{"id":30813,"date":"2022-03-23T17:04:07","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T17:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=30813"},"modified":"2022-03-29T17:51:47","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T17:51:47","slug":"teas-vocabulary-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/teas\/teas-vocabulary-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"TEAS Vocabulary: Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of the 24 scored <\/span>English and<\/span> langua<\/span>ge<\/span> usage<\/span> questions on the TEAS<\/span><\/a>, 6 (25%) will be in the sub-content area of Vocabulary Acquisition. To answer these questions, you will need to determine the meaning of words and phrases from their parts, such as prefixes and roots, as well as from the context in which they appear. Here are our top strategies for tackling TEAS Vocabulary.<\/span><\/p>\n

[<\/strong> <\/span>RELATED<\/b>: <\/span>What\u2019s a Good TEAS Score?<\/span><\/a> ]<\/strong><\/p>\n

USE CONTEXT CLUES<\/h3>
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\nContext clues are the words and phrases in a sentence that help the reader understand unfamiliar terms. There are many types of context clues that can help you infer the meaning of a word.<\/span>
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Synonyms<\/em><\/h4>
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\nWhen you are unsure of the meaning of a word in a sentence, look for clues that point to a similar idea. Another word or a phrase with a related meaning may appear in the sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example:<\/span><\/i> The witness intentionally tried to <\/span>obfuscate<\/span><\/i> the facts of the case by confusing the detective with conflicting accounts of the event.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/i> The clues \u201cconfusing\u201d and \u201cconflicting\u201d point to the meaning of the verb obfuscate<\/i>, which means \u201cto confuse\u201d or \u201cto make unclear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contrast Words<\/em><\/h4>
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\nYou can determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word by looking for clues that point to a contrasting idea in a sentence.<\/p>\n

Example<\/span><\/i>: The team members were surprised by their manager\u2019s <\/span>churlish<\/span><\/i> behavior at the meeting, since he was usually polite and pleasant to everyone on the staff.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysis<\/i>: The clues \u201csurprised\u201d and \u201cusually\u201d indicate that the word churlish means the opposite of \u201cpolite\u201d and \u201cpleasant.\u201d Churlish<\/i> is defined as \u201crude\u201d or \u201cuncivil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tone Words<\/em><\/h4>
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\nPositive or negative tone words can provide clues to the meaning of an unfamiliar word in a sentence.<\/p>\n

Example<\/span><\/i>: The <\/span>pernicious<\/span><\/i> rumor threatened to ruin her reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysis<\/i>: The clues \u201cthreatened\u201d and \u201cruin\u201d set a decidedly negative tone for the sentence, which indicates that pernicious<\/i> also has a strongly negative meaning. Pernicious<\/i> is defined as \u201cextremely harmful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Words in a Series<\/em><\/h4>
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\nWhen a word appears in a series of similar or related terms, use context clues to determine whether the word\u2019s meaning is related to the meanings of the other terms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example<\/span><\/i>: My grandfather was well-known for his generosity to schools, hospitals, orphanages, and other <\/span>philanthropic<\/span><\/i> organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysis<\/i>: The word philanthropic<\/i> appears in a list of organizations that help people in different ways. Philanthropic<\/i> is an adjective that describes a person or act that is \u201cdedicated to the ensuring the welfare of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cause and Effect<\/em><\/h4>
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\nSome context clues help the reader understand the relationship between the ideas in the sentence. Recognizing a cause-and-effect relationship between the unfamiliar word and another portion of the sentence can help you understand the word\u2019s meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example<\/span><\/i>: The <\/span>incontrovertible<\/span><\/i> evidence presented at the trial proved the defendant\u2019s involvement in the crime.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysi<\/i>s: This sentence describes a cause-and-effect relationship between the type of evidence presented at the trial and the level of certainty regarding the defendant\u2019s participation in the crime. Since the evidence \u201cproved\u201d that the defendant was involved, the term incontrovertible<\/i> must mean \u201cundeniable\u201d or \u201ccompletely certain.\u201d<\/p>\n

General Idea of a Sentence<\/em><\/h4>
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\nContext clues can provide information about the general subject matter or situation described in the sentence. These details can help you predict the meaning of an unfamiliar word that appears in that context.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example<\/span><\/i>: The mother <\/span>admonished <\/span><\/i>her daughter for driving recklessly on the icy roads.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysis<\/i>: The word admonished <\/i>is used to describe how a mother reacted to her daughter\u2019s dangerous driving. Since \u201creckless driving\u201d is a risky behavior and a mother would likely want her child to drive safely, admonish<\/i> must mean \u201cto scold\u201d or \u201creprimand.\u201d<\/p>\n

BREAK UP UNFAMILIAR WORDS INTO WORD PARTS<\/h3>
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\nMany words are built by combining smaller word parts. By taking an unfamiliar word apart and analyzing the meaning of each of its components, you can often decode the word\u2019s general meaning.<\/span>
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Common Affixes<\/em><\/h4>
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\nThe smallest meaningful unit of grammar in a language is called a <\/span>morpheme<\/b>. An <\/span>affix<\/b> is a morpheme that attaches to the beginning or end of a word <\/span>root<\/b> to make a new word. Although affixes cannot stand alone, they do have specific meanings and roles. Affixes that change the grammatical function or essential meaning of a word are known as <\/span>derivational morphemes<\/b>. Affixes that do not change a word\u2019s meaning but indicate tense, number, possession, or comparisons are called <\/span>inflectional morphemes<\/b>. By becoming familiar with the meanings and functions of the most common affixes, you will be able to understand how they shape the definitions of the words they help build.<\/span>
\nA <\/span>prefix<\/b> is a type of affix that is added to the beginning of a word root to create a new word. Some prefixes, such as<\/span> in-<\/span><\/i>, can have several meanings, so you may also need to use context clues in your analysis of a word\u2019s general definition. Examine the table to familiarize yourself with some of the most common prefixes.<\/span>
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Prefix<\/th>Meaning<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr>
anti- <\/td>against<\/td>antisocial<\/td><\/tr>
auto-<\/td>self<\/td>autobiography<\/td><\/tr>
de-<\/td> opposite, down <\/td>deactivate<\/td><\/tr>
dis-<\/td> not, opposite of <\/td>disinterest<\/td><\/tr>
en-<\/td> to cause to be <\/td>entangle<\/td><\/tr>
in-<\/td> In, into, toward, near <\/td>indoctrinate<\/td><\/tr>
in-<\/td>not<\/td>inaccurate<\/td><\/tr>
inter-<\/td>between<\/td>interstellar<\/td><\/tr>
mid-<\/td>middle<\/td>midline<\/td><\/tr>
mis-<\/td>wrongly<\/td>misinterpret<\/td><\/tr>
non-<\/td>not<\/td>nonsense<\/td><\/tr>
pre-<\/td>before<\/td>prelude<\/td><\/tr>
re-<\/td>again<\/td>return<\/td><\/tr>
sub-<\/td>under<\/td>submarine<\/td><\/tr>
trans-<\/td>across<\/td>transcontinental<\/td><\/tr>
un-<\/td>not<\/td>unhappy<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>