Vocabulary Strategy
Verify Word Meanings
When you encounter an unfamiliar word, you can use context clues and your own knowledge to guess what it means. Then you can verify its meaning in a dictionary or other reference source. Follow these steps:
Examine the word. Is it a version of a word you know? Check to see if any parts of the word—prefix, base word, root, suffix—are familiar to you. Considering the etymology, or derivation of a word, can help you understand the word as well as the phrase it appears in.
Look for context clues in the surrounding text.
Guess what the word means. Then look it up in a dictionary.
If the dictionary entry lists several definitions, select the one that fits the context.
For More Help
Interactive Vocabulary Lesson: Using Reference Sources
PRACTICE AND APPLY
Locate each boldfaced word below in the text. Apply the steps above. Write both your definition and the one you verify in a dictionary.1. “an associate professor of sociology” (paragraph 3)
Definition: a person who holds the rank of professor in a college or university but has not yet achieved the rank of full professor
Dictionary Verification: a teacher of the highest rank in a college or university who has the authority to teach and make judgments about the work of others