Chapter 2: Building Word Power
From this chapter, you’ll learn
1. how the context, or setting of word, can
provide clues to its meaning.
2. how breaking a word into its parts can help
you determine a definition.
3. what to expect from dictionaries both online
and in print.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.1 Defining Terms
Context Clues are
• hints about word meaning.
• are part of the the sentence or passage in
which a word appears.
• approximate definitions that are correct
enough to help readers avoid turning to the
dictionary every few minutes.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.1 Four Common Context Clues
Although there are many different kinds
of context clues, these four are especially
common:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Example
Contrast
Restatement
General Knowledge
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.1 Example Clue
“Unlike his partner, Attorney Franco was a
very altruistic person; he was forever taking
on cases that paid him little or nothing.”
Explanation: This sentence gives you an
example of altruistic behavior. An altruistic
person gives his time away without expecting
payment.
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
2.1 Based on the example, how would
you define the word advocate?
“For most of his adult life, Cesar Perales
has been a strong advocate of using the
courts to fight discrimination against
minorities; he has won numerous
lawsuits filed by workers who had
unfairly been denied promotions.”
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
2. 1 Contrast Clue
“Normally shy and withdrawn around
people, the scientist became surprisingly
gregarious after drinking even a single
glass of wine.”
Explanation: By telling readers what gregarious
does not mean, the contrast clue suggests an
opposite meaning: “social and friendly."
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
2. 1 Based on the contrast clue in
red, how would you define the
word lucid?
“As she continued climbing toward the
peak, altitude sickness overcame the young
climber, making her dizzy and confused.
Soon she wasn’t making sense when she
spoke. However, as soon as she began
climbing back down the mountain, her
thinking and speech became lucid again.”
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
2.1 Restatement Clue
“In the nineteenth century, the Liberty Party
called for the abolition, nothing less than the
complete elimination, of slavery.”
Explanation: The context clue offers a
restatement, or another way of saying,
abolition, making “elimination” a good
approximate definition.
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
2.1 Based on the restatement clue
in red, how would you define
the word juncture?
“At this critical juncture, or point in
time, we cannot afford to let someone
else do our thinking for us; we need to
take the time to become informed and
make the right decision about our
country’s future.”
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
2.1 General Knowledge Clues
“The efficient function of the military relies on a
clear chain of command, which is why acts of
insubordination are severely punished.”
Explanation: Even those not in the military know
something about its demand for rigid
obedience and the punishments exacted for
failure to follow rules. Thus their general
knowledge would tell them that
insubordination means disobedience or rulebreaking.
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
2.1 Based on your general
knowledge, how would you
define the word futility?
“He was full grown and five feet four, so
the futility of fulfilling his childhood
dream of playing professional basketball
was obvious even to him.“
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
A Word to the Wise
Context clues can appear anywhere. They
can be in the sentence in which an
unfamiliar word appears. But they can
also be in one of the previous or
succeeding sentences.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.2 Breaking Words into Parts
In addition to context clues, knowing
how to figure out word meaning from
a knowledge of its parts can double
your chances of coming up with the
appropriate definition.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.2 Breaking Words into Parts
Imagine that you didn’t know the meaning
of the word dermatitis in the following
sentence:
“Lyme disease often begins with a
particularly ugly dermatitis on the
inside of the arm or leg.”
The context suggests dermatitis means
“rash,” but you can confirm your guess by
breaking the word into parts:
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.2 Breaking the Word into Parts
Based on the word parts, “rash” is a good
approximate definition for dermatitis.
derma = skin
itis = irritation
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
A Word to the Wise
Regularly review the three kinds of
word parts—roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
There are numerous lists on the Web
and whole books devoted to listing those that
appear most frequently in words.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.2 Defining Terms
Roots
• give a word its core or central
meaning.
• do not change their meaning with the
addition of other word parts, e.g.,
farmer, farming, respect, inspect,
disrespect.
Copyright Laraine Flemming 2009
2.2 Defining Terms
Prefixes
• appear at the beginnings of words.
• change the meaning of the entire word,
without affecting the core meaning.
• can consist of one letter or several, e.g.,
preview, review, interview.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.2 Defining Terms
Suffixes
• appear at the end of words.
• affect word function, or part of
speech, and meaning, e.g.,
sleeping, sleepless, sleeper.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
A Word to the Wise
Combining context clues with a knowledge of
a word’s parts is a sure fire way to unlock
word meaning. For instance, if the root cred
means “belief” and the suffix ous means “full
of,” what does credulous in the following
sentence mean?
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Using Context Clues and Word Parts to
Unlock Word Meaning
“ My sister-in-law is very smart, but she is
also one of the most credulous people I
have ever met. On the way back from New
York, some man told her he had been
robbed while he was boarding the train,
and he desperately needed money to buy
another ticket. My sister-in-law handed the
guy a twenty. “
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.3 Turning to the Dictionary
Dictionaries, whether online or in print,
• provide the meanings of a word.
• tell us how to pronounce it.
• explain the word’s history.
Whichever type of dictionary you choose to
use—and Reading for Results will discuss
plusses and minuses of both—you’ll need to
choose among several possible meanings.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2.3 Selecting the Right Meaning
Dictionaries order word meanings in different
ways. Among those various ways are:
1. historical order with the oldest or most recent
meaning appearing first.
2. most common meaning heading the list.
3. everyday meanings followed by more
technical ones.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
A Word to the Wise
Make sure you understand how the dictionary
definitions are ordered. In print dictionaries,
the ordering principle is explained in the front
pages. Online, you may have to search a bit.
Look for links labeled, “About,” “About Us,” or
“Home.”
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Another Word to the Wise
However the dictionary you’re using
orders its meanings, be sure to select
the meaning that matches the context
of the word you don’t know.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2. 3 Matching Meaning and Context
The American Heritage Dictionary gives
three meanings for the word spar, with
the most common meaning appearing first:
1. To fight with an opponent in a short
practice session
2. To engage in an argument
3. To fight by striking with feet and spurs
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
2. 3 Which one of those meanings fits
the following passage?
“When the interview first started, the
reporter’s heart sank. The senator
seemed ready to spar over every little
detail, but as time wore on, she opened
up about how difficult it was to be a
woman running for president, and the
reporter felt his dislike turn into
sympathy.”
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Finishing Up: Building Word Power
You’ve previewed the major concepts and
skills introduced in Chapter 2. Take this quick
quiz to test your mastery of those skills, and
you are ready to read the chapter.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Finishing Up: Building Word Power
1. What kind of context clue appears in the
following sentence ?
2. Based on that clue, how would you define
the word in red?
“Unlike his charismatic older brother, the
younger one did not draw people to him like a
magnet attracts iron; just the opposite, people
seemed repelled by his very presence in a
room.”
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Finishing Up: Building Word Power
3. What kind of context clue appears in the
following sentence?
4. Based on that clue, how would you define
the word in red?
“The factory farm manager tried hard to
instigate trouble among the union organizers,
but no matter how hard he tried to start them
quarreling among themselves, the activists
always managed to make peace.”
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Finishing Up: Building Word Power
5. What kind of context clue appears in the
following sentence?
6. Based on that clue, how would you define
the word in red?
“The poem’s solemn cadence, its slow, weighty
rhythm, underscored the poem’s sad subject:
the death of Abraham Lincoln.“
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Finishing Up: Building Word Power
7. What kind of context clue appears in the
following sentence?
8. Based on that clue, how would you define
the word in red?
“After drinking too much at the office party and
telling her manager that he was disorganized
and lacked people skills, she was in a quandry
about how she should act toward him when she
returned to work on Monday.”
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Finishing Up: Building Word Power
9. The root carn means “flesh” or “meat.” Based
on that knowledge plus the context, how
would you define the word in red that appears
in the following sentence:
“At one time, it was widely assumed that
chimpanzees ate only fruit and nuts, but as
researcher Jane Goodall observed decades ago,
there are settings in which they become
carnivorous.”
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Finishing Up: Building Word Power
10.The prefix omni means “all.” Based on that
knowledge plus the context, how would you
define the word in red that appears in the
following sentence.
“While it was once assumed that chimpanzees
were vegetarians, it’s clear that chimps, although
their diet relies heavily on fruit and nuts, are
omnivores.”
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Brain Teaser Challenge
Commenting on the second war in Iraq, the actor
Johnny Depp aroused much controversy and
attracted a good deal of public criticism when he
said that the United States was like a “dumb
puppy.” In response to all the criticism, Depp
made the following comment:
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Brain Teaser Challenge
“Taken in context, what I was saying was that,
compared to Europe, America is a very young
country and we are still growing as a nation. It
is a shame that the metaphor I used was taken
so radically out of context and slung about
irresponsibly by the news media.”
• Which of the following best paraphrases
Depp’s comment?
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009
Brain Teaser Challenge
1. Because he was speaking without thinking
beforehand, what he said was much different
from what he meant.
2. Reporters will do anything to sell papers and do
not care if they have to make things up in order
to win readers’ attention.
3. Those who quoted him did not include the rest
of his statement. Separated from its setting, his
words sounded harsher than they were.
Copyright laraine Flemming 2009