CRCB - Chapter 2

Summary

There are several types of contextual clues for understanding new words in conversation or reading, definition, example, punctuation and personal experience. I have always used contextual clues in understanding new words, but this can be a tricky business. I go to the dictionary whenever possible. The root of a word is the main part. Words can have prefixes and suffixes. Knowing how to combine the three helps build one’s vocabulary, in my case medical terminology. Word maps are helpful in understanding new words, using a definition, prediction, part of speech, and usage in sentences. Denotation is the dictionary definition of a word, and connotation adds to that definition with its own implied meanings. When I read I keep an online dictionary handy.

Exercises

1. a. sub-Saharan – South of Saharan Desert in Africa

b. nomadic – migratory

2. Tuareg is unacceptable because it denotes a nomadic tribe that has a connotation of slave-trading.