When you read,
how do you deal with
words you don't know
without interrupting your reading?
You know... when you're
reading something because
you want to learn the information,
but you keep running into words
you don't know.
Do you look all the words up?
Then, you go back to the text
and realize
you forgot where you were,
you must re-read
the whole paragraph...
Stopping to look words up
disrupts your reading.
It just doesn't work too well.
Calm down...
there's a solution for that.
[♫]
Hi! Marc here.
Welcome to Snap Language.
In a previous video, we saw that
the language has so many words
you'll very likely run into
words you don't know.
Well, the next time you're reading
to learn content,
don't let these unknown words
get in the way
and slow you down.
Instead, don't stop reading.
Simply try to figure out
the meaning of the word.
Take just a few seconds to find clues
that are right there in the text
(though we sometimes just miss them).
These are called "context clues."
See if the author provided
synonyms or antonyms...
or maybe a definition or
an explanation of the word.
Try to guess the meaning of the word
using the general sense of the paragraph
or things you already know
about the topic.
First let's see how sometimes
the author gives you
a synonym to help you
understand a word or expression.
Let's say you read a sentence like this:
In his speech, the president tried to
assuage people's concerns
about the economy.
Indeed, his excellent speech
put everyone
more at ease.
What on earth does "assuage" mean?
Wait! Before reaching for a dictionary,
examine the context.
You can see that the author compares
two similar ideas:
that the president tried to assuage
people's concerns and that
"indeed" he or she was successful
at doing just that
and did put people more at ease.
So, by restating the ideas,
the author practically gave you
a synonym for "assuage."
So, to "assuage a concern" is
to make it less of a concern.
It means to make something
less severe or serious.
Now that the sentence makes sense,
you can keep on reading.
You can always underline or
highlight the word;
and look it up, study it,
add it to your word list...
but only after you have read
and understood passage.
Sometimes the opposite,
or an antonym,
is what you find in the text.
Let's look at this example,
and see if you can figure out
the meaning of the word "equanimity."
Whenever his second wife's
emotional instability
surfaced, John found himself missing
the equanimity in his first marriage.
Mm... the author pretty much tells
what equanimity means by
contrasting it to what it is not.
When John's second wife has
moments of emotional instability,
he misses the equanimity
or emotional stability in his
first marriage.
John misses something
he used to have but
doesn't have anymore.
So, from the context, you get that
"equanimity" is contrasted with
or an antonym for
"emotional instability," so it means
emotional stability,
composure, or
calmness.
Now, let's look at another example
using the word "quidnunc."
Maybe you already the word.
If not, pause the video,
see if you can guess the
meaning of quidnunc
using context clues,
then start the video again
to check the answer.
"Tabloids, which mostly sensationalize
the news
(or even make news up),
make their money on quidnuncs
ready to be in everyone's business."
Pause the video now
and use the context clues
to try to figure out the meaning of
"quidnuncs."
Did you figure it out?
I hope you didn't use a dictionary
because you didn't really have to.
Let's see...
from the context, you see that
the author explained that
a tabloid is a type of publication
that sells gossip or
even made-up news.
Now, "quidnuncs" is a funny little word
you probably had to think
a little bit about.
From the context, you see that
quidnuncs are people who are
interested in tabloids,
so a quidnunc is a person who's
eager to know the news and gossip.
A quidnunc is essentially a gossip
or a busybody.
That's it! If you pay attention to
what's around the text,
or the context,
you'll see that many times
the information you need
to figure out the meaning of the word
is right there!
This way, you can focus on reading
and understanding what you're reading
without having to stop
and look up words all the time.
It takes just a few seconds to do that.
The writer may have restated the idea
to give you a synonym.
Sometimes the author gives you
an antonym or
explains what something is not
or contrasts ideas
with opposite meanings.
Next, we'll see how you can also infer
the meaning of a word
from the general sense
of the sentence, paragraph,
or even the passage.
For now, start thinking about
what you do when you find
a word you don't know
while you're reading.
Have you noticed these
context clues before?
Do you look for them
when you're reading?
Snap Language is meant to be
a community of learners
supporting each other, so
share your experiences with us.
Don't forget to like this video and
subscribe to the Snap Language
YouTube channel...
Until the next one...
thanks for stopping by
and watching this video.
[♫]