How to Guess the Meaning of Words

1. How to Guess the Meaning of Words

2. Do you like English stories? Let's enjoy a story now!

3. A French student goes to London for his holiday. He knows a little English, but he can’t speak it very well. One day he goes to a restaurant. He wants to have some eggs, but he can’t remember the English word for “ egg”. He looks around and sees a picture of a hen. He shows the picture to the waiter. “ What do you call her children?” he asks. “Chicks, sir.” “ And what do you call chicks before they’re born?” “ Eggs, sir.” “Very well,” says the French student. “ Give me two eggs and a cup of tea, please”. Discussion: What would you do if you were him at that time?

4. Is he clever? • Yes, because he is clever enough to use the relations between words to make himself understood at last.

5. How do you deal with the new words or phrases that you meet while reading? • Ignore them and continue reading • Look them up in the dictionary • Guess the meaning How ?

6. How to Guess the Meaning of Words

7. Example 1 …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. … (description 描述) What does the word “shoplifter” mean? • A thief B. A guide in a shop • C. the owner of a shop • D. A porter (搬运工)

8. Example 2 The new tax law supersedes, or replaces, the law that was in effect last year. A. supervise B. review C. take the place of D. start to enforce replaces synonym（同义词）

9. Example 3 ( from NMET) 3. Those new comers were not used to the life in the suburbs which was so different from that inside the city. A.town B. capital C. country D. house the city Antonym （反义词）

10. To guess the words correctly we can use the context (上下文，语境) clues: • Use synonym（同义词）Context Clues • Use Antonym（反义词）Context Clues • Use definition/ example/description clues (定义或解释说明) • Use common sense/related information clues (常识、生活经验) • Use grammar and punctuation（标点） clues

11. Practise Now! 1. Please do the Exercises in class -- Guess the meaning of the underlined words: on your papers (P1-2) in 10 minutes. 2. Then check your answers with your group members if you have finished. 3. Share with each other why you choose the answers if you have different opinions .

12. Let’s check some exercises together !

13. Using synonym(同义词)Context Clues 1. The football player was penalized for his rudeness and the punishment was a good lesson for him. A. called B. praised C. paid D. punished

14. Using synonym(同义词)Context Clues 2. He replied quickly, but after he considered the problem more carefully, he regretted having made such a hasty decision. A. careful B. hard C. good D. quick

15. Using Antonym(反义词) Context Clues With the help of words like: unlike, but however, while, instead, on the contrary, in contrast, on the other hand...etc. 1.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 but

16. 2. In the first case, where we don't tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. …. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk's attention causes different things to happen….. 48. The phrase "bringing the error to the clerk's attention" (in para. 5) means___. A. telling the truth to the clerk B. offering advice to the clerk C. asking the clerk to be more attentive D. reminding the clerk of the charged item (2007 广东) Using Antonym(反义词) Context Clues charged

17. Using Definition(定义) • Mark Twain was not the author’s real name; it was a pseudonym. A. a pen name B. a true name C. his family name

18. Using description (描述) 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 everyday B. the food that people eat in their meals C. the places where people can have dinner/eat D. the people who serve in a restaurant

19. Using common sense/related Information (常识、生活经验） 1. He is a resolute man. Once he makes up his mind to do something, he won’t give it up halfway. A. strange B. firm C. kind D. clever

20. 2. When a doctor performs an operation on a patient, he usually gives an anaesthetic to make him unconscious, because he does not want his patient to feel pain or to know what is happening to him. A. A kind of books B. A piece of advice C. A kind of medicine D. A kind of animals

21. Using causes and effects relations (因果关系) With the help of conjunctions like: because, as，since，for，so，thus，as a result，instead，therefore. etc.

22. Using causes and effects relations • “But,” said Kim, “ I feel that since you are my superior(领导,上司), it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do.” • Full of respect • B. too confident and rude • C. Lacking in experience • D. too shy and quiet since

23. Use grammar and punctuation clues 1 . Most women in Ghana ---the educated and illiterate, the urban and rural, the young and old--- work to earn an income in addition to maintaining their roles as housewives and mothers. A. well-educated B. poorly-educated C. taught D. poor

24. Use grammar and punctuation(标点） clues 2 . You can take any of the periodicals: The World of English, Foreign Language Teaching in Schools, or English Learning. A. dictionaries B. story-books C. magazines D. newspapers

25. How to guess the words correctly by using the context clues: • Use synonym（同义词）Context Clues • Use Antonym（反义词）Context Clues • Use definition/ example/description clues (定义或解释说明) • Use common sense/related information clues (常识、生活经验) • Use grammar and punctuation（标点） clues What do we learn today? All

26. Practice 1-3 Let’s do more exercises !

27. 1. …Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past. The underlined phrase stately homes means: A. state-owned houses B. houses in very good condition C. grand houses open to the public D. houses where statesmen meet regularly

28. Examples from NMET • 2. 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. • Regular cutting of the plants • Frequent watering • Regular use of chemicals • Growing the plants high in the mountain

29. Examples from NMET 3. “The safety issue is a big one,” says Joe Mahoney, who quickly discovered he was not alone in his worries. On campus tours other parents voiced similar concerns, and the same question was always asked: what about crime? But when college officials always gave the same answer “ That’s not a problem here.” Mahoney began to feel uneasy. “No crime whatsoever?” comments Mahoney today. “ I just don’tbuyit.” Nor should he: in 1999 the U.S. department of education had reports of nearly 400,000 serious crimes on or around our campus. The underlined word “buy” means: A. Mind B. admit C. believe D. expect

30. Go over the ideas we talk about today. Homework