閱讀材料中的每個詞與它前後的詞語或句子甚至段落有著互相制約的關係。我們可以利用語境(各種已知資訊)推測、判斷某些生詞的詞義。
針對性解釋是作者為了更好地表達思想,在文章中對一些重要的概念、難懂的術語或詞彙等所作的解釋。這些解釋提供的資訊具有明確的針對性,利用它們猜詞義比較容易。
方法/步驟
根據定義猜測詞義
如果生詞是句子或段落所解釋的定義,理解句子或段落本身就是推斷詞義。例如:
Anthropology is the scientific study of man.
由定義可知,anthropology就是“研究人類的科學”。
In slang the term "jam" constitutes a state of being in which a person finds
himself or herself in a difficult situation.
同樣,從上下文的定義可知jam一詞在俚語中的意思是“困境”。
定義句的謂語動詞多為:be, mean, deal with, be considered to be, refer to, be
called, be known as, define, represent, signify, constitute等。
根據複述猜測詞義
雖然複述不如定義那樣嚴謹、詳細,但是提供的資訊足以使讀者猜出生詞詞義。複述部分可以是單詞、短語或是從句。
同位語
Semantics, the study of the meaning of words, is necessary if you are to speak
and read intelligently.
此例逗號中短語意為“對詞義進行研究的學科”。該短語與前面生詞semantics是同位關係,因此我們不難猜出semantics指“語義學”。在複述中構成同位關係的兩部分之間多用逗號連線,有時也使用破折號、冒號、分號、引號和括號等。
Capacitance, or the ability to store electric charge, is one of the most common
characteristics of electronic circuits.
由同位語我們很快猜出生詞capacitance詞義——電容量。需要注意的是:同位語前常有or, similarly, that is to say, in other words, namely, or other, say, i.e.等副詞或短語出現。
定語從句
Krabacber suffers from SAD, which is short for seasonal affective disorder, a
syndrome characterized by severe seasonal mood swings.
根據生詞SAD後面定語從句which is short for seasonal affective disorder和同位語a
syndrome characterized by severe seasonal mood swings,我們可以推斷出SAD含義,即“季節性情緒紊亂症”。
根據舉例猜測詞義
恰當的舉例能夠提供猜測生詞的重要線索,例如:
The consequences of epochal events such as wars and great scientific discoveries are not confined to a small geographical area as they were in the past.
句中“戰爭”和“重大科學發現”是生詞的例項,通過它們我們可以猜出epochal的大致詞義“重要的”,這與其確切含義“劃時代的”十分接近。