You can often determine the meaning of a word from its context – that is, from the way the word is used in a sentence. You normally don’t have to know the word’s precise meaning. You just have to figure out enough to understand the meaning in the sentence. EXAMPLE Christian hoped his boss would assent to his request for a day off so that he could attend his grandmother’s birthday party. 1. The word assent in this sentence most nearly means: A. Raise B. Agree C. Force D. Help

The sentence mentions that Christian requested a day off. This is the context clue we need. If the boss gives him the day off, or agrees to his request, then Christian can go to the party. The word assent must mean to “agree.” Another tip: You could substitute the four answer choices into the sentence in place of the word assent to see which makes the most sense.

You may be able to determine word meaning from context alone. Determine the meaning of the underlined words in the examples. Be able to explain your reasoning. EXAMPLE #1 Jim’s long nights in Greenland inured him to the cold. EXAMPLE #2 Weights word by divers enabled them to explore the benthic region of the ocean. EXAMPLE #3 Bob’s very limited budget requires that he take a parsimonious approach to gift expenditures.

You may be able to determine word meaning from context alone. EXAMPLE #1 Jim’s long nights in Greenland inured him to the cold. What does Inured mean in the sentence above? The context tells us that Jim’s long nights in Greenland had some impact on his reaction to cold. Nights in Greenland are cold. Someone who had spent long nights in Greenland would be accustomed to cold. Rethink the sentence: Jim’s long nights in Greenland accustomed him to (prepared him for, hardened him to ) the cold.

You may be able to determine word meaning from context alone. EXAMPLE #2 Jim’s long nights in Greenland inured him to the cold. What does Inured mean in the sentence above? The context tells us that Jim’s long nights in Greenland had some impact on his reaction to cold. Nights in Greenland are cold. Someone who had spent long nights in Greenland would be accustomed to cold. Rethink the sentence: Jim’s long nights in Greenland accustomed him to (prepared him for, hardened him to ) the cold.

You may be able to determine word meaning from context alone. EXAMPLE #2 Weight worn by divers enabled them to explore the benthic region of the ocean. What does benthic mean? The context tells us that benthic refers to a particular region of the ocean. Weights take divers deeper. So the benthic region is probably at or near the bottom of the ocean. Rethink the sentence: Weights enabled the divers to explore the region at the bottom of the ocean.

You may be able to determine word meaning from context alone. EXAMPLE #3 Bob’s very limited budget requires that he take a parsimonious approach to gift expenditures. What does parsimonious mean? The context tells us that it describes an approach to girt expenditures. A very limited budget means very limited expenditures. Parsimonious must mean something like very economical. Rethink the sentence: Bob’s very limited budget requires that he take a very economical approach to gift expenditures.

Synonyms can help you determine the meanings of words. Remember that a SYNONYM is a word that has the same or almost the same meaning as another word. Sometimes authors use synonyms that can help reveal the meanings of other words in a sentence. Determine the meaning of the underlined words in the examples. Be able to explain your reasoning. Try to underline the word that means the same. EXAMPLE #1 Doug’s presentations always seemed very haphazard, but Lynn’s talks were less desultory. EXAMPLE #2 It took years before a complicated piscatory treaty was signed by representatives of the two countries. As for me, I just like fishing.

EXAMPLE #1 Doug’s presentations always seemed very haphazard, but Lynn’s talks were less desultory. What does Desultory mean? The context tells us that it describes Lynn’s talks. We can tell form the context the desultory and haphazard have very similar meanings. Replace the word desultory with a word that means the same as haphazard. Rethink the sentence: Doug’s presentations always seemed very haphazard, but Lynn’s talks were less disorganized.

EXAMPLE #2 It took years before a complicated piscatory treaty was signed by representatives of the two countries. As for me, I just like fishing. What does Piscatory mean? The context tells us that it describes a treaty. We can tell from the context that piscatory and fishing have very similar meanings. Replace the word piscatory with the synonym fishing. Rethink the sentence: It took years before a complicated fishing treaty was signed by representatives of the two countries. As for me, I just like fishing.