Ten Steps to Improving College Reading Skills Fifth

Ten Steps to Improving College Reading Skills Fifth Edition John Langan © 2008 Townsend Press

Chapter One: Vocabulary in Context clues help you figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words in your reading. There are four common types of context clues: 1. 2. 3. 4. Examples Synonyms Antonyms General Sense of the Sentence or Passage

One Type of Context Clue: Examples A sentence may contain an example or examples of an unfamiliar word.

What do you think the word initiative means in the cartoon? A. anger B. will power C. ability to take charge HERMAN: © Jim Unger/Dist. by Newspaper Enterprise Association

Initiative means “ability to take charge. ” In the cartoon, the woman “takes charge” by selling the man’s car. Selling the car is an example of taking charge, or initiative.

A Second Type of Context Clue: Synonyms A synonym is a word that means the same—or almost the same— as another word.

What do you think the word terminate means in the cartoon? Which word in the cartoon is a synonym for terminate? © Randy Glasbergen. www. glasbergen. com

In the cartoon, the word end is a synonym that helps you understand that terminate means “end. ” “My doctor said that smoking could terminate my life. But I told him, ‘Everybody’s life has to end sometime. ’ ”

A Third Type of Context Clue: Antonyms Another context clue is an antonym— a word that means the opposite of another word. Antonyms are often signaled by words and phrases such as however, but, yet, on the other hand, and in contrast.

What do you think amplifies means in the cartoon? Which word in the cartoon is an antonym for amplifies? Copyright 2001 by Randy Glasbergen. www. glasbergen. com

In the cartoon, the antonym lowers helps you figure out that amplifies must mean “increases. ” “It’s a special hearing aid. It lowers criticism and amplifies compliments. ”

A Fourth Type of Context Clue: General Sense of the Sentence Sometimes you need to look carefully at the entire sentence in which an unfamiliar word appears. There may be clues within the sentence that help you figure out the word.

Based on the context clues in the cartoon caption, what do you think alleviate means? Copyright 2006 by Randy Glasbergen. www. glasbergen. com

If the patient wants to look and feel better, what would he want the prescription to do to his aches and pains? The patient’s words strongly suggest that alleviate means “lessen. ” “I’d like a prescription that will alleviate my aches and pains and also make me younger and thinner. ”

Chapter Review In this chapter, you learned the following: q To save time when reading, you should try to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words. You can do so by looking at their context—the words surrounding them. q There are four kinds of context clues: examples (marked by words like for example, for instance, including, and such as); synonyms (words that mean the same as unknown words); antonyms (words that mean the opposite of unknown words); and general sense of the sentence (clues in the sentence or surrounding sentences about what words might mean). q Textbook authors typically set off important words in italic or boldface and define those words for you, often providing examples as well. The next chapter—Chapter 2—will introduce you to the most important of all comprehension skills, finding the main idea.