在英语学习中,我们自然会遇到许多生词。这时,许多人立即翻阅字典,查找词义。其实,这种做法是不科学的。它不但费时费力,而且影响阅读速度。事实上,阅读材料中的每个词与它前后的词语或句子甚至段落有着互相制约的关系。我们可以利用语境推测、判断某些生词的词义。猜测词义时,可利用以下线索:
一、针对性解释
针对性解释是作者为了更好的表达思想,在文章中对一些重要的概念、难懂的术语或 词汇等所作的解释。这些解释提供的信息具有明确的针对性,利用它们猜词义比较容易。
1、根据定义猜测词义
如果生词是句子或段落所解释的定义,理解句子或段落本身就是推断词义。
【例一】anthropology is the scientific study of man.
由定义可知,anthropology就是研究人类的科学。
【例二】In slang the term jam constitutes a state of being in which a person finds himself or herself in a difficult situation.
同样,从上下文的定义可知jam一词在俚语中的意思是困境。
定义句的谓语动词多为:be, mean, deal with, be considered, to be, refer to, be called, be known as, define, represent, signify, constitute等。
2、根据复述猜测词义
虽然复述不如定义那样严谨、详细,但是提供的信息足以使阅读者猜出生词词义。复述部分可以适当词、短语或是从句。
1)同位语
【例一】Semantics, the study of the meaning of words, is necessary if you are to speak and read intelligently.
此例逗号中短语意为对词意义进行研究的学科。该短语与前面生词semanties是同位关系,因此我们不难猜出semanties指语义学。
在复述中构成同位关系的两部分之间多用逗号连接,有时也使用破折号、冒号、分号、引号、和括号等。
【例二】Capacitance, or the ability to store electric charge, is one of the most common characteristics of electronic circuits.
由同位语我们很快猜出生词capacitance词义电容量。需要注意的是:同位语前还常有or, similarly, that is to say, in other words, namely, or other等副词或短语出现。
2)定语从句
【例如】Krabacber suffers from SAD, which is short for seasonal affective disorder, a syndrome characterized by severe seasonal mood swings.
根据生词SAD后面定语从句which is short for seasonal affective disorder和同位语a syndrome characterized by severe seasonal mood swings, 我们可以推断出SAD含义,即季节性情绪紊乱症。
3、根据举例猜测词义
恰当的举例能够提供猜测生词的重要线索。
【例如】The consequences of epochal events such as wars and great scientific discoveries are not confined to a small geographical area as they were in the past.
句中战争和重大科学发现是生词的实例,通过它们我们可以猜出epochal的大致词义重要的,这与其确切含义划时代的十分接近。
二、 内在逻辑关系
根据内在逻辑关系推测词义是指运用语言知识分析和判断相关信息之间存在的逻辑关系,然后根据逻辑关系推断生词词义或大致义域。
1、根据对比关系猜测词义
在一个句子或段落中,有对两个事物或现象进行对比性的描述,我们可以根据生词或难词的反义词猜测其词义。
【例一】Andrew is one of the most supercilious men I know. His brother, in contrast, is quite humble and modest.
该例中supercilious对许多人来说可能是个生词,但是句中短语in contrast可以提示我们:supercilious和后面词组humble and modest是对比关系。分析出这种关系后,我们便能猜出supercilious意为目空一切的,傲慢的。
表示对比关系的词汇和短语主要是unlike,not,but,however,despite,in spite of,in contrast 和while 引导的并列句等。
【例二】A good supervisor can recognize instantly the adept workers from the unskilled ones.
该句中并未出现上面提到的表示对比关系的词或短语,但是通过上下文可以判断出句子前后是对比关系,即把熟练工人与非熟练工人区分开。这时我们也能够推断出生词adept的词义熟练的。
2、根据比较关系猜测词义
同对比关系相反,比较关系表示意义上的相似关系。
【例如】Green loves to talk,and his brothers are similarly loquacious.
该句中副词similarly表明短语loves to talk与生词loquacious之间的比较关系。以此可以推断出loquacious词义为健谈的。
表示比较关系的词和短语主要是similarly,like,just as,also等。
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