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In addition to the Internal Context of Structure clues for a word, (see Section VI of WP above) readers are
frequently told to find the meaning of an unknown word in the surrounding context — i.e. from the words or
phrases before or after the unknown word «X». This is wonderful advice if it works: unfortunately, the context
does not always provide the reader with the clues needed. The following exercises are designed to help you
recognize the contextual clues, if and when they exist in your text.
Deriving Meaning from Context                                                                    
(Do not use a dictionary for these exercises)
7.1 The context can sometimes help you with the meaning of an unknown word without your having to go to
the dictionary. Although there are severe limits to the meaning the context alone can give, it can help to reveal
meaning in several ways. Try to figure out the meaning of each of the difficult words in the examples below:
1. The context can help by re-stating the idea expressed by the word (i.e., by providing a definition). Most
organisms are aerobes; that is, they require oxygen to live.
«aerobe» means: ______________________.
2. The context can help by restating the idea expressed by the difficult word using several simpler words.
The Germans left the Czech village of Lidice devastated: it was totally destroyed.
«devastated» means: ____________________.
3. The context can help by providing examples illustrating the meaning of the difficult word: Innards, such
as hearts, kidneys and livers, are eaten more enthusiastically in some cultures than in others.
«Innards» means: _____________________.
4. The context can help by telling us what the word does not mean (here introduced by the word «but»,
signalling a contrasting idea) . The word "sea" usually refers to a body of water that is saline, but the water in
the Sea of Galilee is relatively sweet.
«saline» means: ______________________.
5. The context can help by allowing us to infer the meaning of the word from what it tells us about the
concept that the word refers to. The doorway was so low that when he entered the room he hit his head on the
lintel.
«lintel» means:_______________________.
6. The context can help by telling us what facts lying in the storehouse of our general knowledge we should
call on for help.
Of all the five senses, the one dogs depend upon most is the olfactory sense.
«Olfactory» means:_____________________.
Exercise B:
Determine the meaning of each underlined word from the context. You may write the meanings in Russian.
1. Insect fecundity is frightening: many kinds of insects lay hundreds or even thousands of eggs at one time.
«fecundity» means»:_____________________.
2. Mozart manifested his dislike of Salzburg by choosing to live much of his life outside that city.
«to manifest» means:____________________.
3. Many works of art were salvaged from the flood in Florence in 1966, but Cimabue's «Crucifix» was very
badly damaged.
«to salvage» means:_____________________.
4. Dr. Burns's research sounded much more impressive when he described it as petrology rather than simply
the study of rocks.
«petrology» means:_____________________.
5. Scientists rejected first the idea of a geocentric universe and then of a heliocentric one as they discovered
that neither the earth nor the sun is at the center of the universe.
«geocentric» means: _____________________.
«heliocentric» means: _____________________.
6. The terminal points of the Egged bus lines 9 and 28 are Mt. Scopus and Givat Ram.
«Terminal» means: _____________________.
7. Through Conan Doyle's stories the character of Sherlock Holmes has taken on so much verisimilitude that
we tend to forget that, in reality, there was no such person.
«verisimilitude» means:__________________.
8. One characteristic property of gases is their thermal expansion: all gases increase in volume when their
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