Reading Skills 1.3

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Word Meanings

When you’re reading, it isn’t unusual to come across words that you don’t understand or words you don’t know the meaning of. There are five main reasons that can happen:

An author may use a word incorrectly. For example, one might write, “His contract aloud him to work 40 hours a week if necessary.” You may recognize that the word aloud should be allowed. However, sometimes the meaning isn’t as clear, especially if you’re dealing with a word you’re unfamiliar with.

A word may be totally new to you—a word you’ve never seen before. You see it and have no idea what it means. For example, suppose someone said your friend looks “resplendent in her new dress.” If you don’t know the meaning of resplendent, you might wonder if this statement is a compliment or an insult. (The word means dazzling or magnificent—so it’s definitely a compliment!)

You’ve seen a word before, but you’ve never been sure of its meaning. That’s often the case because you’ve skipped over it before and not looked up its definition. An example might be the word toxic in a sentence like this: John didn’t realize that some kinds of toadstools are toxic. (In this sentence, toxic means poisonous.)

You once knew the meaning of the word, but you’ve forgotten it. That happens when you go a long time without reading or using a word. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

Words have more than one meaning. That is, they have multiple meanings. For example, the word face has many meanings. It may be a noun that refers to a person’s face or the face of a cliff, or it may be a verb that means to meet in a face-to-face situation.

When words have more than one meaning, they have multiple meanings.

Using A Dictionary

The best and most reliable way to find out the meaning of any word is to look it up in a dictionary. A dictionary is a practical and user-friendly reference work that’s readily available at a reasonable cost—or even free online. Whenever you encounter an unfamiliar word, whether in a science lesson, a social studies assignment, a newspaper, a magazine, a book, or a website, make it a habit to look up that word in a dictionary. Doing so will improve both your vocabulary and your reading comprehension.

As one of our students, you have access to several online dictionaries in the Penn Foster library. You can access this library from your homepage. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the dictionaries available to you through this library.

Most dictionaries include the following information:

Instructions on the best way to use the dictionary

History of the English language

Guide to pronunciation

Abbreviations

Foreign words and phrases and their definitions

Biographical names

Geographical names

Signs and symbols

Handbook of style (helpful for writing assignments)

Let’s look up the word organize and examine its entry in a dictionary. The definition for organize shows

The pronunciation of the word. To understand the pronunciation marks, refer to the front of your dictionary where you’ll find a key to these markings.

The part of speech. In this case, the word organize is a verb (vb). Generally, the part of speech for a dictionary entry is indicated by an abbreviation: noun (n), pronoun (pron), verb (vb or v), adjective (adj), adverb (adv), preposition (prep), conjunction (conj), and interjection (interj).

Other tenses. If the word is a verb, the dictionary will show how to form other tenses of the verb. In this case, the dictionary shows the endings for the past participle (organized) and the present participle (organizing).

The definition. The dictionary definition gives the exact meaning of the word. If the word has multiple meanings, the definitions are numbered, as they are for organize in the figure below.

Synonyms and antonyms. At the end of an entry, a dictionary may give one or more synonyms and antonyms for a word.

This dictionary entry for the word organize shows (1) the pronunciation, (2) the part of speech, (3) other tenses, (4) the definitions, and (5) a synonym and antonym.

A synonym is a word with the same or similar meaning as another word. For example, huge is a synonym for enormous.

An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning of another word. For example, the word small is an antonym for huge.

A thesaurus provides both synonyms and antonyms

for words.

Some dictionaries also show the history and language origin of a word.

Get to know your dictionary and use it often. A dictionary is much more than a place to look up the meanings of unfamiliar words. It’s one of your most important study and reference tools.

Context Clues

You can often understand what a word means from its context, that is, the setting or placement of something. We could say, for example, that calling out “Fire!” in the context of a crowded theater is a bad idea. We could also say that a rusted old car looks unsightly in the context of a schoolyard.

In reading, the term context refers to the way a word is used along with other words.

When you figure out the meaning of a word from the way it’s used in a sentence or paragraph, you’re using the context of the word.

You may be surprised at how much the context of a word can help you to understand its meaning. Consider this example. If someone were to ask you, “What does loquacious mean?” you might not know the answer. However, if you were able to read the word loquacious in a sentence or a paragraph (that is, in context), you may be able to determine what it means. Clues from these sentences about the meaning of a word are called context clues. Read the following sentence and see if you can determine the meaning of the word loquacious.

Someone told me Carol was a loquacious individual, but I found her to be rather quiet.

Based on this sentence, you can probably figure out that loquacious means the opposite of quiet. Therefore, it must mean talkative.

When you see a dash (—) or a comma ( , ) in a sentence, it often means that more information follows. Look for these kinds of marks when you’re working with context clues.

Now, let’s say you come across a word written on a slip of paper. The word is ambivalent. By itself, you may not be sure what that word means. You don’t know if it refers to a strange disease, to an emotional disorder, or to something you wouldn’t want to find under your bed. However, when you see the word used in a sentence, you have an advantage. The paragraphs in the figure below contain the word ambivalent. Read them carefully. As you read, try to determine what ambivalent means.

Can you determine what ambivalent means from its context in these paragraphs?

People are ambivalent when they have mixed feelings. They want something, but at the same time, they have reservations and doubts about what they want. In this case, both Jolene and her mother experienced ambivalence.

Go back over the paragraphs in the figure above. Look for other words you might not be familiar with. Does their context help you understand them? For example, can you see that the word ecstatic means very happy and excited? Can you determine that the word unruly means poorly behaved?

You see? You can often know what words mean from their context.

Multiple Meanings

Some words have more than one meaning. For example, consider the rather simple word hard. Think about what it means; then read the following sentences:

The wooden chair was hard and uncomfortable.

I think studying English is fun, but studying math is hard.

In the first sentence, the word hard refers to something that’s firm or solid. The second sentence uses the word hard as a synonym for difficult. When you need to determine the meaning of a word that has more than one definition, you can often get it from the context of the passage or sentence. At other times you should check the word in a dictionary.

When you look up a word in a dictionary and you find that it has more than one meaning, make sure you select the correct definition—that is, the one that fits the context of the word.

As an example of a word with multiple meanings, study the paragraph in the figure below.

Study this paragraph for an example of multiple meanings for the word key.

In the paragraph in the figure above, the word key is used in three different ways.

“One key on the piano in the parlor was missing.” In this sentence, the word key is used to refer to that part of a piano that is pushed down to make a musical sound.

“Jason was sure the key to solving the mystery would be found in the broken piano key.” In other words, Jason thought the broken piano was a clue.

“Millie was just as sure the mystery would be solved by finding the key to the shed.” Millie, on the other hand, thought an object, a key that unlocked the shed, might solve the mystery.

Reflect and Respond

Now you try it. See if you can use context clues to determine the meaning of the words in boldface type.

● Scott is a recalcitrant boy—always defiant and difficult to manage.

(According to the context, recalcitrant means defiant and difficult to manage.)

● Jeremy is an effusive football fan. He’s always cheering loudly and demonstrating his enthusiasm. (Effusive means overly expressive and enthusiastic.)

● Carolyn has been referred to as an erudite woman because she expresses herself so intelligently. (Erudite means learned or educated.)

● He had a surfeit of laundry. He couldn’t fit it all into five washing machines.

(Surfeit means an overabundant supply or excess.)

How did you do? Were you able to determine the meanings of the words? Use this method as you read anything—a book, a magazine, your schoolwork. See if you can use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Then look them up in a dictionary to see if you’re correct.

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Based on what you've read, answer the following questions.

Study the following dictionary meanings for the word strike.

strike (str ī k) v. To hit something or somebody

strike v. To cancel something out, as in striking a sentence from a paragraph

strike n. An organized work stoppage by employees, generally members of a trade union

strike v. To move out or away in some direction or toward some goal

strike n. In baseball, a pitch missed by a batter

In the following paragraph, the word strike is used in three ways. Indicate which dictionary definition is appropriate for each one.

Deciding to strike (1) out on his own, Judd left Missouri and hitchhiked to Tacoma, Washington. After two days of walking the streets, he got a job in a plywood factory. The job was hard and dangerous. The factory floor was dimly lit, and the noise from the chipping machines was terrible. By lunchtime, he was exhausted, but not too tired to overhear workers at the next table. They were talking about going out on strike (2). Hearing enough to learn that the strike was planned for the next day, Judd realized he might be out of a job by the next morning. Poor Judd. That afternoon, after work, he bought a newspaper. Standing on a street corner, he searched the classified ads. It was beginning to rain. Pulling up the collar of his overcoat, Judd muttered to himself, “That’s life. Sometimes you get a base hit, and sometimes you strike (3) out.”

Strike (1) ___________________

Strike (2) ___________________

Strike (3) ___________________

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Key Points

The best and most reliable way to find out the meaning of any word is to look it up in a dictionary.

A synonym is a word with the same or similar meaning as another word.

An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning of another word.

You can often determine the meaning of a word by the way it’s used in a sentence or paragraph. When you figure out the meaning of a word in this way, you’re using the context of the word.

When you look up a word in a dictionary and you find that it has more than one meaning, make sure you select the correct definition—that is, the one that fits the context of the word.

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Do Not Test

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Use the product only in case of fire.

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If you have a problem with your extinguisher, where would you write to make a complaint?

Before using your fire extinguisher, which words would you look for to learn how far to stand back from the fire?

In using your fire extinguisher, your dog got some spray on his back. What section of the label should have the information you need for this situation?

Practice

Answer the questions based on the following paragraph.

He was born Alexander, son of King Phillip II of Macedonia, in July of 356 B.C. As a child, he showed his skill in riding and in the use of arms. His mother, Olympias, was very ambitious and encouraged him to learn. He was taught to think deeply and seriously by his teacher, the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle.

As Alexander matured, Macedonia, the northernmost of the Greek states, was gaining power. At only 18, Alexander was given command of a legion of cavalry at a famous battle. His brilliance in that battle led to a smashing victory over the combined armies of Thebes and Athens. Thereafter, Macedonia was the dominant power of all Greece. Then, under suspicious circumstances, Alexander’s father died suddenly. Alexander, now 20, became king of Macedonia.

That was just the beginning of Alexander’s incredible career. He gathered an army and marched to the east, toward Persia (modern-day Iraq and Iran). He and his forces conquered Persia and then most of near Asia—right up to the borders of India. After conquering Egypt, he founded the city of Alexandria, which still bears his name today.

In the year 323 B.C., at the age of 33, Alexander died of a fever. By then, he had conquered much of the known world through cruel and brutal conquests. Entire populations of men, women, and children were slaughtered. Yet, Alexander also brought Greek art and education to parts of the world. Whatever we may think of this historical figure, we can understand why some still refer to him as Alexander the Great.

What does it mean if you're suspicious?

What does the word incredible mean?

What does the word brutal mean?

Which sentence in the last paragraph provides a clue to the meaning of the word slaughtered?