{"id":21,"date":"2017-09-04T05:55:58","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T05:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/?page_id=21"},"modified":"2017-09-18T14:15:56","modified_gmt":"2017-09-18T14:15:56","slug":"context-clues-words-among-words","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/context-clues-words-among-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Context Clues: Words Among Words"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"twelve columns\" style=\"margin-top: 10%;\">\n<div class=\"advance\"><a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/in-the-meantime-denotation-connotation\">\u2b05 Previous Lesson<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"button\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/vocabulary\">Workshop Index<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/word-sleuthing-with-parts-of-speech\">Next Lesson \u27a1<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- CONTENT BEGINS HERE --><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"title\">Context Clues: Words Among Words<\/h1>\n<h3>Objective<\/h3>\n<p>This lesson will explore words in the context of sentences and in analogies.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Previously Covered:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>In the previous lessons, we looked at words and phrases as individual entities and explored their connections to the abstract, either via history or reference book entries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section>\n<p class=\"lesson_subhead\"><strong>Solved Mysteries: Unlocking Meanings of Unknown Words<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>English, whose vocabulary is vast and growing, is the third most spoken language and has <em>lingua franca<\/em> status in many parts of the world. While the vast majority of English words are no longer (and may have never been) in common use, a large number are common parlance among the literate. A dictionary will always be the single best resource for elucidating definitions; however, very often we must rely on context clues provided in the rest of the sentence to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Fortunately, this context often provides vital clues for quick comprehension.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding context requires context! Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"style1\" align=\"left\">The instructor <em>eschewed<\/em> lectures in favor of group work and discussions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to know what <em>eschew<\/em> means prior to reading this sentence, since the context reveals that the instructor prefers group work and discussions. Thus, <em>eschew<\/em> means \u201cto shun\u201d or \u201creject harshly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s go through a list of edifying examples:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong> The district organized a <em>parley<\/em> concerning the restructuring of the schools.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>If you know even a little French, you will notice that <em>parley<\/em> resembles the verb <em>parler<\/em>. But you don\u2019t need to know French to understand that the district would want to organize a \u201cdiscussion\u201d of its plans with the community.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>The <em>fulgent<\/em> sun caused her to squint. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Here the context gives everything away; it\u2019s no surprise that <em>fulgent<\/em> means \u201cbright\u201d or \u201cdazzling.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>The knight gladly accepted his lady\u2019s <em>handsel<\/em> before his joust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This one is a bit more difficult. The word itself contains <em>hand<\/em> so logic suggests that the lady handed the knight something. A cursory knowledge of history should serve as a reminder that knights often wore a lady\u2019s \u201ctoken\u201d as a symbol of good luck.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong> Hat-wearing by women is a custom that\u2019s fallen into <em>desuetude<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This one is easier. Women used to wear hats whenever they went outside, so this custom has fallen into \u201cdisuse.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Being a morning person herself, she couldn\u2019t understand her colleagues\u2019 morning <em>hebetude<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Here you need to know that a morning person is someone who is bright and chipper in the morning. The opposite of that implies \u201clethargy&#8221; or \u201cdullness.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong> Lizzie was the <em>avatar<\/em> of health with her bright eyes and light step.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This one is easier. Lizzie demonstrates health in her looks and movement, so she is an \u201cembodiment\u201d of health.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Often, knowing part of a word combined with its context can help you deduce its meaning. This tactic is particularly useful with Greek and Latin roots and affixes. Here is an example:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong> After working thirty years, she became a <em>superannuated<\/em> civil servant. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div align=\"left\">\n<p>The context tells you that she had worked thirty years before becoming <em>superannuated<\/em>. <em>Superannuated<\/em> can then be parsed to <em>super<\/em>-, meaning \u201cover\u201d or \u201cbeyond.\u201d <em>Annuated<\/em> is far less common, but if you consider words that are similar, <em>annual<\/em> might come to mind. At this point, you know that <em>superannuated<\/em> translates as \u201cover years\u201d and means \u201cretired.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Now it\u2019s your turn to put into practice both your deductive skills and your knowledge of roots and affixes!<\/p>\n<section class=\"question\">\n<h4>Question<\/h4>\n<div>\n<p>Select the best meaning for the italicized word:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong> Wearing shorts to a formal dinner is an <em>egregious<\/em> mistake. <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ol>\n<li>Understandable<\/li>\n<li>Ignorant<\/li>\n<li>Laughable<\/li>\n<li>Offensive<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button button-primary q-answer\"> Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"q-reveal\" style=\"display: none;\">\n<p><span class=\"lesson_text\">The answer is D. Because the context deals with manners, the wrong attire would be offensive because it wouldn\u2019t adhere to social dictates.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Here\u2019s another one!<\/p>\n<section class=\"question\">\n<h4>Question<\/h4>\n<div>\n<p>Select the best meaning for the italicized word:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong> Driving while intoxicated is <em>proscribed<\/em> in many communities. <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ol>\n<li>Banned<\/li>\n<li>Avoided<\/li>\n<li>Disdained<\/li>\n<li>Publicized<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button button-primary q-answer\"> Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"q-reveal\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"lesson_text\">The answer is A. The root \u2013<em>scribe<\/em> indicates writing, which in this case refers to written law. <em>Pro-<\/em> can mean \u201cbefore\u201d as in <em>prohibit<\/em>, <em>progress<\/em>, and <em>progenitor<\/em>. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr \/>\n<\/section>\n<p><!-- CONTENT ENDS HERE --><\/p>\n<div class=\"advance\"><a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/in-the-meantime-denotation-connotation\">\u2b05 Previous Lesson<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"button\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/vocabulary\">Workshop Index<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/word-sleuthing-with-parts-of-speech\">Next Lesson \u27a1<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"backtotop\" href=\"#title\">Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2b05 Previous Lesson\u00a0Workshop Index\u00a0Next Lesson \u27a1 Context Clues: Words Among Words Objective This lesson will explore words in the context of sentences and in analogies. &nbsp; Previously Covered: In the previous lessons, we looked at words and phrases as individual entities and explored their connections to the abstract, either via history or reference book entries. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":415,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions\/415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}