There will usually be some words in the text that you don’t understand. The important thing is to be able to ‘read around’ the unknown words. These tips will help you learn how to do this.
- Don’t worry about difficult vocabulary.
- Use the context to help you understand the meaning. Read the whole sentence and the sentences before and after.
- What type of word is it? A noun? A verb? An adjective? An adverb?
- Does the word have a positive or negative meaning?
- Look for synonyms in the text. Well written texts use synonyms rather than repeating the same word. If you don’t know the word, it may be a synonym of another word in the text.
- Think about the topic. Which words do you know related to the topic?
- Is the word similar to another word you know? E.g. birth is similar to birthday.
- Is the word similar to a word in your language?
Discussion
How well did you do in the exercise? Do you think the tips will help you in your next exam?
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