1. Inferring Meaning From Context
ENG. 213
Prof. Miguel A. Arce Ramos
PUCPR

2. Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Contents Vocabulary Lists
Process of Finding out new words according to their context in text.
Unit 2
The Process of Inferring
Unit 3

3. 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.

4. You infer. Text Benefits of Inferring
You encounter a word you do not know.
You infer.
Most likely you will understand the message transmitted.

5. Benefits of Inferring Comprehension
It allows you to continue reading.
It helps you better understand vocabulary.
It helps you remember the word in the future.

6. 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?

7. 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.

8. Analysis of the word outcome
What is the meaning of the word outcome?

9. 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?

10. 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?

11. 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?

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. Homework Read pages Unit 3 (pages 36-46) from Advanced Reading Power.
Do Exercises 1-10 of the unit.