Which term describes a verb that has little lexical meaning on its own and must combine with a noun or adjective to have meaning?

Which term describes a verb that has little lexical meaning on its own and must combine with a noun or adjective to have meaning?

• A. de-lexicalised verb
• B. linking sound /w/
• C. notional syllabus
• D. hedging

Answer: (A)

Delexicalised verbs describe verbs that carry little lexical meaning on their own and must combine with a noun or adjective to convey content. In English, these are often called light verbs, and you’ll see them in phrases like do a favor, make a decision, or take a look. The verb itself doesn’t contribute much concrete meaning; the overall sense comes from the accompanying noun or adjective, so the core meaning emerges from the collocation rather than the verb alone. That’s why this term fits the description best. The other options don’t describe this phenomenon: the linking sound /w/ is a phonetic element used to connect words, not a type of verb; a notional syllabus is an organizing framework for vocabulary by meaning, not a verb category; hedging is a discourse strategy used to soften statements, not a description of a verb's lexical content.

Delexicalised verbs describe verbs that carry little lexical meaning on their own and must combine with a noun or adjective to convey content. In English, these are often called light verbs, and you’ll see them in phrases like do a favor, make a decision, or take a look. The verb itself doesn’t contribute much concrete meaning; the overall sense comes from the accompanying noun or adjective, so the core meaning emerges from the collocation rather than the verb alone. That’s why this term fits the description best. The other options don’t describe this phenomenon: the linking sound /w/ is a phonetic element used to connect words, not a type of verb; a notional syllabus is an organizing framework for vocabulary by meaning, not a verb category; hedging is a discourse strategy used to soften statements, not a description of a verb's lexical content.