Vocab inference — đoán nghĩa từ unknown qua context clues

Tại sao cần infer

Cambridge passages dùng academic vocabulary level GRE / TOEFL. Bạn không thể biết hết. Nhưng must understand main idea. Solution: infer từ context.

4 context clues

Clue 1: Synonym restatement

Text explains unknown word right after:

"The condition is endemic — that is, native to and prevalent in a specific area."

→ "endemic" ≈ native + prevalent.

Look for signals: "that is", "in other words", "meaning", em dash, colon.

Clue 2: Antonym contrast

Text contrasts unknown word with known word:

"Unlike the ephemeral flowers of spring, the trees stand for centuries."

→ "ephemeral" opposite of "stand for centuries" → short-lived/temporary.

Look for signals: "unlike", "in contrast", "whereas", "however".

Clue 3: Example list

Text gives examples of unknown concept:

"Various legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils, are protein-rich."

→ "legumes" = category including beans/peas/lentils.

Look for signals: "such as", "for example", "including", "namely".

Clue 4: Cause-effect / logical relationship

"After years of deforestation, the soil became prone to erosion and the local climate dried."

→ "deforestation" leads to soil erosion + drying → cutting trees on large scale.

Look at consequences described → reverse-engineer the meaning.