Guessing Meanings From Context
Learners who can guess the meanings of words from context are able to read and decipher words independently, outside of class and are prepared for the vocabulary included in standardized tests such as the TOEFL.
Linguist Paul Nation suggests teaching students the following procedure for guessing the meaning of words in context.
1. Look at the unknown word and identify its part of speech. For example, is it a noun, verb, or adjective?
2. Next, look at the sentence containing the unknown word. If the word is a noun, what adjectives describe it? If it is a verb, then what nouns go with it?
3. Study the relationship between the sentence containing the unknown word and the other sentences. Are there cues like conjunctions (because, but, if)? Are there any adverbs (however)? The possible types of relationships are cause and effect, contrasts, and summary .
4. Try to guess the meaning of the word.
5. Use an English-English dictionary to see if you were correct.
New Ways in Teaching Vocabulary by Paul Nation.