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How To Find The Meaning Of Words As You Read
By Frank Gerace, Ph.D,
New York, U.S.A.
fg at leerespoder.com
http://www.GoodAccent.com
Become a member of TranslationDirectory.com at just
$12 per month (paid per year)
Vocabulary
Building and Reading Comprehension
The meaning of unknown words which you come across
in your reading sometimes can be known by their surroundings,
that is, their contexts. The context of the sentence
can tell us the part of speech of the unknown word.
Using the context of the paragraph to define unknown
words can also helpful.
Although it takes practice, it is the easiest and
most efficient way to identify words. Often, using
the context is the only way to figure out the meaning
of the word as it is used in the sentence, passage,
or chapter.
Consider the word "bar". Bar is a common word. But
without surrounding words, you don't know if it describes
soap, a place that serves beer, a sand formation at
the beach, a way to lock the door, or...
Readers often have trouble because they identify the
literal but incorrect meaning of a word when they
should identify the way it was used in the passage.
The following sections will give you more explanation
and some exercises on how to get help on the meaning
of unknown words by checking their part of speech
and their place in context.
A. Using The Part of Speech of the unknown word
as a help in reading.
One consideration in using the context is to determine
the unknown word's part of speech. The words around
the unknown word give you clues. Once you know if
the word is a noun or if it is an adjective, it often
is enough for you to continue reading intelligently
without having to stop to look up the meaning of the
word. After coming across the word a few more times,
you will know its meaning more firmly than if you
had just looked it up.
In the following sentences, identify the part of speech
of the italicized words by writing N if the word is
a noun, V if the italicized word is a verb, Adj if
the italicized word is an adjective, or Adv if the
italicized word is an adverb.
Example: She liked to wear red and always wore jewelry
made of carnelian. Ans. N
1. The dirty old man gave the young woman a salacious
look.
2. The president prayed for the sagacity to
make the right decision in the face of many alternatives.
3. The man looked at the rusty old gadget and
wondered how its mechanism worked.
4. The dying man designated his son to receive
his property.
5. The brindled dog barked loudly.
6. The father caressed his crying child with
great tenderness.
7. "Don’t patronize us; we are not children!" said the angry indigenous leaders to the politicians.
8. John was a good emanuensis, always taking
dictation correctly and typing up all of his employer’s
correspondence.
9. The boy was disappointed by the paltry amount
he received as an inheritance when his grandfather
died.
10. The young boy ran clumsily down the hill
with his arms and legs flapping all over.
B. USING OTHER CLUES GOTTEN FROM THE TEXT ITSELF
Knowing the part of speech of the unknown word is
not the only way to figure out its meaning. There
are other clues to the meanings of unknown words.
They are found directly within a sentence, paragraph,
passage, or chapter. Being able to recognize these
clues helps you define new words in context. These
clues are found right in the text and can be words
or punctuation marks or specific words or phrases.
You use them to compare words or to identify unknown
words that mean the same or the opposite of words
you already know. The clues can also be used to define
unknown words that are examples of a group.
There are five other clues that will help you: 1.
Punctuation clues, 2. Definition clues, 3. Contrast
clues, 4.Comparison clues, and 5. Example clues.
Of these types, the most important are the Contrast
clues and the Comparison Clues. The other clues are
very obvious and are given here just for the sake
of completeness. The reader should concentrate on
the Contrast and the Comparison clues.
The five text based clues are useful but the most
powerful tool is the Framework based clue. This is
the use of information from your own experience, common
sense, and the context in which you find the difficult
word. There will be examples of this tool at the end
of the paper.
1. Punctuation Clues
Punctuation clues are given when the unknown word
is set off by commas, parentheses, brackets, or dashes.
The information contained within the punctuation marks
sometimes means the same or nearly the same as the
unknown words. Or, the unknown word might be set off
from its meaning by punctuation marks. Information
set off by punctuation marks may clarify rather than
define the word. Finding these clues is not foolproof.
Example of Punctuation Clue: Nicotine, a colorless
and oily drug in tobacco, stains the teeth of chain
smokers. Explanation: The words between the commas-a
colorless and oily drug in tobacco-define nicotine
.
Punctuation Exercise: Underline the punctuation clue
that tells you the meaning of the italicized word.
1. The soldiers advanced down the small deep-sided
gulch (a narrow valley) into an ambush.
2. The philosopher Descartes helped to establish dualism
(the separation of mind and body).
3. Metamemory -knowledge about one's memory
processes-is helpful in helping us store and recall
information.
4. Adjunct aids-techniques used to assist students'
comprehension of reading materials-have been found
to be quite useful.
5. The deluge, a flood of rain, threatened
to drown the little town.
2. Definition Clues
Definition clues join the unknown word with the word(s)
that rename it or tell its meaning. The clues precede
or follow words that are or act like linking verbs.
A linking verb shows no action but indicates being.
Examples of these verbs are: is, was, are, means,
i.e. (that is), involves, is called, that is, or resembles.
For example: The mansion's piazza resembled
a large uncovered patio. Explanation: The word resembled
joins piazza with its meaning so it is a clue that
lets us know that a piazza is a large uncovered patio.
Definition Exercise: Use definition text-based clues
to find the meaning of the italicized word. Underline
the word (or words) that tells you the meaning of
the italicized word.
1. The art, science, or profession of teaching is
called pedagogy.
2. Divergent thinking is generating many different
ideas in order to solve a problem.
3. Conservative behavior involves cautious
or conventional actions.
4. The seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern
Asia is a monsoon.
5. Criterion means a standard or rule by which
a judgment is formed.
6. A souk is an open-air marketplace in North
Africa.
3. Contrast Clues
With contrast clues, you use the opposite of known
information to determine the unknown word. Connecting
words like however, yet, on the other hand, instead
of, but, while, and although join the unknown word
with another word that is its opposite.
Example of Contrast Clue:
My sister is extremely neat in appearance while she
is slovenly in her housekeeping.
Explanation: The word "while" indicates that slovenly
means the opposite of neat. Thus, slovenly means sloppy
or messy.
Contrast Exercise: Determine the meaning of the italicized
word by using contrast text-based clues. Exercise
Example: Although the patron asked for a solemn poem,
the poet wrote doggerel.
1.The tumor was benign; nevertheless, the doctor
decided to treat it as if it could injure the patient.
2.Some business disputes can be settled out of court;
on the other hand; others require litigation.
3. At first the labor union leaders and the factory
owners argued about pay schedules and benefits; however,
they finally came to a compromise.
4. Gina's leg muscles continued to atrophy
because of her injury, but she exercised to build
up their strength.
5. Carlos acquiesced to Jane's demands instead
of standing his ground and defending his viewpoint.
4. Comparison Clues
Comparison clues indicate that two or more things
are alike. A comparison is possible because the known
and unknown words have similarities. Words like similarly,
as well as, both, and likewise show you that comparisons
can be made.
Examples of Comparison Clue:
Miss Johnson is a prim, modest woman; likewise,
many of her friends are very proper.
Explanation: Likewise is used to compare prim to proper.
Proper means respectable. Thus, prim has a similar
meaning.
1. The Greek vase was made of alabaster; similarly,
the Roman lamp was also of a translucent, white stone.
2. Taking out the garbage was an onerous task;
likewise, washing dishes can be a hard job.
3. Repartee, as well as other kinds of humorous
conversation, kept the talk show from becoming boring.
4. Birds are oviparous; similarly, fish and
reptiles lay eggs that hatch outside of the body.
5. Both accountants and CPA’s are necessary
for a large company’s financial office.
6. The old chair was protected by both handmade antimacassars
and other coverings.
5. Example Clues
Example clues tell you an example of an unknown word
follows. You derive the meaning of the unknown word
by determining what the examples have in common. Example
clues are usually introduced by the following words
and phrases: such as, such, other, for example, and
like.
Example of "Example" Clue: Potentates-such
as kings, queens, and emperors-are very powerful and
wealthy people. Explanation: Since kings, queens,
and emperors are the rulers of countries, potentates
are rulers.
"Example" Clue EXERCISE: Underline the words that
explain the italicized words.
Canines, such as collies, pugs, and poodles,
are good pets.
Edifices, such as skyscrapers and condominiums,
are found in cities.
Various means of conveyance-for example, cars,
subways, and ships are used worldwide.
Nickels, dimes, dollars, and other kinds of legal
tender are used to purchase goods.
Many people enjoy eating mollusks, like clams
and snails.
Fiduciaries, like lawyers and bankers, were
chosen to manage the young heir's money.
Framework Based Clues
To find meanings from text-based clues (like contrast
clues, comparison clues, definition clues, example
clues), you looked for clues in the sentence itself.
A second kind of clue does not rely on specific words
or punctuation marks to indicate meaning. This kind
of context clue is called framework-based
Your knowledge of the meanings of surrounding words
helps you discover the meaning of a word or of a sentence.
The background information you find in these frameworks
helps you get the meanings of new words. Common sense
and your knowledge of the parts of speech also help
in defining unknown words. You combine your experience
with what the text contains to determine meaning.
Framework Based Clue Example: The angry driver shouted
vehemently during his fight with the other driver.
What does vehemently mean? You know what angry means,
and you know how people feel when they argue. From
this, you can figure out that vehemently has something
to do with strong emotion or intense feeling. This
is an example of using framework-based context to
find the meanings of new words. The meaning you find
comes from your personal experience.
Sometimes it takes a bit more detective work to puzzle
out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. In such cases,
you must draw conclusions based on the information
given with the word. Asking yourself questions about
the passages may help you make a fairly accurate guess
about the meaning of the unfamiliar word. Each of
the sentences below is followed by a question. Think
about each question; using your common sense and asking
yourself a question about the sentence you should
be able to know the correct meaning of the italicized
word.
1. A former employee, irate over having been
fired, broke into the plant and deliberately wrecked
several machines. (What would be the employee's state
of mind?)
2. John always praised his bosses; he always agreed
with what they said. He said he was just a good employee
but his friends said he was a sycophant. (What
behaviors were his friends describing with the word
they put on John?)
3. The car wash we organized to raise funds was a
fiasco -it rained all day.
(How successful would a car wash be on a rainy day?)
The first sentence provides enough evidence for you
to guess that irate means very angry. Sycophant in
the second sentence means sweet-talker. And a fiasco
is a complete disaster. (These are not exact dictionary
definitions of the words. But by using context clues,
but you will often be accurate enough to make good
sense of what you are reading. And the good thing
is that you save time in your reading because you
don’t have to look up every word!)
Try to answer the question that follows each item
of the list on the other side of this page. Then use
the logic of each answer to help you circle the letter
of the meaning you think is correct. Note that some
of these sentences have been taken from college textbooks.
This should prove to you that your new skills in reading
will help you in your college studies. In the future
you will be able to make up your own questions to
help you.
1. Jamal didn't want to tell Tina the entire plot
of the movie, so he just gave her the gist
of the story. (What would Jamal say to Tina?)
Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
2. The lizard was so lethargic that I wasn't
sure if it was alive or dead. It didn't even blink.
(How active is this lizard?)
Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
3. After the accident, I was angered when the other
driver told the police officer a complete fabrication
about what happened. He made it seem that I was the
only person at fault. (How truthful was the other
driver's information?)
Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
4. The public knows very little about the covert
activities of CIA spies. (What kind of activities
would the CIA spies be involved in that the public
wouldn't know much about?)
Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
5. Whether or not there is life in outer space is
an enigma. We may never know for sure until
we are capable of space travel or aliens actually
land on our planet. (What would we call something
to which we have no answer?)
Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
6. Suicide rates tend to fluctuate with the
seasons, with much higher rates in the winter than
in the summer. (What happens to the suicide rate from
season to season?)
Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
7. Human beings are resilient creatures-they
can often bounce back from negative experiences and
adjust well to life. (What point is the author making
about the nature of human beings ?
Answer
the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
8. A major accomplishment of the field of sociology
is dispelling the myths and prejudices that
groups of people have about each other. (What would
teachers of sociology do to "myths and prejudices"
that could be considered a "major accomplishment"?)
Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
9. When he first heard the news that he had lost the
job, Peter showed a pugnacious attitude. But
later when other alternatives were explained to him,
he became less hostile. (What attitude would you feel
when you lose your job?
Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………
Meaning of the word: …………………………………………………………………
About
the Author: Frank Gerace Ph.D has worked in Latin
America on UN and national Educational and Communication
Projects, and has taught in Bolivian and Peruvian
Universities. He currently teaches English in New
York City at La Guardia College/CUNY. He provides
resources on accent reduction and the proper American
English accent at http://www.GoodAccent.com
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