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______ is the ability of a word to identify all those things or objects that are correctly covered by it; it represents the invariant and context-independent part of meaning.
Denotation
When a speaker uses a word to refer to a specific entity in a specific situation, it is called ______.
Reference
The transference of meaning based on similarity between two things is known as ______, while transference based on association or contiguity is called ______.
Metaphor; Metonymy
The sentence “He’s not very intelligent” used to imply the opposite meaning is an example of ______.
Irony
When a mild or indirect expression is used to replace something unpleasant or offensive, it is called ______.
Euphemism
The word “rose” in “Her cheeks are like roses” is an example of ______, because it compares two things based on similarity.
metaphor
In the sentence “The kettle is boiling,” the word “kettle” actually means “the water inside it”, showing the figure of speech called ______.
metonymy
Saying “He’s not very smart” instead of “He’s stupid” is an example of ______, which expresses something positive using a mild negative.
litotes
“He passed away last night” is a gentle way to say “He died.” This is an example of ______.
euphemism
The word “dog” can refer to any animal of that species in general, but in “My dog is barking,” it refers to one specific animal. The first use shows ______, and the second shows ______.
denotation; reference
