Improving Vocabulary Skills

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Improving Vocabulary Skills

• Tips to help you read for understanding.

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What do you do when find a word you dont know?

• Do you look it up in the dictionary every time?
• This will take too long and distract you from
  what you are reading
• You may learn every vocabulary word, but miss the
  point of the article

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Unfamiliar Words
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How to Guess the Meaning

• It is important to know how to guess the meaning
  of a word
• Guessing the meaning only gives you the general
  meaning of a word
• this is usually enough
• Use context clues to help you guess the meaning

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Common Context Clues

• Use as many of these as possible when reading a
  passage

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1. Synonyms and Antonyms

• The old man asked if I could traverse the creek
  I said I could cross it easily. He seemed
  uncertain that I could do it, but I was resolute.

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2. Comparisons and Contrast

• Outside, the tempest raged like a hurricane.
  Confined to the house by their concerned mother,
  Jeremy was restive, but Adam contentedly read a
  book.

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3. Definitions and Descriptions

• The woman wore a red mantilla that covered her
  head and shoulders.

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4. Words in a Series

• The dulcimer, fiddle and banjo are popular in the
  Appalachian region.

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5. Cause and Effect

• Because no one volunteered to clean up the gym,
  the principal declared the work session would be
  mandatory for all sophomores.

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6. Tone and Setting

• The sinister sound came from a long, dark
  passageway that had been hidden behind a
  bookcase. As we crept into the blackness, the
  stale, damp air made us feel as if we were being
  drawn into a dungeon.

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Hint

• A context clue does not always appear in the same
  sentence as the word you dont know. You may need
  to look for clues in surrounding sentences and
  paragraphs.