

Look in the box and find…

two synonyms

a synonym and an antonym

a collocation

a compound word

a word with a prefix

a word with a suffix

a part of speech

C / R / S / C / O / M / F / O / T / R / A / B / L
O / S / M / O / R / E / F / R / I / E / D / B / R
M / B / A / N / K / A / C / C / O / U / N / T / O
F / I / L / A / C / C / O / L / P / T / O / R / E
O / C / L / R / N / T / L / E / S / S / T / U / N
R / Y / C / A / Q / Y / A / S / L / V / E / R / B
T / C / I / E / U / O / Q / S / M / R / B / O / I
A / L / I / I / E / W / U / T / U / E / O / W / T
B / E / D / L / I / T / T / L / E / D / O / E / E
L / E / T / U / N / X / S / I / P / C / K / P / S
E / A / S / Z / N / V / A / L / A / B / B / L / U

Learner errors

Identify the errors in the following sentences and think about why the learner might have made them.

1) Grandmother is afraid of big dogs, but she likes short ones.

2) He was wearing a half sleeve shirt.

3) She gave me some good advices.

4) I prefer light tea to strong tea.

5) We had a discussion about the matter, but we misagreed.

6) Just as we set out, there was a big downfall of rain.

7) The teacher expects us to work hardly.

8) As John got into the bath he cracked his cranium on the cupboard.

9) She had no fixed plan and decided to play it by ears.

10) She was sad yesterday, but has got it over now.

Post your opinion on the web forum:

What are some Egyptian learner errors with vocabulary that you have heard and what could be the reasons for these errors?