INFERRING MEANING FROM
CONTEXT
ENG. 213
Prof. Miguel A. Arce Ramos
PUCPR
Contents
• Vocabulary
Lists
Unit 1
Unit 2
• Process of Finding
out new words
according to their
context in text.
• The Process
of Inferring
Unit 3
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What is inferring?
 When we encounter a new word, a good strategy to use is to
infer.
 When we infer, we make an educated guess.
 However, you may not always able to infer an exact meaning.
 But, you will get a general understanding of what the word
means.
3
Benefits of Inferring
Text
You
infer.
You encounter a
word you do not
know.
Most likely you
will understand
the message
transmitted.
4
Benefits of Inferring
It allows you to continue
reading.
It helps you better
understand vocabulary.
Comprehension
It helps you remember
the word in the future.
5
Guidelines for inferring
 Analyze the way a word is used in a sentence.
 Ask yourself, what part of speech the word is?
 Look at the words that are used with it. These will often
determine meaning.
 Think about the topic and the meaning of the sentence.
How does the word fit in?
6
Example of Inferring
 The president’s spokesman said that it was too early to
comment on the outcome of the meeting.
 One unfortunate outcome of the elections was that both
parties were weaker than before.
 The outcome of hospital-based treatment was clearly better
than home-based treatment.
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ANALYSIS OF THE WORD OUTCOME
What is the meaning of the word outcome?
8
Analysis of the word outcome
 In sentence #1
 The president’s spokesman said that it was too early to comment
on the outcome of the meeting.
 Before the word outcome, you have the word the.
 The word occurs in the predicate of the sentence.
 After, the word outcome you have a prepositional phrase.
 Is outcome a noun, verb, adjective or adverb?
9
Analysis of the word outcome
 In sentence #2
 One unfortunate outcome of the elections was that both parties
were weaker than before.
 Before the word outcome, you have the word unfortunate.
 The word occurs in the subject of the sentence.
 After, the word outcome you have a prepositional phrase.
 Is outcome a noun, verb, adjective or adverb?
10
Analysis of the word outcome
 In sentence #3
 The outcome of hospital-based treatment was clearly better than
home-based treatment.
 Before the word outcome, you have the word the.
 The word occurs in the subject of the sentence.
 After, the word outcome you have a prepositional phrase.
 Is outcome a noun, verb, adjective or adverb?
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Analysis of the word outcome
After analyzing
the word
outcome, you can
probably figure
out its meaning.
The word
outcome is a
noun.
The word
outcome means
the result or
effect of
something.
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Exercise #7
 At the beginning of World War II, when the Germans moved into
northern France, they searched the towns and countryside for
escaping French soldiers, who were sent to prisoner-of-war camps in
Germany.
 Next, they tried to zep all the guns or other arms they could find,
though many people hid theirs on farms or underground.
 The Germans also took all the horses from farms and towns, because
they were needed in the army.
 This loss really hurt the French, since the lack of gasoline made
horses necessary to work the farms and for transport.
 Not long after this, the Germans zepped radios as well, so that people
could not listen to foreign news reports.
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Exercise #7
 What part of speech is the word zep?
 Zep is a verb.
 What words are found around it?
 they tried to zep all the guns
 the Germans zepped radios
 What word or phrase can replace it?
 they tried to take all the guns
 the Germans took radios
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Exercise #8
 The foreign news reporters had been warned not to dress in a way that
marked them obviously as foreigners.
 They were also told not to walk down the middle of the street, where they
could be a zeem for enemies on the roofs.
 They should always stay close to the buildings, ready to run into a doorway
if they heard or saw anything suspicious.
 They should always wear a bulletproof vest. They all did as they had been
told, but still did not feel safe.
 It was impossible not to think of the colleagues who had been wounded and
killed in these streets. They walked quickly, looking up at the rooftops.
 There was no telling when and where a sharpshooter might decide it was
time for zeem practice—and they rarely missed their zeem.
15
Exercise #8
 What part of speech is the word zeem?
 Zeem is a noun. But, in the second sentence it functions as an
adjective.
 What words are found around it?
 they could be a zeem for enemies
 where a sharpshooter might decide it was time for zeem
practice—and they rarely missed their zeem.
 What word or phrase can replace it?
 they could be a target for enemies
 where a sharpshooter might decide it was time for target
practice—and they rarely missed their target.
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Exercise #10
 Even at [the Gypsies'] home I was never allowed to be alone: not ever.
 The Dukas did not share gadjo [non-Gypsy] notions of or need for
privacy.
 Or for quiet.
 The more and the noisier the better was their creed—one that I found
to be universal among Roma.
 There was something wrong with you, some shame, if you had to be
alone.
 The Gypsies have endured unimaginable hardships, but one could be
sure that loneliness wasn't one of them.
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Exercise #10
 What part of speech is the word creed?
 Creed is a noun.
 What words are found around it?
 The more and the noisier the better was their creed—one that I
found to be universal among Roma.
 What word or phrase can replace it?
 Group, clan, etc.
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Homework
 Read pages Unit 3 (pages 36-46) from Advanced Reading
Power.
 Do Exercises 1-10 of the unit.
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