Binomials in English - Definition and Examples

Binomials in English s Definition In language studies, a pair of words (for example, loud and clear) conventionally linked by a conjunction (usually and) or a preposition. Also called a binomial pair. When the word order is fixed, the binomial is said to be irreversible. (See Examples and Observations below.) A similar construction involving three nouns or adjectives (bell, book, and candle; calm, cool, and collected) is called a trinomial. Also, see: ChunkCollocationDoubletsIdiomReduplicative Etymology From the Latin, two names Examples and Observations Examples of binomials in English include aches and pains, all or nothing, back and forth, beck and call, bigger and better, bit by bit, black and blue, black and white, blood and guts, bread and butter, bubble and squeak, cease and desist, checks and balances, cloak and dagger, cops and robbers, corned beef and cabbage, cut and dried, dead or alive, death and destruction, dollar for dollar, dos and donts, fair and square, fast and loose, fire and brimstone, fish and chips, flesh and bones, goods and services, ham and eggs, hand to mouth, hands and knees, heads or tails, hearts and flowers, hem and haw, high and dry, high and low, high and mighty, huff and puff, hugs and kisses, kiss and make up, knife and fork, leaps and bounds, life and death, little by little, long and short, lost and found, loud and clear, make or break, milk and honey, needle and thread, nickel and dime, nip and tuck, now or never, null and void, nuts and bolts, old and gray, one to one, open and shut, part and p arcel, peace and quiet, pins and needles, pots and pans, rags to riches, rise and fall, rise and shine, rough and ready, safe and sound, saints and sinners, short but sweet, show and tell, side by side, slip and slide, soap and water, song and dance, sooner or later, spic and span, sticks and stones, strange but true, sugar and spice, thick and thin, time after time, tit for tat, tooth and nail, toss and turn, ups and downs, wash and wear, and win or lose. Reversible and Irreversible Binomials In the typical newspaper headline Cold and snow grip the nation it is proper to set off the segment cold and snow as a binomial, if one agrees so to label the sequence of two words pertaining to the same form-class, placed on an identical level of syntactic hierarchy, and ordinarily connected by some kind of lexical link. There is nothing unchangeable or formulaic about this particular binomial: Speakers are at liberty to invert the succession of its members (snow and cold . . .) and may with impunity replace either snow or cold by some semantically related word (say, wind or ice). However, in a binomial such as odds and ends the situation is different: The succession of its constituents has hardened to such an extent that an inversion of the two kernels*ends and oddswould be barely understandable to listeners caught by surprise. Odds and ends, then, represents the special case of an irreversible binomial.(Yakov Malkiel, Studies in Irreversible Binomials. Essays on Linguistic Themes. University of California Press, 1968) Synonymous and Echoic Binomials The third most frequent binomial in the DoD [Department of Defense] corpus is friends and allies, with 67 instances. Unlike the majority of binomials, it is reversible: allies and friends also occurs, with 47 occurrences.Both allies and friends refer to countries which accord with US policies; as such, the two coordinates of the binomial may incline us to categorize the binomial as synonymous (Gustafsson, 1975). Rhetorically speaking, friends and allies may have an intensifying function, similar to echoic binomials (where WORD1 is identical to WORD2), such as more and more and stronger and stronger.(Andrea Mayr, Language and Power: An Introduction to Institutional Discourse. Continuum, 2008)

Satchmo essays

Satchmo essays Louis Armstrong, also known as The Great Satchmo, was one of the greatest musicians in the United States during his time. The actual date of Louis Armstrong's birth has been debated over time. Some say that he was born on July 4th, 1900. Others say that he was born on August 4th, 1901. There is also some historical evidence that Armstrong was born around 1898. When Louis was born, he was not born into the greatest life-living conditions. He was born in an impoverished area of New Orleans. The place he was born at was known as the Back O'Town. At the time of Louis' birth, his father, Willie Armstrong left the family, leaving him to be raised by his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong. His mother, Mayann, was not able to take care of him for the first few years of his life. While he was growing up during his childhood, he had been exposed to a lot of music. He was influenced by blues, ragtime, and religious music. Armstrong had worked many odd jobs, but his best job that he w orked was as a singer in a barbershop quartet on the streets. He did this to make money. In 1912, Armstrong was arrested and put in the Waifs Colored Home in New Orleans. Some people say that he was arrested over firing a firearm, but historians believe that he was arrested because of a delinquency charge. While he was in this home, he had been provided with his first musical training with an instrument. Peter Davis, a member of the house was the first to teach him to play. Armstrong also played his first cornet and joined a band while at the home. They did marches and performed ragtime music. While in New Orleans, Armstrong had worked with a man known as Joe Oliver. He was a teacher to young Louis Armstrong. While Louis worked with Oliver, he had gained public exposure as a musician. However, Oliver had left New Orleans to go to Chicago, which left Armstrong to be Olivers replacement in ...

Smokers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Smokers - Essay Example The government has a mandate of protecting its people. Young generation holds the future of these countries on their hands. As a result, every administration has a responsibility of protecting this generation. In an attempt to protect the whole population, these governments have come up with several measures that are aimed at reducing the exposure of the people to this kind of smoke (Callinan, Clarke & Kelleher 2010) The number of smokers in these countries is smaller compared to non-smokers. As a result, the governments are protecting the majority of the population through developing various strategies that will reduce the impact of cigarette smoke on the people. The smokers should stay outside the homes, restaurants and shops until they finish their activities. Although this will viewed as a way of segregating the smokers from the rest of the society, the move will play a significant role in preventing the younger generation from adopting the smoking behavior. Furthermore, it will protect the members of the public from the cigarette smoke. Some people are allergic to smoke (Great Britain, 2005). As a result, the government should create designated places where smokers can congregate and smoke freely without the fear of disturbing other people. This should be followed by strict rules and stiff penalties to all those who violates these laws. This is to ensure that bus stops, government buildings, social places, and the streets are safe for the people. Smoking in the open disturbs children and seniors. Many adapt this behavior because they feel that it is the right thing to do. Therefore, excluding the smokers to a particular place and making them pay for their behavior by staying away from other people while smoking will discourage the young people to stay away from the smoking behavior. The UK and US governments have implemented some of these measures, an aspect that has not augured well with the smokers. This is because they feel that the