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Section vii. a contextual approach to word study

A) Contextual clues to the meaning of the words in the sentence.

In addition to the Internal Context of Structure clues for a word, (see Section VI of WP above) readers are frequently told to find the meaning of an unknown word in the surrounding context — i.e. from the words or phrases before or after the unknown word «X». This is wonderful advice if it works: unfortunately, the context does not always provide the reader with the clues needed. The following exercises are designed to help you recognize the contextual clues, if and when they exist in your text.

Deriving Meaning from Context                                                                                                           (Do not use a dictionary for these exercises)

7.1 The context can sometimes help you with the meaning of an unknown word without your having to go to the dictionary. Although there are severe limits to the meaning the context alone can give, it can help to reveal meaning in severalways. Try to figure out the meaning of each of the difficult words in the examples below:

1. The context can help by re-stating the idea expressed by the word (i.e., by providing a definition). Most organisms are aerobes; that is, they require oxygen to live.

«aerobe» means: ______________________.

2. The context can help by restating the idea expressed by the difficult word using several simpler words. The Germans left the Czech village of Lidice devastated: it was totally destroyed.

«devastated» means: ____________________.

3. The context can help by providing examples illustrating the meaning of the difficult word: Innards, such as hearts, kidneys and livers, are eaten more enthusiastically in some cultures than in others.

«Innards» means: _____________________.

4. The context can help by telling us what the word does not mean (here introduced by the word «but», signalling a contrasting idea) . The word "sea" usually refers to a body of water that is saline, but the water in the Sea of Galilee is relatively sweet.

«saline» means: ______________________.

5. The context can help by allowing us to infer the meaning of the word from what it tells us about the concept that the word refers to. The doorway was so low that when he entered the room he hit his head on the lintel.

«lintel» means:_______________________.

6. The context can help by telling us what facts lying in the storehouse of our general knowledge we should call on for help.

Of all the five senses, the one dogs depend upon most is the olfactory sense.

«Olfactory» means:_____________________.

Exercise B:

Determine the meaning of each underlined word from the context. You may write the meanings in Russian.

1. Insect fecundity is frightening: many kinds of insects lay hundreds or even thousands of eggs at one time. «fecundity» means»:_____________________.

2. Mozart manifested his dislike of Salzburg by choosing to live much of his life outside that city.

«to manifest» means:____________________.

3. Many works of art were salvaged from the flood in Florence in 1966, but Cimabue's «Crucifix» was very badly damaged.

«to salvage» means:_____________________.

4. Dr. Burns's research sounded much more impressive when he described it as petrology rather than simply the study of rocks.

«petrology» means:_____________________.

5. Scientists rejected first the idea of a geocentric universe and then of a heliocentric one as they discovered that neither the earth nor the sun is at the center of the universe.

«geocentric» means: _____________________.

«heliocentric» means: _____________________.

6. The terminal points of the Egged bus lines 9 and 28 are Mt. Scopus and Givat Ram.

«Terminal» means: _____________________.

7. Through Conan Doyle's stories the character of Sherlock Holmes has taken on so much verisimilitude that we tend to forget that, in reality, there was no such person.

«verisimilitude» means:__________________.

8. One characteristic property of gases is their thermal expansion: all gases increase in volume when their temperature is raised.

«thermal» means:______________________.

9. Psychologists also study normal behavior, but they are particularly concerned with behavior that is deviant.

«deviant» means:______________________.

10. The best example of a true social isolate would be a feral child, provided a child could actually be found who had had no contact whatsoever with human society, and had been reared in the wilderness by animals.

«isolate» means :______________________.

«feral» means :_______________________.

11. The theme of a novel may be primarily didactic, and this teaching may be moral or social.

«didactic» means: _____________________.

7.2. Use of words indicating Spatial (Alternative spelling: «Spacial» ) Orientation or Movement

These words can be used both literally (to indicate an actual movement or position in space), or metaphorically (to indicate something like movement or position). Determine whether the use of the underlined spatial words is Literal (L) or Metaphorical (M) in each of the following sentences.

__ 1. But since the boundaries of Islam extend far beyond those of Iran what constitutes Iran's «self-defence» becomes highly ambiguous.

__ 2. Iran protested the next day , contending that its plane had been attacked over «international waters», while the Saudis said that the plane had been downed in «Saudi» territorial waters.

__ 3. It was not until much later that pan-Turkism and pre-Arabism appeared on the political horizon and, even then, there is some doubt as to what they really signified.

__ 4. The barrier separating the rich and the poor is seldom crossed.

__ 5. He was deeply in debt.

__ 6. Prices soared sky-high.

__ 7. He followed the ups and downs of the stock market.

__ 8. He arrived at a landmark decision during his first year as a judge.

B) Value Clues. You may find contextual clues relating to the worth or desirability of, or to the affect or emotion aroused by, the difficult word.

a. Indicate whether the underlined words in the following sentences convey a positive or a negative meaning.

b. Underline the other words in the sentence that serve as value clues to the meaning of the difficult word.

1. The critic commended the work for its intellectual honesty.

2. Domestic effluents destroyed the formerly beautiful environment.

3. The sonorous bells awakened the villagers to another peaceful Sunday.

4. Beware of predatory men.

5. She was insulted by his condescension.

C. Function Clues:

Function clues relate to what someone or something does; how it, s/he functions.

7.3 In each of the following sentences, indicate the words or phrases which help us to understand how the underlined word functions.

1. The foundation provides grants and scholarships to deserving students.

2. The minister was incarcerated in the Tower of London, where they held him until he was brought to trial.

3. They respected his anonymity by refusing to reveal his name and address.

4. The effect of his chicanery was to make everybody distrust everything he ever said or did thereafter.