几种推断词义的方法



一、利用定义线索进行词义推测

定义是作者在文章中为明确表达思想,对某些关键概念、复杂术语或词汇所作的解释。这些解释针对性强,有助于我们推测词义。例如,“Kinetic energy is the energy of moving particles.” 如果“Kinetic energy”是生词,根据定义,其表语描述了主语的特征,因此可以推测“Kinetic energy”意为“运动粒子的能量”。又如,“Typhoons are cyclones, storms with strong winds rotating around a low-pressure center.” 若“cyclones”未知,其后的解释“绕低气压中心形成的暴风雨”即为线索,可推断“cyclones”指“绕低气压中心旋转的暴风雨”。这类定义句中常见的谓语动词有:be, mean, deal with, be considered, to be, refer to, be called, be known as, define, represent, signify, constitute等。

二、通过进一步阐述推测词义

虽然进一步阐述不如定义那般精确详尽,但提供的信息足以帮助我们推测生词词义。复述部分可能由词语、短语或句子构成。例如,“Experts in kinesics, in their study of body motion as related to speech, hope to discover new methods of communication.” 逗号中的短语表明是对“kinesics”的研究领域,即“对肢体语言的研究”,因此“kinesics”可推测为“肢体语言学”。这种复述中,同位关系常用逗号连接,有时也使用破折号、冒号、分号、引号或括号等。同位语前常伴随副词或短语,如or, similarly, that is to say, in other words, namely, or other等。另一种形式是定语从句,如“Obesity, which is a medical disorder that affects approximately 20-30% of the population of the United States of America. It is an excessive accumulation of body fat that results from the storage of excess food energy calories in the body's fat cells.” 根据非限制性定语从句,可推测“obesity”意为“过度肥胖”。

三、依据实例推测词义

恰当的实例能为推测生词词义提供重要线索。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”作为“epochal”的实例,帮助我们推测“epochal”大致意为“重要的”。

四、根据上下文语境推测词义

例如,“Computers have been used for most kinds of crime, including fraud, theft, larceny, embezzlement, burglary, sabotage, murder, and forgery, since the first cases were reported in 1985.” 句中虽有许多生词,但通过“crime”和“murder”可推测这些词都与犯罪相关。在考试中,了解大致类别即可。再如,“Goran Ivanisevic fears only one service in tennis -- Michael Stichs. His toss is always the same: the straight one or the topspin. Sampras has a good serve and Becker too, but Stichs is the toughest to read.” 句中多为网球术语,通过上下文,特别是认识的词,可推测“service”在网球中指“发球”动作。

五、依据对比关系推测词义

句子或段落中对比性描述的两个事物或现象,可根据生词的反义词推测其词义。例如,“Unlike her gregarious sister, Jane is a shy, unsociable person who does not like to go to parties or to make new friends.” “gregarious”对许多人而言可能是生词,但“unlike”提示其与“unsociable”形成对比,因此可推测“gregarious”意为“爱交际的”。

六、根据常识线索推测词义

这是指根据篇章以外的知识推测词义。有时仅凭篇章内部逻辑关系无法推测,需借助生活经验和常识。例如,“The cat came quickly through the grass towards the birds. When it was just a few feet from the victim, it gathered its legs under itself and pounced.” 若“pounce”未知,可根据常识推测猫看见鸟时,通常会先收起爪子再突然攻击,因此“pounce”意为“突然攻击”。再如,“It's really cold out tonight. My hands are practically numb.” 根据生活经验,天气寒冷时手会“冻僵的,冻得麻木的”。

七、利用构词法推测词义

这包括利用前缀、后缀及合成词推测词义。

7.1 前缀、后缀推测词义

英语中前缀、后缀众多,且特定缀往往表示特定含义。例如,“He had been overworking and fell ill at last.” “overwork”由前缀“over-”加动词构成,表示“超过、过于”,因此“overwork”意为“劳累过度”。常见前缀还有:mis-表示“错、误”,如“misfortune不幸”、“mislead误导”;mid-表示“中央”,如“midnight半夜”、“midway半路”;under-表示“低于”,如“underdone半生不熟的”、“underestimate低估”;anti-表示“反对”,如“antibody抗体”、“anticyclone反气旋”。常见后缀如“-ty”常用于名词,如“dream”加“-ty”为“dreamty”(虽不常见,但原理如此);“-ize”常用于及物动词,如“realize”、“modernize”。

7.2 合成词推测词义

“Family members take turns choosing a special activity for the evening, and everyone partakes in it for fun.” 根据短语构成及上下文,可推测“partakes in”相当于“takes part in”。再如,“break out”与“outbreak”、“set out”与“outset”、“come in”与“income”等合成词,均可通过分解推测词义。

猜测是雅思阅读中的重要技巧。通过积累词汇、大量练习,结合上述方法,可更有效地理解文章意思,提高英语水平。英语学习需日积月累,善于发现并应用规律与技巧。

以上为辛达代报名小编总结的内容,希望能够帮助到大家。