DI A

NA C

A SON

, B

A K E RS F I E

L D

CO

L L EGEVOCABULARY

IN

CONTEXT

WHAT

’S W

RONG WIT

H

USING A

DIC

TIONARY

TO

LOOK U

P AN

UNFAMILI

AR WORD?

• Slows you down• Disrupts the flow of

your reading and thought process

• A dictionary isn’t always available

• Some words have multiple meanings

INSTE

AD, USE YO

UR

DETECTI

VE SKILL

S TO

“INVESTI

GATE” A

WORD’S

MEANIN

G.

CONTEXT

Words surrounding an unfamiliar word that give clues about its meaning

HOW D

O CONTE

XT

CLUES W

ORK?

Since it was raining outside, I used my ________ to keep from getting wet.

• My math book cost over a $100.

• I just booked my flight to Chicago.

• Greg was booked on DUI charges.

CONTEXT

CAN CHANGE

A WORD’S

MEANIN

G.

TYPE

S OF

CONTEXT

CLUES

DefinitionSynonymAntonymExample

DEFINITION CLUES• Found immediately after the word• Often punctuation is used to draw

attention to the definition (commas or dashes)

• Signal words = refers to, or, can be defined as, means, is

• Hydrocortisone, a steroid hormone, is used in the treatment of rheumatism.

SYNONYMS• Words that have similar meanings• “rich” and “wealthy”• Signal words = or, also called, in other

words• Although the salesperson tried to

assuage the angry customer, there was no way to soothe her.

• Assuage = soothe (calm down, satisfy)

ANTONYMS• Words that have opposite

meanings• “rich” and “poor”• Many snakes are poisonous, but

others are innocuous and pose no danger.

• Innocuous = harmless

EXAMPLES• Signal words = for example, for

instance, such as, like, including• When attending an office party, it is

important to show your best decorum, such as dressing appropriately, eating moderately, and thanking your host or hostess before leaving.

• decorum = manners, good behavior

PRACTICE1. The indolent employee did absolutely

nothing and was eventually fired.

2. Silvia’s nefarious activities landed her in jail.

3. As she finished her third drink, Trish became increasingly garrulous, talking about everything from her cat’s eating habits to her most recent therapy session.