The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

70 Chapter 3 Words for Feeling, Expression, and ActionLearning StrategyContext Clues of DefinitionThe learning strategy in this chapter focuses on context clues of definition.Often, words that you don’t know are actually defined for you as they areused in sentences. Context clues of definition appear frequently intextbooks. How do these clues work? Usually, a sentence provides asynonym (a word that means the same thing or nearly the same thing) forthe unknown word. For example, look at the word effervescent as it is usedin a sentence.Coca-Cola ® is an effervescent, or bubbly, beverage.The word effervescent means . . . ? Bubbly. Thus, bubbly is asynonym for effervescent.Such clues of definition are quite easy to use if you can recognizethem. Here are some common types:1. Words or phrases set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses:The man’s altruistic, unselfish, motives led him to donate money tocharity. (A defining phrase within commas is called an appositive.)The man’s altruistic—unselfish—motives led him to donate money tocharity.The man’s altruistic (unselfish) motives led him to donate money tocharity.2. Direct definition:She thought his motives were altruistic, which means unselfish.She thought his motives were altruistic, that is to say, unselfish.3. Indirect definition:He was an altruistic person who often acted out of unselfish motives.4. The use of or, and, or also:The man’s altruistic, or unselfish, motives pleased his family.(The use of commas with or is an extra hint signaling that a contextclue of definition is being used.)The man’s altruistic and unselfish motives pleased his family.(Sometimes, however, words joined by and and or do not mean thesame thing. Examples are “The man was lazy and dishonest” and“People shouldn’t be lazy or dishonest.”)5. Words signaling agreement, such as therefore, likewise, in the same way,as well as, and similarly:The man was altruistic; therefore, he donated money to charity and didvolunteer work with children.Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.