How to guess the meaning of new words from the context By Zhong Meiyun

2. How to guess the meaning of new words from the context By Zhong Meiyun

3. 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

4. Clue One: definition Key words\ phrases\clauses: is, or, namely, that is (to say), in other words， relative clauses , appositive phrases, or dash(---) etc.

5. 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 day B. the food that people eat in their meals C. the places where people can have dinner D. the people who serve in a restaurant

6. Presentation Two: • On the farm they mainly raise poultry, such as chickens, ducks 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 theperiodicals 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 handicraft C) wool handicraft D) wood handicraft

7. Clue Two: examples key words: and ,or ,such as, like, for example, for instance or colon (:), etc.

8. 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 animals C) domestic animals D) grass-eating animals

9. 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 wasperilous, so several people were killed. A. long B. unnecessary C. beautiful D. dangerous

10. Clue Three: cause and effect Key words: because，as，since，for, so，thus，as a result，so … that, such … that, therefore etc.

11. 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 rude C. lacking in experience D. too shy and quiet

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. Clue Five: common sense Self knowledge and life experience

17. 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

18. Conclusion: Guess the meaning of a new word according to the clues of …… • definition • examples • cause and effect • comparison and contrast • common sense

19. 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

20. common sense • 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 60-90 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

21. Assignment • Review the skills of guessing new words from the context. • Do the exercises on your handouts to consolidate what you have learned.