1. Chapter 2: Vocabulary Building
Reading Across the Disciplines: College Reading and Beyond, 3/e Kathleen McWhorter
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2. In this chapter you will learn:
How to use context clues to strengthen your vocabulary.
How to use word parts to strengthen your vocabulary:
Prefixes
Roots
Suffixes
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Types of Context Clues
Definition
Example
Contrast
Logic of the Passage
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Definition Clues
The writer gives a brief definition or synonym.
Example: Corona refers to the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere.
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5. Types of Punctuation That Signal Definition Clues
Commas
Five-line rhyming poems, or limericks, are among the simplest forms of poetry.
(Continued)
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6. Types of Punctuation That Signal Definition Clues
Parentheses
A leading cause of heart disease is a diet with too much cholesterol (a fatty substance made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen).
(Continued)
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7. Types of Punctuation That Signal Definition Clues
Dashes
Ancient Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics—pictures used to represent words.
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Example Clues
Writers include examples that help to explain or clarify a word.
Example: Toxic materials, such as arsenic, asbestos, pesticides, and lead, can cause bodily damage.
Example: Legumes, such as peas and beans, produce pods.
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Contrast Clues
A word or phrase with the opposite meaning of an unknown word provides a clue to its meaning.
Example: Most of the graduate students were elated, though a few felt sad and depressed.
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10. Logic of the Passage Clues
Sometimes you can figure out the meaning of an unknown word by using logic and reasoning skills.
Example: We had to leave the car and walk up because the incline was too steep to drive.
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11. Learning Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes
The word trichromatic can be divided into three parts: its prefix, root, and suffix.
Prefix—tri (three)
Root — chrome (color)
Suffix — atic (characteristic of)
Trichromatic — having three colors
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12. Learning Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes
Prefixes appear at the beginning of many English words.
Roots carry the basic or core meaning of a word.
Suffixes are word endings that often change the part of speech of a word.
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13. General Rules about Word Parts
Most words are built upon at least one root.
Words can have more than one prefix, root, or suffix.
Words do not always have a prefix and a suffix.
The spelling of roots may change as they are combined with suffixes.
Some word parts have the same meaning.
Prefixes and roots do not always carry the assumed meaning.
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Resources for Chapter 2
Table 2.1 has Common Prefixes
Table 2.2 has Common Roots
Table 2.3 has Common Suffixes
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15. Visit the Companion Website
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