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Crafting meaning Academic Communication for Advanced Secondary Schools

(b) Consonant sounds
Some consonant sounds in English differ from those in other languages. For instance,
in languages like Hindi and Spanish, the letter “v” is pronounced like a [b] and the
letter “w” is pronounced as an [oo]. Effective pronunciation practice techniques include
repeating and recording speech, participating in drills, listening to and imitating
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audio resources, and engaging in role-playing exercises.

Literal meaning

Literal meanings of sentences are determined by interpreting words and phrases in
their dictionary meanings; i.e., without considering their implied meanings. It entails
determining a word’s denotative meaning and comprehending how it works within the
specified sentence structure. This method concentrates only on the surface meaning of
language. Examining the literal meaning of words can help one understand language
more deeply and communicate more effectively.

Exercise 1�12

Construct a sentence for each of the following terms in various contexts without
looking up their literal meaning.

firewall vision dividend agreement assignment equity chip terminate
treat

We can prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations in written and spoken
communication by carefully reviewing definitions of a word. It is important to take the
context of a word or sentence into account when analysing its literal meaning. Tone, body
language and cultural contexts are a few examples of factors that can greatly affect how
a sentence is understood. Furthermore, accurate interpretation depends on understanding
linguistic factors like idiomatic expressions and figurative language. The literal meanings
of sentences are analysed differently than the figurative meanings of sentences whose
analysis do not depend on the meanings of the words forming the sentences. Individuals
who are skilful in understanding the precise meaning of words, phrases and sentences can
work confidently in various professions, including law, medicine, religion and language
specialists. In examining the literal meaning of a word or sentence the following issues
should be taken into account: semantic analysis, syntactic analysis, verb forms, figurative
language and etymological recognition.

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Student’s Book Form Five

30-Jun-24 11:02:02 AM
Academic Communication.indd 13
Academic Communication.indd 13 30-Jun-24 11:02:02 AM