Increasing Vocabulary

1. Increasing Vocabulary Context Clues

2. Definition of a Context Clue • The meanings of many words can be figured out by examining their surrounding words and nearby sentences. • In fact, in the English language, many words have more than one meaning. In that case, the meaning of a particular word is determined by the context in which it appears.

3. Methods • Restatement • Synonyms • Antonyms • Definitions • Explanations • Relationships

4. Restatement • Restatement involves stating an unfamiliar word in another way in the context of the same sentence. • For example: Euthanasia, mercy killing, is illegal in the United States. Here mercy killing restates the meaning of the word euthanasia.

5. Synonyms • Some sentences will contain a more familiar word with the same meaning as a new term to provide a clue as to the meaning of the new word. • For example: The doctor turned out to be a charlatan, and his patients were worried they had been treated by a fake physician. • Here the word fake is the context clue in the form of a synonym for the word charlatan.

6. Antonyms • Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. • Some sentences will provide clues to the meaning of an unfamiliar word by including a familiar word with the opposite meaning. • For example: Even though the president disapproved of the bill, he sanctioned its passage to avoid conflict with congress. • Here the word sanctioned is explained through contrast with its antonym disapproved.

7. Definitions • Some sentences are actual definitions of new terms. • For example: Histology is the study of cell tissue.

8. Explanation • In other sentences, although the new word is not defined, it is explained. • For example: People should feel compassion toward the poor because they could one day find themselves in a similar situation and would want others to be understanding toward them. • Here the word because indicates that the word compassion is going to be explained.

9. Relationships • A less obvious method of revealing a word’s meaning is through the use of relationships. The reader must draw a conclusion as to the meaning of a new word based on the meaning conveyed by the rest of the sentence. • For example: The candidate was jubilant when he heard he was ahead in the polls. • Here you would infer that the word jubilant meant very happy because being ahead would make a candidate happy.

10. In Conclusion • Authors often reveal the meanings of new words to readers through the context in which they appear. • Methods that are commonly used are restatement, synonyms, antonyms, definitions, explanations, and relationships.

11. Reference • The methods explained in this presentation are based on Reading Skills for College Students by Ophelia Hancock.