Concept 1

Determine meanings of words and phrases from context (including figurative usage).

Use context to choose the meaning that fits the passage, including figurative meanings.

Core Idea

Use surrounding clues to choose the meaning that fits the passage. A familiar dictionary meaning loses if it does not fit the local clue and the broader situation.

Understanding

Context chooses the meaning. The same word can signal motion in one passage and decline in another, or it can be figurative rather than literal.

Use a two-check test:

  • local clue: does the sentence support this meaning?
  • broader fit: do the nearby lines still make sense once you substitute it?

If the logic or tone breaks, that meaning does not belong in this passage.

Step by Step

  1. Read the whole sentence and the nearby lines before locking onto a definition.
  2. Replace the word with a candidate meaning and see whether the passage still makes sense.
  3. Prefer the meaning that fits both the local clue and the broader situation.

Misconceptions

  • Picking the first dictionary meaning you know without checking the surrounding lines.
  • Choosing a word that matches tone but not actual sense.
  • Forgetting that a phrase may be figurative rather than literal.
Question

Worked Example

Excerpt: "By the end of the summer, the candidate's early enthusiasm had begun to erode under the steady pressure of bad press."

As used in the passage, erode most nearly means:

Select an answer to see the explanation