Vocabulary Basics for Business [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Lesson 1. Commonsense Questions

Often you can understand the general meaning of a word by applying your common sense and background knowledge. Using your experience and existing knowledge to guess about an unfamiliar wordor a familiar word used in an unfamiliar wayis often enough for you to understand the idea, instruction, or information you are reading. You will be able to satisfy your purpose for reading. This approach allows you to keep on reading, and your understanding of the term may well improve as you continue to read.

To apply this "commonsense" strategy, follow three steps:

Be aware of words that are unfamiliar to you. This may sound somewhat simplistic, but often you can read and understand unfamiliar words from their context without really stopping to think about them. To make words part of your active, working vocabulary, you need to be aware of them.

Ask yourself commonsense questions suggested by the context. Think about other information in the sentence and paragraph that gives you a general idea about the meaning of the unfamiliar word.

Try to answer your questions in simple terms, using words you know well. Then restate the sentence using your own words. In this way you will transfer the general meaning of the term into your thinking. (Also, when you later check on the specific definition of the term in a dictionary or glossary, this information will help you decide which definition is most appropriate. It will help you remember the word's meaning the next time you see it.)

The following examples provide some commonsense questions and answers. These examples show how commonsense questioning will help you understand unfamiliar words and phrases.

The bus driving safety regulations prohibit drivers from talking with passengers while operating the vehicle.

Possible question:
What would safety regulations have to say about drivers talking to passengers while driving?

Answer:
They probably would forbid talking so the driver would pay attention to driving. Prohibit means "forbid."

The company purchased new equipment to replace the obsolete machinery they had used for twenty years.

Possible question:
Why would a company replace old machinery?

Answer:
The old machinery might still work, but it could be outdated. New equipment might work faster or have more features. Obsolete means "outdated."