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摘 要：Most people are confused when they come across some new words while reading.This article suggests readers some efficient methods to find out the meanings of the unknown words through the context clues.
關键词：reading；meaning；unknown words；context clues
中图分类号：H03 文献标识码：A
文章编号：1009-0118（2012）09-0391-02
1.Introduction
Nowadays science and technology is well developed，reading is obviously the chief way from which we gain and exchange message.Reading plays a significant role in language learning.And it gives learners important and sufficient materials for language input.So in various grades of English tests，reading stands at the top of the world.Reading comprehension is a part of the communication process of getting the thoughts that were in the author''s mind into the reader''s，but how can the reader solve the problem of coming across many new words while reading? What is the best way to figure out the meaning of a new word? According to the importance of reading，more than one scholar points out methods to find out the meanings of the words.Maybe the easiest way can be given ，that’s a dictionary.But actually，looking up a word in a dictionary is not the first thing to do.That’s your last choice.Of course，expanding your vocabulary will be surely helpful greatly in reading.Here，I can also give you some small tips about finding out the meanings of words while reading.In fact，the meaning of unknown words in your reading sometimes can be known by their surroundings，that is，their contexts.Using the context of the paragraph to define unknown words can be helpful.
2.Finding out the meanings of words through the context clues
2.1 Using the logic of a passage as a help in reading
In a reading material，you can understand the passage through the context clues.
One of the common ways in which context provides clues about the meaning of an unknown word is through logic or general reasoning about the content of a sentence，or about the relationship of ideas within a sentence .Read the following sentence：
A group of animals hunting together can sometimes drive the hunted animal into a cul-de-sac：out onto a peak of high land，into a swamp or river，or into a gully from which it can’t escape.
Now suppose that you did not know the meaning of the term cul-de-sac before reading the sentence.From the mention of the places into which a hunted animal can be driven – a peak，a river，or a swamp – you realize that the hunters have caught the animal and that cul-de-sac means a desperate situation from which there is no escape. Suppose that before you read the sentence “The two philosophical theories were incompatible：one admitted the existence of free will; the other denied it.”，you didn’t know the meaning of the word incompatible.From the colon in this sentence，you know that the latter part of the sentence explains the meaning of this word，two theories are different absolutely，and they can not exist together，so from the information you can infer that incompatible has something to do with opposite.
2.2 Using word parts of the unknown word as a help in reading
Knowing the "building blocks" of the English language - prefixes，suffixes and root words – helps you to understand a word''s meaning.Word parts which are added at the beginning of a root word are called Prefixes.When in- is added at the beginning of the word complete，the new word incomplete which has an opposite meaning of the original word is formed.Other word parts which are added at the end of a base word are called suffixes.Add –ful to use，and the new word useful is formed.This method can help you enlarge your vocabulary，you will be able to understand the meaning of the words through the different meanings of these word parts.The following table will give you a brief introduction about the meaning of some affixes.
Affix Meaning Example
co- together，with co-operation
ex- former ex-wife
pre- before pre-exist
post- after post-war
dis-/un-/in-/
im-/il-/ir-/non- not irregular
inter- between international
anti- against antiwar
micro- small microbus
-er/-or/-ist one who… teacher
-able/ -ible/ -ble capable of comfortable
-tion condition; the act of action
-ism action or practice realism
-ic/ -ical having the nature of realistic
2.3 Using the part of speech of the unknown word as a help
Consider the word “bar”.Bar is a common word.But without surrounding words，you don’t know if it describes soap，a place that serves beer，a sand formation at the beach，a way to lock the door，or…
Readers often have trouble because they identify the literal but incorrect meaning of a word when they should identify the way it was used in the passage.By checking their part of speech and their place in context，readers can easily understand the meaning of the words.Once you know if the word is a noun or an adjective，it often is enough for you to continue reading intelligently without having to stop to look up the meaning of the word.After coming across the word a few more times，you will know its meaning more firmly than if you had just looked it up. 2.4 Using definition and restatement of the unknown word as a help
While you are annoyed by the new words in the process of reading，please at first pay attention to the sentence，paragraph or passage which the new words exist in.Because very often，among these surrounding words are various clues that suggest the meaning of the unknown word.Sometimes a writer will directly define a word that is probably unfamiliar to the reader.That’s definition.When definition is used，the writer usually explains the meaning of an unfamiliar word within the next sentence or two.For Examples：
2.4.1 The minister stood behind a lectern. A lectern is a tall stand used to hold a book for the speaker.When restatement is used，the meaning of a word is usually signaled by key words，like or，is called，that is，which is，or in other words.
2.4.2 My father gave a noncommittal answer，which was neither a yes nor a no.Suppose you don’t know the meaning of noncommittal before reading this sentence，but from the latter part of the sentence，we know that father’s answer is not definite and clear，so we can finally infer the meaning of noncommittal.
2.5 Using examples of the unknown word as a help
By studying the examples，you can often determine the meaning of unknown words.Example clues always provide you some specific examples of the unknown words .You derive the meaning of the unknown word by determining what the examples have in common.Example clues are usually introduced by the following words and phrases：such as，such，other，for example，and like. All in a word，the whole sentence would give you some clues to find out the meaning of the word you don’t know.Read the following sentence：
The scientist were experimenting with diesels and other engines.
You may not know what a diesel is.However，the word ‘other’ signals that a diesel belongs to the engine.That’s to say，it is a kind of engine.
2.6 Using the comparison and contrast of the unknown word as a help
Comparison and contrast are two common types of context clues.Comparison clues indicate that two or more things are alike.A comparison is possible because the known and unknown words have similarities.Key words used to signal comparisons include as，like，similarly，as well as，both，and likewise etc.Read this example.
2.6.1 Her crimson dress was like the red of a brilliant sunset
“Like” is used to compare dress to sunset.So the crimson dress has a similar characteristic with deep red sunset.
With contrast clues，you use the opposite of known information to determine the unknown word.Connecting words like however，yet，on the other hand，instead of，but，while，and although join the unknown word with another word that is its opposite.Example of Contrast Clue. 2.6.2 Dad found the trip enthralling even though Uncle Tom thought it was boring
Enthralling is contrasted with boring.The phrase “even though” suggests that bored Uncle Tom did not find the trip enthralling.Enthralling must mean the opposite of boring.
3.Conclusion
The above mentioned methods of finding out the meanings of the words can help you understand the reading materials more efficient.Try best to put them into practice.And all these offer important hints to improve vocabulary and to work out what the word might mean.But one suggestion is to keep reading if the word doesn’t seem significant or if you believe you’ve worked out the meaning correctly.If in an appropriate setting，however，don’t proceed.Make sure you look up the word to find out if you were right.If not，note where you went wrong and learn from it.So，next time you come across a word you don’t know and haven’t the time to reach for reference material，refer to these methods when working out word meanings and it might just save the day.
參考文献：
［1］Frank Gerace.How To Find The Meaning Of Words As You Read.
［2］Pikulski,JJ and Templeton,S 2004,Teaching and Developing Vocabulary：Key to Long-Term Reading Success,Houghton Mifflin Company.
［3］Greever,G & Bachelor,JM,1922,The Century Vocabulary Builder,The Century Co.，New York.
關键词：reading；meaning；unknown words；context clues
中图分类号：H03 文献标识码：A
文章编号：1009-0118（2012）09-0391-02
1.Introduction
Nowadays science and technology is well developed，reading is obviously the chief way from which we gain and exchange message.Reading plays a significant role in language learning.And it gives learners important and sufficient materials for language input.So in various grades of English tests，reading stands at the top of the world.Reading comprehension is a part of the communication process of getting the thoughts that were in the author''s mind into the reader''s，but how can the reader solve the problem of coming across many new words while reading? What is the best way to figure out the meaning of a new word? According to the importance of reading，more than one scholar points out methods to find out the meanings of the words.Maybe the easiest way can be given ，that’s a dictionary.But actually，looking up a word in a dictionary is not the first thing to do.That’s your last choice.Of course，expanding your vocabulary will be surely helpful greatly in reading.Here，I can also give you some small tips about finding out the meanings of words while reading.In fact，the meaning of unknown words in your reading sometimes can be known by their surroundings，that is，their contexts.Using the context of the paragraph to define unknown words can be helpful.
2.Finding out the meanings of words through the context clues
2.1 Using the logic of a passage as a help in reading
In a reading material，you can understand the passage through the context clues.
One of the common ways in which context provides clues about the meaning of an unknown word is through logic or general reasoning about the content of a sentence，or about the relationship of ideas within a sentence .Read the following sentence：
A group of animals hunting together can sometimes drive the hunted animal into a cul-de-sac：out onto a peak of high land，into a swamp or river，or into a gully from which it can’t escape.
Now suppose that you did not know the meaning of the term cul-de-sac before reading the sentence.From the mention of the places into which a hunted animal can be driven – a peak，a river，or a swamp – you realize that the hunters have caught the animal and that cul-de-sac means a desperate situation from which there is no escape. Suppose that before you read the sentence “The two philosophical theories were incompatible：one admitted the existence of free will; the other denied it.”，you didn’t know the meaning of the word incompatible.From the colon in this sentence，you know that the latter part of the sentence explains the meaning of this word，two theories are different absolutely，and they can not exist together，so from the information you can infer that incompatible has something to do with opposite.
2.2 Using word parts of the unknown word as a help in reading
Knowing the "building blocks" of the English language - prefixes，suffixes and root words – helps you to understand a word''s meaning.Word parts which are added at the beginning of a root word are called Prefixes.When in- is added at the beginning of the word complete，the new word incomplete which has an opposite meaning of the original word is formed.Other word parts which are added at the end of a base word are called suffixes.Add –ful to use，and the new word useful is formed.This method can help you enlarge your vocabulary，you will be able to understand the meaning of the words through the different meanings of these word parts.The following table will give you a brief introduction about the meaning of some affixes.
Affix Meaning Example
co- together，with co-operation
ex- former ex-wife
pre- before pre-exist
post- after post-war
dis-/un-/in-/
im-/il-/ir-/non- not irregular
inter- between international
anti- against antiwar
micro- small microbus
-er/-or/-ist one who… teacher
-able/ -ible/ -ble capable of comfortable
-tion condition; the act of action
-ism action or practice realism
-ic/ -ical having the nature of realistic
2.3 Using the part of speech of the unknown word as a help
Consider the word “bar”.Bar is a common word.But without surrounding words，you don’t know if it describes soap，a place that serves beer，a sand formation at the beach，a way to lock the door，or…
Readers often have trouble because they identify the literal but incorrect meaning of a word when they should identify the way it was used in the passage.By checking their part of speech and their place in context，readers can easily understand the meaning of the words.Once you know if the word is a noun or an adjective，it often is enough for you to continue reading intelligently without having to stop to look up the meaning of the word.After coming across the word a few more times，you will know its meaning more firmly than if you had just looked it up. 2.4 Using definition and restatement of the unknown word as a help
While you are annoyed by the new words in the process of reading，please at first pay attention to the sentence，paragraph or passage which the new words exist in.Because very often，among these surrounding words are various clues that suggest the meaning of the unknown word.Sometimes a writer will directly define a word that is probably unfamiliar to the reader.That’s definition.When definition is used，the writer usually explains the meaning of an unfamiliar word within the next sentence or two.For Examples：
2.4.1 The minister stood behind a lectern. A lectern is a tall stand used to hold a book for the speaker.When restatement is used，the meaning of a word is usually signaled by key words，like or，is called，that is，which is，or in other words.
2.4.2 My father gave a noncommittal answer，which was neither a yes nor a no.Suppose you don’t know the meaning of noncommittal before reading this sentence，but from the latter part of the sentence，we know that father’s answer is not definite and clear，so we can finally infer the meaning of noncommittal.
2.5 Using examples of the unknown word as a help
By studying the examples，you can often determine the meaning of unknown words.Example clues always provide you some specific examples of the unknown words .You derive the meaning of the unknown word by determining what the examples have in common.Example clues are usually introduced by the following words and phrases：such as，such，other，for example，and like. All in a word，the whole sentence would give you some clues to find out the meaning of the word you don’t know.Read the following sentence：
The scientist were experimenting with diesels and other engines.
You may not know what a diesel is.However，the word ‘other’ signals that a diesel belongs to the engine.That’s to say，it is a kind of engine.
2.6 Using the comparison and contrast of the unknown word as a help
Comparison and contrast are two common types of context clues.Comparison clues indicate that two or more things are alike.A comparison is possible because the known and unknown words have similarities.Key words used to signal comparisons include as，like，similarly，as well as，both，and likewise etc.Read this example.
2.6.1 Her crimson dress was like the red of a brilliant sunset
“Like” is used to compare dress to sunset.So the crimson dress has a similar characteristic with deep red sunset.
With contrast clues，you use the opposite of known information to determine the unknown word.Connecting words like however，yet，on the other hand，instead of，but，while，and although join the unknown word with another word that is its opposite.Example of Contrast Clue. 2.6.2 Dad found the trip enthralling even though Uncle Tom thought it was boring
Enthralling is contrasted with boring.The phrase “even though” suggests that bored Uncle Tom did not find the trip enthralling.Enthralling must mean the opposite of boring.
3.Conclusion
The above mentioned methods of finding out the meanings of the words can help you understand the reading materials more efficient.Try best to put them into practice.And all these offer important hints to improve vocabulary and to work out what the word might mean.But one suggestion is to keep reading if the word doesn’t seem significant or if you believe you’ve worked out the meaning correctly.If in an appropriate setting，however，don’t proceed.Make sure you look up the word to find out if you were right.If not，note where you went wrong and learn from it.So，next time you come across a word you don’t know and haven’t the time to reach for reference material，refer to these methods when working out word meanings and it might just save the day.
參考文献：
［1］Frank Gerace.How To Find The Meaning Of Words As You Read.
［2］Pikulski,JJ and Templeton,S 2004,Teaching and Developing Vocabulary：Key to Long-Term Reading Success,Houghton Mifflin Company.
［3］Greever,G & Bachelor,JM,1922,The Century Vocabulary Builder,The Century Co.，New York.