How do you deal with unfamiliar words?

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JodyVamp
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Re: How do you deal with unfamiliar words?

Post by JodyVamp »

I do the same thing, use context clues. If this doesn't help or I want a more concise definition, that's when my love of Kindle comes in: I highlight the word and it pulls up the dictionary entry and special usages. This also keeps a tab for me on my goodreads account so I can remember words I don't usually see/use to grow my vocabulary.
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Post by holsam_87 »

When I come across words that I'm not familiar with, I also use context clues to find out the meaning of the word. If that doesn't work, I look it up and find how to pronounce it too. I also have a friend that has a degree in Creative Writing, so I ask her the meaning of words when I am with her.
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Post by Booklover_CRJ »

I always use context clues to figure out the meaning of a word but when that fails (or I want a greater understanding) I double tap on my Kindle and get a definition. If I'm reading a hardcover book I just ask google for the definition. I also love to use Google translate as well. I'm reading a series and one of the characters comes from Russia and uses Russian words/phrases and Kindle never knows what the words are. I've had fun looking the words/phases up to see what exactly he's saying.
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Post by Lipscombpc »

I agree with using context clues but sometimes I'll just do a quick google!
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SparklesonPages
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Post by SparklesonPages »

I use Context clues for sure but I may google to get a full understanding of the meaning.
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Post by RLDunnAuthor »

Kindle is great with it's dictionary, but if not I look them up.
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Post by seymmarc »

In the past, I used to be very quick to google or look up a word in the dictionary to find it's meaning. But now, most of the time I try to figure it out within the context. Depending on where and when I'm reading I may look up a really long word, but unless it's used more than once I usually don't bother.
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Post by Camille Turner »

I'm confronted with unfamiliar words all of the time but how I deal with them depends on the book. For example, I read "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco a few months ago (love that book!) and came across a ton of words I didn't understand (especially all of those Latin sayings he put in the book). I didn't look them up unless it was really hard to understand what was happening without knowing their definitions. In a dense book like that, I use context clues as much as possible. In easier books with just one or two words I don't understand each chapter, I'll generally look them up in a dictionary.
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Post by GabbiV »

Now that I have a Kindle, it's really easy to look up new words. Before I got my tablet I'd stop what I was doing and look it up, and if it was my book, write in the definition. After I know what it means, I make an effort to use the word in conversation so the word will stick in my mind and hopefully will be used regularly from then on.
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Post by Sakilunamermaid »

Gladly my kindle allows me to look up words I'm not familiar with. When reading a physical book If I don't understand the sentence without the word I don't know, then I will look up words on my phone.
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Post by LadyTL67 »

Not too many words get by me that I don't know, but when I am reading and come across a word that I don't know what it is, I usually look it up in my dictionary or on the web, so that I can understand what concept it is being used in and it helps me to understand the storyline better.
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Post by Jesscar6 »

Kindle has a dictionary on it thankfully so pretty easy to look words up.
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Post by Ajbish »

DennisK wrote: 06 Dec 2016, 10:57
DATo wrote:Any of Cormac McCarthy's books should come with a glossary. Seriously. You need to have a dictionary beside you when you read his books. I swear, I think the guy stays up nights looking for obscure words to put into his novels.

To answer the question: Duh! I look them up in a dictionary. Actually, sometimes, even to this day, I spend an hour or so from time to time looking for words I don't know in a dictionary and then copy the word and its definition into a file for later memorization. This process works pretty well for improving one's vocabulary. I learned it in grammar school with an outstanding teacher of reading who would post 10 new vocabulary words on the front chalkboard each day. We would write them down and then look them up for homework. Then, on Friday, we would have a quiz on 20 of the 40 we had looked up during the week. A very good system for learning new words!
Hi DATo ... what I find interesting is that learning a language is a life-long endeavor. I may learn a new word, but if I don't use it, it will eventually be forgotten to confound me later. I remember kids in my school who made Latin as part of their curriculum. I wonder if those lessons in Latin influenced their vocabulary later in life. My vocabulary relies on repetition. I wonder if there are folks out there that use a more analytical method to build their vocabulary.
Probably so in regards to Latin. I once had an English teacher that would throw in random Latin since a lot of English has Latin (Roman)/Greek root even though it's still considered Proto-Germanic, if I'm not mistaken?
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Post by DennisK »

Ajbish wrote: 16 Apr 2018, 00:16
DennisK wrote: 06 Dec 2016, 10:57
DATo wrote:Any of Cormac McCarthy's books should come with a glossary. Seriously. You need to have a dictionary beside you when you read his books. I swear, I think the guy stays up nights looking for obscure words to put into his novels.

To answer the question: Duh! I look them up in a dictionary. Actually, sometimes, even to this day, I spend an hour or so from time to time looking for words I don't know in a dictionary and then copy the word and its definition into a file for later memorization. This process works pretty well for improving one's vocabulary. I learned it in grammar school with an outstanding teacher of reading who would post 10 new vocabulary words on the front chalkboard each day. We would write them down and then look them up for homework. Then, on Friday, we would have a quiz on 20 of the 40 we had looked up during the week. A very good system for learning new words!
Hi DATo ... what I find interesting is that learning a language is a life-long endeavor. I may learn a new word, but if I don't use it, it will eventually be forgotten to confound me later. I remember kids in my school who made Latin as part of their curriculum. I wonder if those lessons in Latin influenced their vocabulary later in life. My vocabulary relies on repetition. I wonder if there are folks out there that use a more analytical method to build their vocabulary.
Probably so in regards to Latin. I once had an English teacher that would throw in random Latin since a lot of English has Latin (Roman)/Greek root even though it's still considered Proto-Germanic, if I'm not mistaken?
Yes, that is what I understand: English has Germanic origins, but all the words I studied were from the Latin & Greek languages. I suspect language is heavily influenced by interactions between different cultures. With China's rising dominance I won't be surprised to discover Mandarin words used while speaking English – perhaps we already do when dealing with certain foods. Singapore, for example, uses English to conduct business, but during personal affairs, most use the Mandarin dialect. I suspect there will be quite a bit of contamination of both languages in that kind of environment. Here in California, it is common to encounter Spanglish, which is a Spanish and English mixture of words. It is a kind of slang, but given time …
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

At times the new words challenge my knowledge of English but all the same the challenge is positive. For me, I always go back to the Dictionary.
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