THE ENGLISH LEXIS AND STRUCTURE In simple terms, Lexis is the totality of words and phrases in a particular language. Structure however, is the combination and arrangement of these words and phrases following a given set of language rules, to form meaningful sentences. Basically, the understanding of lexis and structure helps us have an indepth knowledge and understanding of the English words and phrases, as well as how to easily put them together in a logical order and form meaningfulsentences. Thus, forming a meaningful sentence in language is solely dependent on one's application of the knowledge of lexis and structure. There are seven important aspects of lexis and structure. They are: . Semantics . Diction . Synonymy . Antonymy . Polysemy . Homophony . Collocations. NOOB WODND e Semantics This is simply an aspect of lexis thatdeals with meaning. It studies the relationship between words and phrases to form meaningful sentences. Semantics seeks to find the best ways words and phrases could be used contextually to form understandable utterances. For example, "Jack sings the most"(meaning amongst all or others, he is the best) and "Jack sings mostly"(meaning he sings often). ¢ Diction Diction is the choice of words of a writer or speaker. It is the carefulselection of words to pass a message or point effectively, with the right tone or style. There are words most suitable for certain contexts to generate the right response. However, there are certain words that cannot be used in formal situations and vice versa. For example, in the utterances "please take these clothes to my room" "Grace, take these clothes to my room now" "Can you take these clothes to my room?" e« Synonymy Synonymy is the lexical relationsexisting between words with very closely related meanings. These words called ‘Synonyms’, are identifiable on the basis that they can be easily substituted; one for another, in sentences. Synonyms can also be referred to as words with sameness of meaning. Thus, words which can be substituted for each other are said to be synonymous. Examples of synonyms are: Word - Walk Synonyms - Stroll, Trudge, Saunter, Tramp. Meaning - To walk slowly or ina leisurely way.Word - Fragile Synonyms - Delicate, Brittle, Breakable. Meaning - Easily broken or capable of being broken easily. Word - Lackadaisical Synonyms - indolent, uninterested, lax. Meaning - Careless, negligent attitude. However, synonyms may differ in terms of contextual suitability. e Antonymy Antonymy is the opposite ofsynonymy. It refers to the opposite in meaning of words. Antonymy describes the relationship between two words where one word in pair is the antithesis of the other and such words are referred to as ‘Antonyms’. Antonymous pairs or antonyms, are often used to explain contrastive concepts or opposing ideas. Antonyms can be categorized into three subgroups. They are: 1. Gradable antonyms which allows for comparison in their difference in terms of degree. Examples of gradable antonyms are hot/cold, big/small, fat/slim,wet/dry,interesting/boring, etc. 2. Non-Gradable antonyms that cannot be used in comparative constructions, they are just direct opposites. Examples of non- gradable antonyms are married/ single, pass/fail, male/ female, true/ false, lift/drop, push/pull, right/ wrong, etc. 3. Relational or Converse antonyms are mutually dependent on each other for their meaning; they show a reverse relationship. Examples of relational antonyms are doctor/patient, teacher/student and driver/passenger, parent/child, above/beneath, police/criminal, plug/socket, etc.e Polysemy This describes the quality of a word or lexical item possessing more than one meaning. Polysemic words can't or be mistook for synonyms, as it deals with a particular word whose different meanings cannot replace one another. For instance, the word ‘root’ which means the end part of a plant that holds the plant in the soil, could also mean the actual or real cause of a situation. The word ‘light’ which means a source of brightness and also means lacking weight or less heavy. ‘Bank’ as in that of a river whichcould also mean a place of safekeeping for valuables and money. ¢ Homophony Homophones are words with similar pronunciation but distinct meanings. Some homophones could have same spellings. Some examples of homophones are: Sell (the exchange of goods and services for money) and Sail (a trip in a boat). Feel (to sense, or become aware of through the skin) Fill (to take up all of, or occupytotally). Weak ( lacking strength or force) and Week (a period of seven consecutive days). Book (a collection of sheets of papers bound by hinges ) and Book (to make reservations for a future date). ¢ Collocations Collocations are a familiar grouping of words, especially words that frequently or habitually appear together and convey meaning by association. They describe sets of words that are recognised to usually go together and are a perfect fit forone another and have generally acceptable usages. There are no set rules governing collocations. It could be noun + noun, noun + adjective, verb + verb, adjectivet+ preposition, and so on. For examples, get angry, blue-black , take a look, get a job, make a choice, go bankrupt, spick and span, right away, quite often, deeply rooted, badly damaged, quite agree, deal with, debate on, hold on, comfortable with, surprised at, rely on, insist on, brilliant at, major problem, core values, happily married, pay attention, fast food, make an effort, irreparable damage, unavoidably absent, just cause, keyrole, rub shoulders, join forces, key point, level up, etc.