Set the table; a set of silverware
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Context is Key
When you encounter a word that you don't know when you are reading, try to figure out what it means using its context. Look at the words around it. First make sure you understand the meaning of the sentence in its entirety. This should make it easier to figure out what the word means.
For example, let's return to the word 'inertia.' This word can be found in both science and everyday conversation. While it has a specialized meaning in science, it has a similar meaning in other contexts.
This article from 'Scientific American' explains 'inertia' in the context of a football game:
'A big part of Newton's first law is inertia, which would be the natural resistance a player at rest experiences as he sets himself in motion, and for a player in motion, to stop moving. A running back is at rest while he waits for the center to snap the ball to the quarterback. Once the play begins, the back pumps his legs to overcome static inertia, takes the handoff, and then tries to maintain moving inertia until a defenseman tackles him, restoring static inertia.'
This passage makes it easy to relate the subject-specific word, 'inertia,' to a real world situaion. It explains that the word relates to the motion of an object or body, as well as its momentum and speed. While 'inertia' retains a similar meaning used to explain these actions outside the realm of science, it can also be used as a way to describe how things remain unchanged, such as in the stagnant inertia of a bureaucratic government. In this example, we can see that while the word 'inertia' is similar in science and everyday conversation, its meaning can change slightly in different contexts.
Football players demonstrate laws of motion
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Resources
But don't let context fool you, as it can often be misleading. We cannot rely on context alone to tell us what words mean. Using the example of a football game to explain the concept of inertia can help us grasp the relation of the word to motion, but it does not help us understand the general or specific meanings of the word. To fully grasp the meaning of a word, we can also look to the word's structure, or morphology.
Understanding the full morphology of a vocabulary word will give you insight into where the word came from, what words it is related to, and the parts (affixes) that make it up. For example, the complex word 'morphology' is derived from the Greek for 'form' and the root 'ology,' which means 'a study of.' It is similar to 'biology,' which means 'the study of life,' and 'geology,' which means the 'study of the earth.'
'Inertia' comes from the Latin root 'inert,' which means to remain still. This is a particularly tricky example, because while the word relates to motion it also refers to something that remains unchanged. Since its meaning can change in different contexts, we may have to use a different strategy to learn words such as these.
Having a dictionary on hand will make it easier to discover how words can also have very different meanings in specific and general contexts. The dictionary entry of a word will list its many meanings, with the general first and subject-specific further down.
You can also use a thesaurus or a dictionary to identify a word's synonyms (similar words) and antonyms (opposites). Start by asking yourself what you think the word means. Can you think of any examples were you have heard the word before, whether in conversation or in a subject-specific context? Then, move on to consider some words that might be used to express its opposite.
Lesson Summary
Learning vocabulary can be fun and easy when you encounter new words in the context of a story, whether that's in a science article, a math textbook, or a work of literature. Subject-specific vocabulary, or words that have a particular meaning in a specialized discipline, can also appear in everyday contexts. If their meaning differs in these two contexts, it can be difficult to figure out their meaning at first.
For example, while the word 'set' has similar meanings in mathematics and everyday situations, the meaning of the word 'inertia' differs. Reading the word within a passage gives it contextual meaning. Recognizing the word's roots and morphology will help you associate it with similar (synonymous) and dissimilar words (antonyms). Finally, consult the dictionary to verify your findings.
