Multi-word lexical units are similar to compounds. A multi-word unit is a lexicalized sequence of words that functions as a single grammatical word. An example of such a lexical unit is the sequence SORT OF, which consists of two orthographic words, but they must be used together and in this exact order. Just like with compounds, there are only limited possibilities of substitution.
The meaning of a multi-word lexical unit is often unpredictable. It’s not the sum of the meanings of the components. The meaning is assigned to the whole unit and the unit can’t be further analyzed semantically. Such units are referred to as idioms. For example the idiom ONCE IN A BLUE MOON simply means SELDOM, which is not so obvious if you consider the meanings of all the words it consists of.
Commonly Recognized Types of Units
Within the set of multi-word units we have the following groups of words:
– phrasal verbs: TURN IN (= go to bed)
– prepositional verbs: CARE FOR (= look after)
– complex prepositions: ACCORDING TO
– complex subordinators: AS SOON AS
– correlative coordinators: EITHER…OR
– inserts: THANK YOU
Each of these groups deserves an article of their own, but for now there’s just one example of each so that you have a general idea what it’s all about.
Multi-Word Units vs Collocations
Multi-word lexical units should be also distinguished from collocations. The latter consist of independent words used together, but still separable without losing its main sense. For example BONE DRY is a collocation, so if you just say DRY, the general idea is the same. Here one word only intensifies the other, but the meaning of BONE DRY is not completely different from the meaning of DRY.
In case of a multi-word unit such as GIVE UP for example, which is a phrasal verb by the way, if you remove one of the words, the meaning will be different or it won’t make any sense at all. Have a look:
He GAVE UP smoking.
This sentence makes sense. But if you remove either word, it will no longer make sense.
Here’s a video version of this article:
Multi-word units are basically just ‘chunks of language’. Why do you need to learn them?
Remember the level 7 description for ‘lexical resource’:
• uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision.
• uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation.
To meet these two requirements it is necessary for your lexical knowledge to extend beyond knowing single words. This article will present the main types of multi-word unit. In the hope that it will make it easier for you to recognize them. You also need to remember that learning a vocabulary item, whether a single word or phrase requires you to know how to use that item. And not just its translation equivalent.
Compounds
These are two or more words clearly functioning as a single word. Often nouns but as noted in the article on adjectives, compound adjectives are also quite common.
Examples: alarm clock credit card first aid science fiction four-star brand-new north-west
Phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs are a combination of a common verb plus preposition or particle. They are often like idioms as their meaning cannot always be guessed from their component parts. They are used more in speaking and they often have a one-word equivalent.
Which would be the preferred option in more formal writing, such as academic essay writing. Learn these as you encounter them. I don’t think it is so productive to spend time learning lists of phrasal verbs. Though phrasal verbs are a common feature there are very few which are frequently used.
Examples: make up get away with set off give up look after
Fixed Expressions
English contains lots of fixed expressions of various length. To take just one area, the following are commonly used in reference to quantity or degree.
Examples: a wide range of / to a certain extent / a great deal of
Semi-fixed expressions
These are expressions which have one or more variable slots.
Examples: as far as …. ( I know, I can tell, x is concerned) / ….. as well as …. / not only …. but also …..)
Idioms
Idioms are fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the component words. As with phrasal verbs, it is not the best use of study time to learn lists of these. When you hear or read a new idiom decide for yourself if you think it is worth remembering, and if so make a note of it. They are mainly used in informal speech so unless you’re sure. It is probably best to avoid using them. Though it could be acceptable in task 1 in the general exam. If it is an informal letter, such as writing to a friend for some reason. Examples: get the wrong end of the stick, play it by ear, mind your p’s and q’s.
Collocations
These are frequently occurring combinations of words. Do take this area of language learning seriously as an ability to use collocations. It is explicitly referred to in the level descriptor ( see above). Nouns, adjective and verbs can all form collocations.
Examples: important contribution ( adjective + noun); meet expectations ( verb + noun), totally unacceptable (adverb + adjective)
Sentence headers
These are a kind of fixed expressions but they are treated as a separate class. They share the function of introducing a sentence, helping to ‘signpost’ for the reader the content of the sentence.
Examples: It seems to me that ….. , Sorry to interrupt but …., Would it be possible to …?
Exercises
Task 1 – General
In the following excerpts from letters written for task 1 of the general exam, use the appropriate multi-word expressions from the box below to put into the gaps.
Extract 1: Regarding the food, I went to various restaurants and all served mouth-watering dishes but ….1…… that the most …..2…….. I ate there was in a friend’s house.
Extract 2: ……..3…….. if you could contact me…..4………, particularly since I need the proposals for a presentation this week. If you could send the bag to me by courier service…….5………. I have arranged to pay for the service. Extract 3: I am writing to ……….6………..with my room-mate. .,…7……. we share one room. Unfortunately because of my room-mate’s …..8……., I feel it is …..9……. for me to continue with the present arrangement.
| no longer possible | as soon as possible | As you know |
| I would appreciate it | I must admit | unreasonable behaviour |
| delicious food | express my dissatisfaction | I would be most grateful. |
Task 2 – Academic
In the following excerpts from the task 1 of the academic exam, use the appropriate multi-word expressions from the box below to put in to the gaps.
Extract 1: Although Washington’s increase in population between 1940 and 1970 was large, its increase in …..1………. was even sharper, rising ….2…… 125,000 in 1970 ….2….. 240,000 in 2000.
Extract 2: The table compares four countries …….3……….the number of people who watch four different genres of film at the cinema: Action, Romance, Comedy and Horror. In India and Japan only 2-2.5 million people watch horror films but they are more popular in New Zealand and Ireland. ….4……., romance films are very popular in India with 7.5 million viewers
Extract 3: The two pie charts compare the percentages of online sales across different retail sectors in Canada in the years 2005 and 2010. For three of the sectors, …5……. that over this time frame there was ….6…….in their proportion of online transactions.
| from about … to more than…. | On the other hand | significant change |
| It is evident | the following thirty years | in terms of |
To repeat what was written at the beginning, showing an ability to use multi-word units is necessary if you are to get a level 7 or above for lexical resource. When reading, get into the habit of consciously looking for examples of multi-word phrases. You will be surprised how many there are.
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Answers to Exercises
Task 1 – General
In the following excerpts from letters written for task 1 of the general exam, house the appropriate multi-word expressions from the box below to put in to the gaps.
Extract 1: Regarding the food I went to various restaurants and all served mouth-watering dishes but I must admit that the most delicious food I ate there was in a friend’s house.
Extract 2: I would appreciate it if you could contact me as soon as possible, particularly since I need the proposals for a presentation this week. If you could send the bag to me by courier service, I would be most grateful. I have arranged to pay for the service.
Extract 3: I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my room-mate. As your know we share one room, I cannot study in the room at all any more if I still stay there. Unfortunately because of my room-mate’s unreasonable behaviour, I feel it is no longer possible for me to continue with the present arrangement.
Task 2 – Academic
Extract 1: Although Washington’s increase in population between 1940 and 1970 was large, its increase in the following thirty years was even sharper, rising from about 125,000 in 1970 to more than 240,000 in 2000.
Extract 2: The table compares four countries in terms of the number of people who watch four different genres of film at the cinema: Action, Romance, Comedy and Horror.
In India and Japan only 2-2.5 million people watch horror films but they are more popular in New Zealand and Ireland. On the other hand, romance films are very popular in India with 7.5 million viewers.
Extract 3: The two pie charts compare the percentages of online sales across different retail sectors in Canada in the years 2005 and 2010. For three of the sectors, it is evident that over this time frame there was significant change in their proportion of online transactions.
What are multiword units?
There are four major kinds of multiword units: (1) A multiword unit can be a group of words that commonly occur together, like ‘take a chance’; (2) it can be a group of words where the meaning of the phrase is not obvious from the meaning of the parts, as with ‘by and large’ or ‘be taken in’ (be tricked); (3) it can simply refer to all the combinations of a particular word or type of word and its accompanying words whether they are highly frequent, strongly associated, or not; and (4) it can refer to word groups that are intuitively seen as being formulaic sequences, that is, items stored as single choices (see Durrant and Schmitt, 2009: 159, for an excellent discussion of these four types).
These different kinds of multiword units are based on a variety of criteria – frequency of co-occurrence, compositionality (do the parts make the whole?), form and storage, and so it is not too surprising that there is a large and growing list of terms to cover multiword units. Wray (2000) lists around 50 terms including composites, conventionalised forms, idiomatic phrases, routine formulae, phrasal expressions, and stock utterances, just to describe formulaic sequences, and there are at least as many again to describe multiword units more generally (lexical bundles, collocations, phrasal units, multiword units). The large number of terms reflects the different purposes for looking at multiword units, and the fragmented nature of research in this area. Walker (2011) suggests that the definition of what is a multiword unit affects what appears in learners’ dictionaries. A major issue in research on multiword units is the need to set clear criteria and, where possible, develop standard terminology to describe the different types of multiword units.
1. Seminar 4 Multi-Word Units in English
Kalizhanova Anna
2020
2. Set expressions (fixed expressions, idioms)
— the word-groups consisting of two or more words,
combination of which is integrated as one unit with
specialised non-literal meaning of the whole
E.g. to sleep like a log, Can a leopard change its spots?,
to be busy as a bee.
3. Classification according to the function
1)
Set expressions functioning like nouns
E.g. white elephant, a skeleton in the cupboard, brains
trust, dog days
2)
Set expressions functioning like verbs
Special group – phrasal verbs
E.g. the cap fits , to bark up the wrong tree, to keep up
with the Jonses; to give up, to make (sth) up, to put
(sb) up
4. Classification according to the function
3)
Set expressions functioning like adjectives. A lot of
them are similes — expressions of comparison.
E.g. like a bull in a china shop, as old as the hills, as
mad as a hatter
4)
Set expressions functioning like adverbs
E.g. once in a blue moon, time and again, to drink like a
fish
5)
Set expressions functioning like interjections
E.g. Bless (one’s) soul!, God bless me!, Hang it (all)!
5. Phrases, Proverbs, Quotations
Set phrases
E.g. Tell it to the horse marines. His bark is worse than
his bite.
Proverbs – wise sayings, often warnings, which have
been passed from generation to generation. Their
advice will never be out of date (adages).
E.g. It’s no use crying over spilt milk. Don’t count your
chickens before they hatch.
Familiar quotations
E.g. Shakespeare: “Frailty, thy name is woman.”
Caesar: “The die is cast.”
6. Collocations
Words can usually be combined (collocated)
only with certain words.
If we want to master a language properly we
should know what words of the language are
most likely to occur together – what are the
typical collocations.
E. g. the noun rain may be collocated with
adjectives: driving, heavy, pouring, soaking,
torrential, freezing, intermittent, light, steady.
7. Classification of collocations
A verb + a noun/pronoun.
E.g. reach a verdict, fly a kite, execute a will, reverse a
decision, revoke a licence
These collocations are highly important for polysemantic
nouns.
E.g. perform an operation (in a hospital), carry out
(conduct) an operation (on the battlefield).
An adjective + a noun.
E.g. warm, warmest (not “hot”), kind, kindest, best
(not “good”) regards; a rough estimate; a formidable
challenge
8. Classification of collocations
A noun + a verb.
E.g. alarms go off (ring, sound), blizzards rage
An adverb + an adjective
E.g. strictly accurate, sound asleep, keenly
(very much) aware
A verb + an adverb.
E.g. amuse thoroughly, argue heatedly,
appreciate sincerely
A unit associated with a noun.
E.g. a pack of dogs, a pride of lions, a school
of whales, a lump of sugar, a drop of oil
Asked by: Santino Carter
Score: 4.9/5
(56 votes)
Multiword expressions (MWEs) are a class of linguistic forms spanning conventional word. boundaries that are both idiosyncratic and pervasive across different languages. The structure. of linguistic processing that depends on the clear distinction between words and phrases has. to be re-thought to accommodate MWEs.
What are Multiword units?
There are four major kinds of multiword units: (1) A multiword unit can be a group of words that commonly occur together, like ‘take a chance’; (2) it can be a group of words where the meaning of the phrase is not obvious from the meaning of the parts, as with ‘by and large’ or ‘be taken in’ (be tricked); (3) it can …
What is semi fixed expression?
Semi-fixed expressions are phrases or idioms that retain the same basic word order throughout. But some semi-fixed expressions can change some of their parts. … For example, in the idiom kick the bucket, separate meanings of words will not give the meaning of the whole idiom.
What are fixed expressions in English?
What’s a fixed expression? It’s a collection of words (a phrase) which has one specific meaning. Those words are fixed together and it might have a particular idiomatic meaning, or at least a specific meaning which is.
What are fixed and semi fixed expressions?
Examples for fixed expressions are: in short, by and large, every which way. They are fixed, as you cannot say in shorter or in very short. In semi-fixed expressions word order and composition are strictly invariable, while inflection, variation in reflexive form and determiner selection is possible.
31 related questions found
What are multipart verbs?
Multi-word verbs are verbs which consist of a verb and one or two particles or prepositions (e.g. up, over, in, down). There are three types of multi-word verbs: phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. Sometimes, the name ‘phrasal verb’ is used to refer to all three types.
How many phrasal verbs are in English?
Memorising phrasal verbs is inefficient because there are over 10,000 phrasal verbs in the English language. Memorising each one independently would be unreasonably time-consuming. It’s inefficient because memorising phrasal verbs isn’t nearly as productive as analysing meanings and using words in context.
Do have be verbs?
An auxiliary verb helps the main (full) verb and is also called a «helping verb.» With auxiliary verbs, you can write sentences in different tenses, moods, or voices. Auxiliary verbs are: be, do, have, will, shall, would, should, can, could, may, might, must, ought, etc.
What type of verb is have?
The verb to have is one of the core verbs of the English language, and can be used to express possession ownership or acquisition. In this usage, it is a transitive verb, and must therefore be followed by a direct object. The direct object of to have can be a noun, a noun group, a pronoun or a numeral.
What is v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 verb?
Answer: v1 is present ,v2 past ,v3 past participate ,v4 present participate, v5 simple present. Smenevacuundacy and 223 more users found this answer helpful.
What are the 3 forms of verbs?
There are 3 forms of verb
- Present.
- Past.
- Past Participle.
Is has a present tense?
While the verb to have has many different meanings, its primary meaning is “to possess, own, hold for use, or contain.” Have and has indicate possession in the present tense (describing events that are currently happening). Have is used with the pronouns I, you, we, and they, while has is used with he, she, and it.
What are intransitive words?
An intransitive verb is defined as a verb that does not take a direct object. That means there’s no word in the sentence that tells who or what received the action of the verb. While there may be a word or phrase following an intransitive verb, such words and phrases typically answer the question «how?»
What are the examples of verb?
Action verb examples:
- Run.
- Dance.
- Slide.
- Jump.
- Think.
- Do.
- Go.
- Stand.
What are gerunds English grammar?
A gerund is a noun made from a verb root plus ing (a present participle). A whole gerund phrase functions in a sentence just like a noun, and can act as a subject, an object, or a predicate nominative. … The verb is, a form of the linking verb to be, is followed by reading, which renames the subject my passion.
What are the 10 phrasal verbs?
10 + Phrasal Verbs You Can Use Every Day
- Ask out – to ask someone out on a date. …
- Ask around – ask a number of people for information or help. …
- Bring down – make unhappy, to be sad. …
- Come across – give, find out, produce, find out by chance. …
- Clean up – tidy, organise things. …
- Come from – originate from a place.
What is phrasal verb example?
In English traditional grammar, a phrasal verb is the combination of two or three words from different grammatical categories – a verb and a particle, such as an adverb or a preposition – to form a single semantic unit on a lexical or syntactic level. Examples: turn down, run into, sit up.
What are the most common phrasal verbs?
30 Common Phrasal Verbs
- 1 To call around. To contact multiple people. …
- 2 To call [x] off. To cancel. …
- 3 To check [x] out. To verify a person or thing. …
- 4 To clean [x] up. To clean a general area. …
- 5 To dive into. To occupy oneself with something. …
- 6 To dress up. To wear nice clothes. …
- 7 To end up. …
- 8 To fill [x] up.
What are fixed expressions examples?
Fixed expressions, as the name indicates, are also usually fixed and not flexible in patterning. They are however, unlike idioms, generally transparent in meaning. Some examples of fixed expressions are de hecho — in fact/ as a matter of fact, a pesar de — in spite of, and a quien corresponda — to whom it may concern.
What are fixed expenses examples?
Examples of fixed expenses
- Rent or mortgage payments.
- Car payments.
- Other loan payments.
- Insurance premiums.
- Property taxes.
- Phone and utility bills.
- Childcare costs.
- Tuition fees.
What are the 7 types of collocation?
Below you can see seven main types of collocation in sample sentences.
- adverb + adjective. Invading that country was an utterly stupid thing to do.
- adjective + noun. The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise.
- noun + noun. …
- noun + verb. …
- verb + noun. …
- verb + expression with preposition. …
- verb + adverb.
What is set expression?
1. set phrase — an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up. idiomatic expression, phrasal idiom, phrase, idiom. locution, saying, expression — a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations; «pardon the expression»