How to guess
the meaning of new words
from the context
By Zhong Meiyun
Presentation One:
It will be very hard but also very brittle , that is, it will break easily.
The herdsman , who looks after sheep, earns about 650yuan a year.
The new tax law supersedes, or replaces, the law that was in effect last year.
New and knew are homophones, words that sound the same but have a different spelling
Clue One: definition
Key words\ phrases\clauses:
is, or, namely, that is (to say), in other words , relative clauses , appositive phrases, or dash(---) etc.
Practice One: He is a resolute man, that is to say, once he sets up a goal,
he won’t give it up halfway.A. reasonable B. reserved C. firm D. humble
Yet, shopkeepers may have to spend extra hours to deal with problems, such as shoplifters, who always take away things from the shop without paying for them…A. porters B. cashiers C. thieves D. shop assistants
Before long, many dinners stayed open around the clock. In other words, people were able to eat in a dinner at any time. A. the meals that people have every dayB. the food that people eat in their mealsC. the places where people can have dinnerD. the people who serve in a restaurant
Presentation Two: On the farm they mainly raise poultry, such as chickens, duc
ks and geese, for their eggs and meat.A. wild big animals kept for eating B. endangered animals kept for eating C. domestic birds kept for eating
You can take any of the periodicals like Readers’ Digest, Modern Family, or The World of English.A. newspapers B. magazines C. TV programs D. timetables
People in the North of Thailand do wickerwork,for example, they make elephants, turtles, plates, beds, and chairs, from teak trees for earning money.A) metal handicraft B) plastic handicraftC) wool handicraft D) wood handicraft
Clue Two: examples
key words:and ,or ,such as, like, for example, for instance or colon (:), etc.
Practice Two:
After a day’s hunting, Harold is ravenous. Yesterday, for example, he ate two bowels of soup, salad, a large chicken, and a piece of chocolate cake before he was finally satisfied.A. angry B. hungry C. thirsty D. sweaty
The Savanna grasslands are the home of grazing animals such as elephants, goats, deer and zebras. A) non-backbone animals B) meat-eating animalsC) domestic animals D) grass-eating animals
Presentation Three:
Peter was not frugal since he spent money so freely.
A. luxurious B. generous C. economical D. pessimistic The insects are so microscopic that you can hardly see
them.
A. ugly B. dangerous C. small D. quiet The journey across the mountains was perilous, so
several people were killed.
A. long B. unnecessary C. beautiful D. dangerous
Clue Three: cause and effect
Key words:because , as , since , for, so , thus , as a result , so … that, such … thatso … that, such … that, therefore etc.
Practice Three:
Rubber can be made to stretch more than nine times its normal length because it is very elastic.A. loose B. long C. easy D. flexible
The river is so turbid that it is impossible to see the bottom even when it is shallow.A. deep B. clear C. wide D. muddy
“But,” said Kim, “ I feel that since you are my boss, it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do.”A. full of respect B. too rudeC. lacking in experience D. too shy and quiet
Presentation Four:
Bill was good at art, music, and photography, and his brother was even more versatile.
A. ambitious B. promising C. diligent D. talented Unlike his brother, who was friendly with everyone,
Bob was quite surly.
A. shy B. talkative C. bad-tempered D. bad-looking Though the artist has died, her art will be immortal.
A. forgotten B. beautiful C. ever-lasting D. damaged
Clue Four: comparison and contrast
Key words:
but, while, however, instead of , rather than , unlike, yet, otherwise, though, whereas, on the contrary, in contrast, even more etc.
Practice Four:
The writing style I used in my report was too colloquial, so my boss asked me to write it in a more formal manner.
A. casual B. serious C. unusual D. simple He had been getting better but during the night his
condition deteriorated.
A. became better B. got worse
C. stayed the same D. did not change
Presentation Five:
The door was so low that I hit my head on the lintel.
Mark got on the motorbike, I sat behind him on the pillion, and we roared off into the night.
Clue Five: common sense
Self knowledge and life experience
Practice Five: We watched as the cat came quietly through the
grass toward the bird. When it was just a few feet from the victim, it gathered its legs under itself and pounced.
A. lay B. jumped C. stood D sat The swimmer dived into the pool at one end and
swam under water to the other end, where she emerged from the water.
A. came out B. disappeared
C. sank D. injured herself
Conclusion: Guess the meaning of a new word according to the clues of …… definition examples cause and effect comparison and contrast common sense
Consolidation Practice: Andrew is one of the most supercilious men I know.
His brother, in contrast, is quite humble and modest.
A. superior B. proud C. modest D. particular Carbon monoxide (CO) is a noxious gas which can
cause death.
A. nice B. delicious C. beneficial D. poisonous
Doctors recommended that everyone exercise every day, particularly those who spend many hours doing sedentary activities like reading, typing or sewing.
A. secondary B. slow C. sitting D. busy
comparison and contrast
definition
example
When a doctor performs an operation on a patient, he usually gives an anaesthetic to make him unconscious.
A. a kind of book B. a piece of advice
C. a kind of medicine D. a kind of animal The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60-9
0 centimeters high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best tea is got.
A. Regular cutting of the plants
B . Frequent watering
C. Regular use of chemicals
D. Growing the plants high in the mountain
cause and effect
common sense
Assignment Review the skills of guessing new words from
the context. Do the exercises on your handouts to
consolidate what you have learned.