PWU High School-Division

Taft Ave. Mla.

“7 Ways of Vocabulary Building”

Submitted by: Stacey Kate M. Posion

II-Courage

Submitted on:

Submitted to: Ms. Celis

 I. Context Clues – are the hints provided in text, which lead the
reader to meanings of words.

“6 ways of Context Clues”

1. By Example - Specific examples are used to define the term.

Clue words: Look for words or phrases like, that is,

to put it, another way, this, that, these, those, like, such
as, including, or consists of. Colons (: ) and dashes (-)
can also signal examples and by citing explanations.

Examples:
• That is
• To put it
• Another way
• I collect toys like cartoon characters, cute animals and
Barbie dolls.
• I love reading pocket books such as love story,
classical novel and comic strips.
• including
• My make-up kit consists of powder, lip gloss, cologne,
brush, wet wipes and sanitizer.
• Classes in public and private schools are suspended
today including college levels.
• ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
member countries: Philippines, Brunei Darrusalam,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam helps accelerate
economic growth and promote peace.
 • -Five (5) senses – sight, touch, smell, taste, and sound/

2. Use of Modifiers-Adjective and adverb using

descriptive phrases/clauses to classify as meaning.

Examples:
• Gloria M. Arroyo, the president, helped the poor.
• Shulamitte, Stacey Kate’s mother, watched the school
activity.
•

3. Definition-Giving the outright (literal) meaning of

words.
Clue words: Look for words or phrases like, is, are,
was, were, means, is/are called, or, is/are known as, such
as, can also signal by citing explanations.

Examples:
• Sampaguita is the national flower of the Philippines.
• Flurries are a light snow which falls for short time.
• A mammoth was a mammal that lived during Ice
Ages.
• The Ice Ages were a time when much of the earth was
covered by glaciers.
• Mythology means made-up or imaginary.
• Water that falls to the earth as rain or snow is called
precipitation.
• Are called
• In a blizzard, a snow accumulates, or piles up.
 • A light snow which falls from sky is known as
flurries.
• Rain, snow, fleet and other types of moisture that falls
from sky are known as precipitation.
• Such as

4. Re-statement-Explaining the meaning of a word

by giving other words.
Clue words: Look for words or phrases like, in
other words, to put it, this way.
Examples:
• In other words
• To put it
• This way

5. Polysemy-Words with similarity but different

meanings and usage (function).
Clue words: Look for words or phrases like,
Examples:
• heheheh

6. Comparison and Contrast-using contrast to

decipher (understand) the meaning of words.
Examples:
what a nice fellow you are and we all thought you so nasty
after three days of darkness, there’s light.
II. Affixation – is the act of attaching or affixing something.

Prefix Suffix

-Negative Prefixes- -Verb Suffixes-

1. non 1. ing
2. fy 2. un
3. dis 3. ed
4. ill 4. en
5. anti 5. ly
6. a
7. im

-Noun Prefixes- -Adjective Suffixes-

1. er 11.ey 21.ism 1. 11.less
2.or 12.ant 2.ble 12.ious
3.ence 13.ory 3. 13.ed
4.ness 14.ium 4.full 14.ly
5.ee 15.ity 5.en
6.ess 16.ance 6.w
7.ery 17.ion 7.ious
8.ian 18.ship 8.ic
9.ist 19.ment 9.able
10.hood 20.ary 10.ing
III. Synonym – is one of two or more words or expressions of the same
or meaning in some or all senses.
Examples:
• decent, nice -- (socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous; "from a decent
family"; "She is a nice girl.”
• amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome, awful, awing -- (inspiring awe or admiration or
wonder; "New York is an amazing city"; "the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight";
"the awesome complexity of the universe"; "this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem
to speak of some hidden soul beneath"- Melville; "Westminster Hall's awing majesty, so
vast, so high, so silent")
• supply, provide, render, furnish -- (provide or furnish with; "We provided the room with
an electrical heater" put up, provide, offer -- (mount or put up; "put up a good fight";
• love -- (a strong positive emotion of regard and affection; "his love for his work";
"children need a lot of love passion -- (any object of warm affection or devotion; "the
theater was her first love" or "he has a passion for cock fighting
• important, of import -- (of great significance or value; "important people"; "the important
questions of the day significant, important -- (important in effect or meaning; "a
significant change in tax laws"; "a significant change in the Constitution"
• strong -- (having strength or power greater than average or expected; "a strong radio
signal"; "strong medicine"; "a strong man") solid, strong, substantial -- (of good quality
and condition; solidly built; "a solid foundation"; "several substantial timber buildings
• cool -- (the quality of being cool: "the cool of early morning cool, chill, cool down --
(make cool or cooler; "Chill the food
• friend -- (a person you know well and regard with affection and trust; "he was my best
friend at the university ally, confederate, friend -- (an associate who provides assistance;
"he's a good ally in fight"; "they were friends of the workers acquaintance, friend -- (a
person with whom you are acquainted; "I have trouble remembering the names of all my
acquaintances
• experience -- (the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct
participation in events or activities; "a man of experience"; "experience is the best teacher
• feel, experience -- (undergo an emotional sensation; "She felt resentful"; "He felt regret I
know the feeling!

IV.Antonym – is one of two or more words with opposite or nearly

opposite meanings.

1. light -- (an illuminated area; "he stepped into the lightbright sunlit room
dark, darkness -- (absence of light or illumination)
2. small, little -- (limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent; "a
little dining room"; "a small house"; "read the small print"; "a little (or small) group
big, large, prominent -- (conspicuous in position or importance; "a big figure in the movement";
"big man on campus"; "he's very large in financial circles"; "a prominent citizen
3. happy -- (enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure or good fortune; "a happy
smile"; "spent many happy days on the beach"; "a happy marriage
sad -- (experiencing or showing or causing sorrow or unhappiness; "feeling sad because his dog
had died"; "a sad movie"; "sad news"; "
4. quiet -- (free of noise or uproar; or making little if any sound; "a quiet audience at the
concert"; "the room was dark and quiet
noisy -- (full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds; "a noisy cafeteria"; "a small
noisy dog
5. hot -- (used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving
off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning; "hot stove"; "hot water"; "a
hot August day"; "a hot stuffy room"; "she's hot and tired
cold, coldness -- (the sensation produced by low temperatures; "he shivered from the colda"; "the
cold helped clear his head
6. dirty, soiled, unclean -- (soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime; "dirty unswept
sidewalks"; "a child in dirty overalls"; "dirty slums"; "piles of dirty dishes"; "put his dirty
feet on the clean sheet
clean, make clean -- (make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from; "Clean the
stove!"; "The dentist cleaned my teeth
7. few -- (an indefinite but relatively small number; "they bought a case of beer and drank a
few
many -- ((quantifier used with count nouns; often preceded by `as' or `too' or `so' or `that')
amounting to a large but indefinite number; "many temptations"; "the temptations are many"; "a
good many"; "a great many"; "many directions"; "take as many apples as you like"; "too many
clouds to see"; "never saw so many people
8. push, bear on -- (press, drive, or impel to action; "He pushed the table into a corner
pull, pulling -- (the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you ‘pull
the rope”
9. fat -- (having much flesh (especially fat); "he hadn't remembered how fat she was
slender, thin -- (very narrow; "a thin line across the page
10. open, clear -- (a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water: "finally broke
out of the forest into the open"the concert was held in the open air"; "camping in the open
close, shut -- (move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut; "Close the door";
"shut the window

V. Homonym – is a word that sounds or is spelled the same as

another word but has a different meaning.
Examples:
• ade – fruit beverage
• aid to assist
• aide an assistant

bow - To bend forward at the waist in respect (e.g. "bow down

bow - the front of the ship (e.g. "bow and stern
bow - the weapon which fires arrows (e.g. "bow and arrow
bow - a kind of tied ribbon (e.g. bow on a present, a bowtie
bow - to bend outward at the sides (e.g. a "bow-legged" cowboy
bough - a branch on a tree. (e.g. "when the bough breaks
cent one hundredth of a peso
scent an aroma
sent dispatched

do first note of a diatonic scale

doe a female deer
dough uncooked bread

find to locate
fined to pay a penalty

gays a frisky gathering

gaze a languid look

hear to listen
here at this location

knead working bread dough

need must have

loan allow to borrow

lone by itself

marry to join in matrimony

merry happy

VI.Idioms” ~ is a phrase or speech form or an expression where the

words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the
individual wordsl

Examples:
1. be a piece of cake: be very easy.

"Stacey said the test was difficult, but I thought it was a piece of cake.""

2. burn the midnight oil: study/work all night or until very, very late at night.

"I'm not ready for the test tomorrow. I guess I'll have toburn the the midnight oil."

3. call it a day: stop work for the day.

"It's late and you've accomplished a lot. Why don't you call it a day?"

4. for ages: for a very long time.

"Where's Stacey Kate? I haven't seen her for ages."

5. grab a bite: get something to eat.

"I'm really hungry. Would you like to grab a bite with me?"

6. How come?: Why? (statement word order).

"How come you weren't at the party, Kate?"

7. Let sleeping dogs lie.: Don't cause problems by doing something when it isn't
necessary.

"I know that what Julie said made you angry, but let sleeping dogs lie. If you say or do
anything, you'll only make things worse."

8. make up one's mind: decide what to do.

“I like grapes and apples, which one should I take. I can't make up my mind.”

9. rain or shine: (describing something scheduled) no matter what the weather is.

"We're leaving tomorrow, rain or shine."

10. You've got to be kidding!: You can't be serious! (What you said can't be true.
What you said is very surprising/hard to believe.) "

"Did I really win the 1 million pesos lotto?You've got to be kidding!"

7. Polysemy – is a word or phrase with multiple meanings and occurs

when a word, or small group of words, has two or more related meanings.
Examples:
bank
• Deposit your money in the bank.
• I am your friend you can bank on me.

mole
• A small burrowing mammal or mole, ruined my garden.
• Your friend is a mole, or a spy in our team.
 milk
• Milk the cow.
• A glass of milk is a good source of calcium.

tree
• The Banaba tree is medicinal tree.
• Mount Apo is a geographical area with many trees.

glare
• The sun glared down from the sky.
• The angry girl glared at the boy who stepped on her foot.

bright
• The stars are bright tonight.
• She is a bright student in the class.

farm
• The farm is pest-free.
• It is difficult to farm this land.

open
• The store is open.
• The thief tried to open the door.

window
• The window is closed.
• The window is made of glass.

ship
• The ship will leave tonight.
• The courier will ship the package tomorrow.