Vocabulary and Dictionary Skills
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This document discusses using context clues and dictionaries to determine the meanings of unknown words. It begins by defining vocabulary and context clues. It then explains the SAGE approach for using synonyms, antonyms, general context, and examples as context clues. The document provides examples of signal words that indicate different types of context clues and instructs the reader to practice identifying context clues. It also advises looking up unknown words in a dictionary when no context clue is available. The document discusses features of dictionary entries and recommends some collegiate and online dictionaries. It demonstrates looking up words from a sample text using both hard copy and online dictionaries.
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Vocabulary and Dictionary Skills
- 1. English 72 – E. Buchanan – Porterville College
- 2. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education Inc. 2 Define vocabulary.1 Vocabulary − all the words used or understood by a person A Context Clue − the information that surrounds a new word, and is used to understand its meaning
- 3. CHAPTER TWO Use Context Clues to Study Vocabulary S • Synonyms A • Antonyms G • General Context E • Examples A SAGE Approach 2 Classify context clues.
- 4. CHAPTER TWO S • Parentheses ( ) • Dashes -- -- • Commas , , • Or • That is Words with the same meaning Synonym Signal Words Prince William’s bride followed the conventions (traditions) of society by wearing a white gown. 2 Classify context clues.
- 5. CHAPTER TWO A • But • However • In contrast • Instead • Unlike • Not • Yet • On the other hand Words with the opposite meaning Antonym Signal Words Cheryl often flouted the rules, unlike her twin who always obeyed them. Classify context clues.2
- 6. CHAPTER TWO G • Definition • Description • Logic • Reasoning • Prior knowledge • Word pictures Surrounding words General Context Clues We could tell by her indifference to the chocolate cake that she wasn’t a fan of desserts. Classify context clues.2
- 7. CHAPTER TWO E • Consisting of • Including • Like • Such as • For instance • For example • Colons : • Dashes -- -- Examples can reveal meaning. Example Signal Words Legumes include such vegetables as peas, beans, and lentils. Classify context clues.2
- 8. Let’s Practice - handout
- 10. We discovered that the authors often include the meaning of a word through context clues. But what do you do if you come across a difficult word and no context clue was provided? You look it up in the dictionary.
- 11. On Monday, Nevada became the first to approve a license for "autonomous vehicles" -- in other words, cars that cruise, twist and turn without the need for a driver -- on its roads. The license goes to the prodigious Google, known more for its search engine and e-mail service that nonetheless has been known to plummet into other big ideas such as space elevators to Internet-enabled glasses. (Taken and modified from: www.cnn.com/ “Google Gets License to Operate Driverless Cars in Nevada” by the CNN wire staff. 5/8/12.)
- 12. You probably got the overall message: Google has been approved a license for cars that do not need a driver. However, there was a word in the paragraph that did not have a context clue, prodigious. It may be an important word to know the meaning of in order to completely understand the paragraph. Let’s look it up in the dictionary.
- 13. Dictionary Entries Dictionary entries provide more than just the meaning of the word. 1. Syllabication – How is the word broken down into syllables? 2. Pronunciation – How do you pronounce the word? 3. Function of the word – What is the part of speech? 4. Etymology – Where did this word come from? What is the history of the word? 5. Other forms – What are the different forms made by adding to or changing the word’s suffix (ending)?
- 14. Dictionaries Listed below are some recommended Collegiate (which means “of or intended for college students”) Dictionaries. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary The American Heritage Dictionary The Random House Dictionary
- 15. We used a hard copy dictionary to find the meaning of the above word, but there are also many on-line dictionaries. Let’s look up another word in this paragraph – plummet. This time we will use an on-line dictionary. Listed below are some on-line dictionaries you may want to try out. http://www.merriam-webster.com/ http://dictionary.reference.com/ http://www.yourdictionary.com/
- 16. So now we have figured out three words. We know what autonomous means by the context clues provided. And what does prodigious mean? And plummet? On Monday, Nevada became the first to approve a license for "autonomous vehicles" -- in other words, cars that cruise, twist and turn without the need for a driver -- on its roads. The license goes to the prodigious Google, known more for its search engine and e-mail service that nonetheless has been known to plummet into other big ideas such as space elevators to Internet-enabled glasses.
- 17. Let’s go on a dictionary scavenger hunt.
Editor's Notes
- Context Clues Effective readers interact with new words in a number of ways. One way is to use context clues. The meaning of a word is shaped by its context. The word context means “surroundings.” The meaning of a word is shaped by the words surrounding it—its context. Effective readers use context clues to learn new words. Activity: Write a few sentences from various college textbooks on the board. Ask students to identify unfamiliar words. Circle these, then ask students to examine the sentences further for clues to meaning. Underline any clues that students suggest. Point out that astute readers can often discover helpful hints to meaning in the surrounding context. Suggest that students look within the sentence and also read beyond the sentence to find clues that reveal meaning.
- There are four types of context clues: Synonyms, Antonyms, General context, and Examples Notice that, put together, the first letter of each context clue spells the word SAGE. The word sage means “wise.” Using context clues is a wise—a SAGE—reading strategy.
- Synonyms A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Many times, an author will place a synonym near a new or difficult word as a context clue to the word’s meaning. Usually, a synonym is set off with a pair of commas, a pair of dashes, or a pair of parentheses before and after it.
- Antonyms An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word. Antonyms help you see the shade of a word’s meaning by showing you what the original word is not. Sometimes antonyms can be found next to the new word. In those cases, commas, dashes, or parentheses set them off. At other times, antonyms are placed in other parts of the sentence to emphasize the contrast between the ideas.
- General Context Often you will find that the author has not provided either a synonym clue or an antonym clue. In that case, you will have to rely on the general context of the passage to figure out the meaning of the unfamiliar word. This requires you to read the entire sentence, or to read ahead for a few sentences, for information that will help you understand the new word. Information about the word can be included in the passage in several ways. Sometimes a definition of the word may be provided. Vivid word pictures or descriptions of a situation can provide a sense of the word’s meaning. Sometimes you may need to figure out the meaning of an unknown word by using logic and reasoning skills.
- Examples Many times an author will show the meaning of a new or difficult word by providing an example. Signal words indicate that an example is coming.