Improving Your Vocabulary

hen my students complain in the reading classes I teach that they often have difficulty concentrating and maintaining focus as they read, we discuss the problem
at length. Although poor concentration may be the result of many factorsgoing
to school and working at the same time, personal problems, lack of sleep, financial worriesthe problem is more often caused by lack of vocabulary. Reading is
tedious if there are many unfamiliar words on the page, and having to look up lots
of words in the dictionary is time-consuming and discouraging. A weak vocabulary is indeed a significant obstacle to good reading comprehension. Therefore,
acquiring new vocabulary words is crucial if you hope to become a better reader.
After all, if you do not know what key words on the page mean, you may not
understand what a writer is saying.
Acquiring a solid reading vocabulary is a lifelong proposition, and I hope that
this text will be of great use as you expand this most necessary of skills. Your goal
during the course should be to acquire as many college-level vocabulary words as
you can while you read each selection. Your goal after the course ends should be
to continue to acquire words as you read in your everyday life.
And acquiring new words will have more benefits besides making you a better
reader. Fair or not, people do judge others by their level of vocabulary, and surely
as you acquire new words, you can begin to use some of them when you speak.
Educated speakers tend to have good vocabularies, and they usually command
respect and admiration for this quality. Beware, though. You dont want to come
off as pretentious or sound like a walking dictionary.
For these reasons, it is important that you embark on a systematic vocabularyacquisition program. Several features in this text will help you accomplish this.
As you work through the selections, you will learn to identify common prefixes
and roots, to break words down into their meaningful parts, and to use context
clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. When context clues arent
helpful, you can turn to your dictionary, as even the best readers do from time to
time. This introductory portion of the text explores some techniques to increase
your recognition vocabularywords you can readily define from both your college
and your everyday reading. Everything will work together to give you measurable immediate and long-term results. This introduction discusses these topics:
Five techniques for acquiring words
Breaking words down into their component parts
Using context clues
Using the dictionary effectively
Comparing print and online dictionaries
1

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2 Improving

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As I prepared the selections and the accompanying exercises, I quickly saw that
many words from the early selectionsactually a surprising numberturned up
in subsequent ones. Of course, I did not plan it this way; it just happened. This is
the reason I stress that you read the Vocabulary Preview sections preceding each
selection, even if your instructor doesnt assign them, and that you work through
the two vocabulary exercises after each selection. If you do this conscientiously,
not only will your stock of vocabulary words grow, but your reading of the later
pieces will be easier and more enjoyable. The thrill of recognition does wonders
for ones reading morale.
The single best way to improve your vocabulary is to read a lot. There is
no shortcut or substitute for this method. The idea is simple and obvious: The
more you read, the more you will be exposed to important vocabulary words.
Memorizing long lists of words in isolation or working through vocabulary selfimprovement books may fool you into thinking you are learning new words, but
their meanings wont stick, and such activities deprive you of encountering words
in real writing. The following are a few suggestions for learning new words.

Five Techniques for Acquiring Words

This section introduces some techniques to help you learn new words and retain
them better.
Techniques

for

Acquiring Words

Use the Three-Dot Method

Use Vocabulary Note Cards
Break New Words Down into Their Component Parts
Develop an Interest in Etymology
Subscribe to a Word-of-the-Day Website

USE THE THREE-DOT METHOD

The three-dot method works like this: When you look up a word in the dictionary, make a small dot in pencil next to the entry word. The second time you look
it up, make another dot. The third time you look it up, add a third dot, and this
time, learn the word! Any word that crops up three times within a short amount
of time is obviously an important word that belongs in your permanent and active
reading vocabulary.
The Three-Dot Method
eu tha na sia (yoo-th -na zh , zhe- ) n. The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness
or an incurable condition. [Gk., a good death: eu-, +thanatos, death]
e

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Five Techniques for Acquiring Words 3

USE VOCABULARY NOTE CARDS (OR KEEP

A VOCABULARY NOTEBOOK)
When I studied German in college, our instructor suggested that we use 3 5
index cards to help us learn important vocabulary words. I did this religiously
and found the cards compact size perfect. Index cards can be easily secured with
a rubber band and carried in your backpack, pocket, or purse. I could quickly
review vocabulary words that we were to be tested on, sorting through the stack,
omitting those I already knew, and concentrating on those that I wasnt so sure
of. When the stack of cards became too unwieldy, I organized them into parts of
speech (nouns in one stack, verbs in another, and so on), and continued my study.
I can suggest the same method for improving your reading vocabulary. It takes
just a minute to write each card, whether you use index cards or a notebook.
First, write the word (underline it for emphasis), the context in which it occurred
(meaning the original sentence), and if you wish, the part of speech and pronunciation. On the other side, write the definition and etymology. Study this example
from Selection 3 by Joe Abbott, To Kill a Hawk:

Reverse side
of cardmajor
definitions and
the etymology
(language from
which English word
is derived, and its
meaning)

... the epiphany was in part a result of

something that happened the day before
noun
i- pif - ne
e

Front side of
cardword in
original context,
part of speech, and
pronunciation

(1) a revelatory manifestation of a divine being

(2) perception of reality by means of a sudden
intuitive realization
from Greekto appear

ESL students who are struggling to master the complexities of the English language might be interested in learning variant word forms. In fact, most of the reading selections throughout Parts One through Four include an exercise in which
you have to determine which form of the root word to use. ESL students might
profit from including these variant forms on their vocabulary card, as you see in
the following example from this excerpt that appears in the introduction to Part
One:
One of the few hues that can be perceived as both light and dark, blue defines
our many moods. (James Sullivan, Jeans: A Critical History of an American Icon)

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4 Improving

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Study the front and back sides of this sample index card:

Reverse side of
card appropriate
definition,
etymology (the
language the word
comes from), and
some variant forms

can be perceived as both light and dark

verb
p r - se-v.
become aware of through the senses
etymology: Latin [per + capere (to seize)
variant forms: perception (noun)

perceptive (adjective)

perceptively (adverb)
e

Front side of
cardword in
original context,
part of speech, and
pronunciation

An alternate method is to write new words in a vocabulary notebook, for example in an inexpensive spiral notebook. Using the notebook means that you can
record the words in the order in which they appear, along with the page number
where the word appeared in the selection. When you reread the selection, you can
easily locate the definitions to refresh your memory in case you cant remember
a particular word.
Which words should you write down? You dont want to overwhelm yourself
with hundreds of unfamiliar words, so I would suggestat least at firstnoting
those words that you have seen before in your reading but that you cant readily
define. (This is called your recognition vocabulary.) Because you have seen these
words before, they are not completely unfamiliar, and they are probably common
enough in adult prose to make them a worthwhile addition to your vocabulary.
As your command of new words grows, you can then focus on learning more
unusual words.
BREAK NEW WORDS DOWN INTO THEIR
COMPONENT PARTS
In Dave Barrys humorous essay that follows this introduction, after a disastrous
date with Roger, Elaine calls her closest friend, and as Barry writes, In painstaking
detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over
it time and time again, exploring every word, every expression, and gesture....
Even if you have never seen the word painstaking, you can perhaps determine the
meaning by separating the two parts of the word and then reversing them: pains
taking becomes taking pains or taking great carein other words, analyzing
the conversation in great detail.

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Five Techniques for Acquiring Words 5

Here is a second example from Selection 3 by Joe Abbott, To Kill a Hawk. In

describing the sudden revelation, or epiphany, that he experienced, Abbot writes:
... even though the thing forgotten was the kind of experience, an epiphany,
really, that marks a persons life, a moment which designates an irrevocable
turning point.
You are probably already familiar with the verb revoke, as when ones license
is revoked or when some privilege is revoked, in other words, when something
is cancelled or taken back. Irrevocable (the accent is on the second syllable) can be
broken down like this:
ir- (prefix, meaning not) +voc- (root, meaning to call) +-able (suffix, able to)

Put this all together, and you will get something like this:
a literal definition

not able to be called

a better definition

not able to be cancelled or withdrawn

Its not a perfect definition, since irrevocable describes something that cant be
taken back, but its good enough to give you the sense of what Abbott means.
DEVELOP AN INTEREST IN ETYMOLOGY
Etymology refers to the study of word origins, and paying attention to them is not only
interesting for its own sake; in addition, word origins can be helpful for remembering
the meanings of new words. Something like 60 percent of English words come from
Latin via French, one of the several Romance languages derived from Latin; another
15 percent derive from Greek, often through Latin, as well. Many words have unusual
origins. Here are two that you will encounter in Parts 1 and 2 of this text.
nave, renaissance In his 2005 commencement speech delivered at Stanford University, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, used these two words, both of which derive
from the same Latin rootnasci (to be born). Thus, a nave person is innocent, like
a newborn baby. Renaissance combines the prefix re- (again) with nasci (birth) to
mean a rebirth, often applied to learning or the arts. Once you know this root,
you will also see it at the heart of lots of other words, like native, nation, nationality,
prenatal, postnatal, and nativity.
narcissism The word narcissism has become quite current with the enormous

popularity of Facebook and other social media. Elizabeth Bernstein addresses this
phenomenon in Selection 12, How Facebook Ruins Friendships, which you will
read in Part 2. The etymology of narcissism is provided in the Vocabulary Preview
section. Briefly, the word derives from Greek mythology. One version of the myth
says that Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, decreed that Narcissus would fall in
love with himself. When Narcissus, who was a handsome young man, leaned
over a pool of water one day, he saw his own reflection and became completely
infatuated with himself. Theres more to the story, but you will read the rest of it
later.

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If 75 percent of the words in English are derived from Latin, French, and Greek,
what of the remaining 25 percent? Many, of course, derive from the original English language, known as Anglo-Saxon. These tend to be the very basic buildingblock words of the language, words like sun, moon, walk, boy, daughter, house, and
so on. But many words come from more exotic and unusual languages.
Words

with

Arabic
Native American languages

Malay
Tamil
Alaskan Russian
Hungarian
Old Norse

Unusual Etymologies
algebra, tariff, alchemy, alkali
canoe, hammock, succotash, moccasin,
skunk, chile
amok (an uncontrolled state)
pariah (an outcast)
parka
coach (a type of carriage)
sky, skirt

SUBSCRIBE TO A WORD-OF-THE-DAY WEBSITE

Word-of-the-day websites offer a painless, entertaining, and free way to learn new
words. Most of them have the same features: An e-mail or text message is sent to
your inbox (or to your Twitter or Facebook account, in some cases). Each day you
receive a new word. Typically, the information includes pronunciation symbols,
a definition, a sentence or two showing how the word is used, and the words
etymology. Some sites include pronunciation. By clicking on the megaphone, you
will hear the word pronounced by a native speaker. Here are four current wordof-the-day websites to check out, with four sample words for each. All these sites
were current in winter 2012. If you are unable to locate one of them, go to Google
and in the search box type in Word of the Day Websites.

WORD-OF-THE-DAY WEBSITES
Dictionary.com Word of the Day
www.dictionaryreference.com
Sample words: altruistic, churlish, glower, bonanza
Merriam-Webster Word of the Day
www.m-w.com/wordoftheday
Sample words: diligent, genuflect, sustain, QWERTY
WordThink.com
www.wordthink.com
Sample words: incongruous, assiduous, anecdotal, pragmatic
Merriam-Websters Learners Dictionary (for ESL English-language learners)
www.learnersdictionary.com
Sample words: gamble, reserve, crucial, secure

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Using Context Clues 7

Using Context Clues

We begin this section with an exercise called a cloze test. Here is a passage from a
selection you will read in Part 1, Sherman Alexie, Superman and Me. Approximately every sixth word has been left out. None of the omitted words is difficult,
and some of them are structure words like a and the. Your task is to fill in
the words that make sense and complete the meaning of the sentence. Be sure to
pay attention both to the meaning and to grammar and sentence structure. The
passage describes how Alexie learned to read.
I learned to read with __________ Superman comic book. Simple enough,
__________ suppose. I cannot recall which particular __________ comic
book I read, nor __________ I remember which villain he __________ in
that issue. I cannot __________ the plot, nor the means __________ which I
obtained the comic __________. What I can remember is __________: I was
3 years old, __________ Spokane Indian boy living with __________ family
on the Spokane Indian Reservation __________eastern Washington state. We
were poor __________ most standards, but one of my __________ usually
managed to find some minimum-__________ job or another, which made us
middle-__________ by reservation standards. I had a __________ and three
sisters. We lived __________ a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear
__________ government surplus food.
Here is the passage again, this time with the missing words restored and
boldfaced.
I learned to read with a Superman comic book. Simple enough, I suppose.
I cannot recall which particular Superman comic book I read, nor can I
remember which villain he fought in that issue. I cannot remember the plot,
nor the means by which I obtained the comic book. What I can remember
is this: I was 3 years old, a Spokane Indian boy living with his family on
the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington state. We were poor
by most standards, but one of my parents usually managed to find some
minimum-wage job or another, which made us middle-class by reservation
standards. I had a brother and three sisters. We lived on a combination of
irregular paychecks, hope, fear and government surplus food.
There are nineteen answers. Give yourself a point for each answer that matches
the correct ones above. Do not subtract a point if you used recall instead of remember or defeated instead of fought. You should consider 14 out of 19 correct a very
acceptable score.
Its context that accounts for your ability to identify these words. Context refers
to the words and phrases that surround a particular word and that may help you
to figure out its meaning. In the preceeding passage,, you used grammatical and
word context clues to help you choose the right word. For example, following the
phrase Spokane Indian Reservation, the only English preposition that will work
is in. We dont say on eastern Washington state, or near eastern Washington State.
The author of a book I am currently reading explains and illustrates context
very succinctly. Daniel L. Everett, a linguist and anthropologist, wrote Dont Sleep,

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8 Improving

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There Are Snakes, a fascinating account of his experiences living with and studying the Pirah Indians who inhabit a region in Brazils Amazonian jungle. Everett
struggled to learn their difficult language, unique in the world for various reasons
that he explains in the book. Here is the relevant part about context. He begins
by talking about sense, which is defined as the relations between words and the
way that they are used:
Think of what break means in examples like John broke his arm, John broke the
ice in the frigid conversation, John broke the sentence down for me, or John broke into
the house, for example. The only way that we can know what break means is to
know how it is used. And using a word means selecting a particular context,
a set of background assumptions shared by the speaker and the hearer,
including how particular words should be used, and the other words that the
word in question is used with.
This is the magical part about reading, and of course, the challenge. Getting at
the underlying meaning of a sentence isnt just a matter of decoding the words
one at a time (i.e., pronouncing them); its a matter of sorting out and understanding the words meanings in relation to the other words around them. When everything clicks, when we understand clearly what a writer says, we make a great leap
forward, and more important, reading becomes much more enjoyable.
While you were growing up, you learned words by absorption, from the way
people used them around you. You certainly didnt learn them from a dictionary. No one leans over a babys crib and said, My, what a good vocabulary she
has. You figured out their meanings because of the several contexts in which you
encountered them.
But a lot of words that appear in higher-level reading materialthe language
used in college reading material and in adult readingarent commonly used in
speech. You might encounter them only in your reading. People who read a lot
usually have a good reading vocabulary because they have exposed themselves to
new words for years. Absorbing new words by reading a lot (i.e., practice) has one
major drawback: It takes years to accomplish. Since time is of the essence if your
vocabulary isnt up to the task of college assignments, you need to adopt some
shortcuts. Here are a couple of suggestions:
First, try to break down the word into its component parts, which is demonstrated throughout the book in the Vocabulary Analysis sections. For example,
when Sherman Alexie describes how Indian children behaved with their teachers,
he writes: They were monosyllabic in front of their non-Indian teachers but could
tell complicated stories and jokes at the dinner table.
If youve never encountered the word monosyllabic before, you can perhaps
figure it out by considering this. You probably know monarchy (rule by one) and
you know syllable. Syllabic is simply the adjective form. So putting these two parts
together you get this:
mono- (prefix meaning one or single) + syllable (a part of a word containing
one vowel) = an adjective that describes words of only one syllable

So word analysis is one possibility for determining the meaning of unfamiliar

words. Draw on your knowledge of related words to help you figure out new

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Using Context Clues 9

words. The second suggestion is to use context clues, discussed previously, which
may also yield a sufficiently acceptable meaning. Context clues free you from having to look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary. Its tedious to have to look
up so many words, and it detracts from the pleasure of reading. (However, the
more you read, the fewer new words you will meet. It wont be tedious forever!)
Lets see how context clues work with an example you will encounter in the
introduction to Part 1. Study this excerpt by poet and essayist Leslie Marmon
Silko, a Native American of the Laguna Pueblo:
As a person of mixed ancestry growing up in the United States in the late
1950s, I knew all of the cruel epithets that might be hurled at others; the
knowledge was a sort of solace that I was not alone in my feelings of unease,
of not quite belonging to the group that clearly mattered most in the United
States.
If the words epithets and solace are unfamiliar to you, see if you can determine
their meaning from the context: What would people hurl at others that are cruel?
You might think of rocks, but rocks arent cruel in and of themselves. More likely,
epithets refer to abusive terms, often used against people of another race or ethnicity. And solace is something that eased her feelings of unease, so that sounds
as if she was comforted or consoled. Relying on context clues isnt foolproof, and
even though using them requires some thought, they can help you expand your
knowledge of higher-level vocabulary.
Lets look at some specific types of context clues so that you are familiar with
how they work before you begin the book. Each example is taken from some of
the readings in the text. I have identified the writer and selection number in each
instance and drawn arrows from the context clue to the unfamiliar word printed
in italics.
Synonyms A synonym is a word that is close in meaning to the word in question.

This is the easiest type of context clue to recognize.

Antonyms An antonym is a word that means the opposite of the one you are unsure

of. The antonym isnt as common as the other types of context clues, however,
because writers have a tendency to use synonyms as clues rather than antonyms.
Here is one example from Selection 6 by John Bussey, Old Hat for the New Normal, in which he describes the new buzz-phrasethe new normal:
It springs from the discovery thatbig surprise!weve been living beyond
our means. Three years of economic crisis gave life to our new clich,
chastened as we are now to be more cost-conscious, more prudent.
The phrase living beyond our means refers to spending too much money.
The opposite of that is being prudentcareful with our money, also suggested by
the related phrase cost-conscious.

Examples or Series of Details An examplea particular instance of something more

generalor a cluster of details in a sentence may reveal the meaning of an

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nfamiliar word. In How Facebook Ruins Friendships (Selection 12), Elizabeth

u
Bernstein writes this:
Typing still leaves something to be desired as a communication tool; it lacks
the nuances that can be expressed by body language and voice inflection.
Online, people cant see the yawn, says Patricia Wallace, a psychologist at
Johns Hopkins University...
Meaning shades of meaning or subtle degrees of difference, the examples
of body language and voice inflection suggest a sufficiently accurate definition.
Situation The situation or circumstance in which the word is used may give you a
hint as to its meaning. In Selection 30 Mark Ian Barasch describes his experience
living on the streets of Denver for a week as a homeless person as an exercise in
developing compassion. Consider this excerpt:

Its a different map of the world. Which Starbucks has a security guard wholl
let you use the bathroom? How long can you linger in this place or that
before youre rousted?
Even if you have never seen the word rousted before, the situation Barasch
describes indicates that it means to be forced out of a place, asked to leave.
Emotion The emotional attitude evident in a passageits mood or atmosphere

may provide a good enough clue to save you from turning to the dictionary. In
Selection 34, The Seat Not Taken, the African-American writer and professor
John Edgar Wideman writes about the odd experience of other passengers never
sitting next to him in the Amtrak train he rides between New York and Providence, Rhode Island, where he teaches:
Of course, Im not registering a complaint about the privilege, conferred
upon me by color, to enjoy the luxury of an extra seat to myself. I relish the
opportunity to spread out, savor the privacy and quiet and work or gaze at
the scenic New England woods and coast.
Relish and savor mean nearly the same thinga positive emotional enjoyment
of something pleasurable. Both the emotion and the situation suggest the meaning
of both words, and of course, if you know one, you can easily figure out the other.
EXERCISE 1USING CONTEXT CLUES
Try your hand at these passages that contain some words that might be unfamiliar
to you. Study the passage carefully, paying attention to the context surrounding
the italicized word. Then write your best estimation of the words meaning in the
first space. Finally, look the word up in the dictionary and write the definition in
the second space. See how close your definition is to the dictionarys.

1. Never let up, women. Pound away relentlessly at this concept, and eventually it will start to penetrate the guys brain. (Practice SelectionDave Barry,
Tips for Women: How to Have a Relationship with a Guy)

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Using Context Clues 11

Your definition ______________________________________________________

Dictionary definition _________________________________________________
2. If any aspect of the economic squeeze is hitting American workers across
the boardwhite collar and blue-collar, high-income and low-income, chief
executives and janitorsit is the phenomenon of increased stress on the job,
a combination of longer workweeks and having to toil harder and faster during ones hours at work. (Introduction to Part 1, Steven Greenhouse, The Big
Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker)
Your definition ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition _________________________________________________
3. At home all I had was an ancient English/Spanish dictionary my father had
used to teach himself English, but its tiny print and archaic language did
more to obscure meaning than to shed light on it. (Selection 4, Rose Guilbault,
School Days)
Your definition ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition _________________________________________________
4. The writer is describing a fellow student, a Navy veteran, who had been
stationed in the Middle East during the Iraq war: He tells me that he was
in the Middle East early on in the war around the same time I was. A job
brought him up to the Bay Area and when he saw how much money he
could receive by going back to school, he jumped on it. I asked him if he
misses the military, and with a slight hint of regret he reminisces: Oh yea,
I thought it was going to be a career but ... (Selection 5, Colby Buzzell,
Johnny Get Your Textbook)
Your definition ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition _________________________________________________
5. Of the few hues that can be perceived as both light and dark, blue defines our
many moods. (Introduction to Part 1, James Sullivan, Jeans: A Cultural History
of an American Icon)
Your definition ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition _________________________________________________
6. I stopped talking to Kelly, my wife. She loathed me, my silences, my distance,
my inertia. I stopped walking my dog, so she hated me, too. (Selection 13,
Chris Rose, Hell and Back)
Your definition ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition _________________________________________________
7. Yolanda Leif graphically describes the trials of a waitress in a quality restaurant. They are compounded by her refusal to be demeaned. Yet pride in her
skills helps her through the night. When I put the plate down, you dont
hear a sound. When I pick up a glass, I want it to be just right. When someone says, How come youre just a waitress? I say, Dont you think you

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12 Improving

Your Vocabulary

deserve being served by me? (Selection 10, Studs Terkel, Somebody Built
the Pyramids)
Your definition ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition _________________________________________________
8. The speculators, next, would hire people to pass out handbills in the Eastern
and Midwestern cities, tracts limning the advantages of relocation to the Athens of the South or the new plains Jerusalem. When persuasion failed, the
builders might resort to bribery, paying peoples moving costs and giving them
houses, in exchange for nothing but a pledge to stay until a certain census was
taken or a certain inspection made ... The speculators idea, of course, was to
lure the railroad. (Selection 23, Lawrence Shames, The Hunger for More)

tracts Your definition_ _______________________________________________

Dictionary definition__________________________________________________
lure Your definition__________________________________________________
Dictionary definition__________________________________________________

EXERCISE 2USING CONTEXT CLUES

Here is an excerpt from a newspaper article. Read the passage carefully, paying
attention to possible context clues for the italicized vocabulary words. Then complete the exercise that follows.
The average American consumes 50 gallons each year of sugar-
sweetened beverages.
A double cheeseburger from McDonalds is packed with 440 calories.
Yet staying away from fast food is not necessarily the answer. A spicy tuna
roll packs 461 calories.
We live in a culture glutted with fatty foods. Small wonder that the average American is 23 pounds overweight and consumes 250 more calories
than two to three decades ago.
Many scientists have characterized obesity as a problem with multiple
causes. They cite a mosaic of biological vulnerabilities, family upbringing,
psychology (e.g., using food for comfort), and the environment. Genetics
studies show that weights of adopted children more closely resemble those
of their biological rather than adoptive parents, raising the possibility that
genes trump the environment.
Genes help determine which individuals within a population might be
most vulnerable, but how many people become overweight is determined
by external factors. Stated another way, obesity is caused by toxic food and
activity conditions that lead to too many calories consumed and too few
expended. Beginning first in countries like the U.S., this toxic environment
has spread around the world and is now like a script being acted out time
and again with completely predictable consequencesrampant obesity and
diabetes. Overnutrition and obesity are not bigger problems in countries
like India and China than are hunger and malnutrition....
Kelly D. Brownell, Nature and Nachos: How Fat Happens, The Wall Street Journal

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Using The Dictionary 13

Choose the best definitions for each of the italicized words according to the
context.
_____ 1. glutted:

(a) flooded (b) characterized by (c) satisfied by

_____ 2. mosaic: (a) artistic design (b) complicated pattern

(c) research study
_____ 3. vulnerabilities: (a) susceptibilities; weaknesses

(b) factors, reasons

(c) persuasions, temptations
_____ 4. trump:

(a) reveal (b) are more important than (c) illustrate

_____ 5. external:

(a) on the inside (b) surrounding (c) on the outside

_____ 6. toxic: (a) highly processed (b) unhealthy

(c) literally poisonous
_____ 7. expended:

(a) saved up (b) used up through activity

(c) digested

_____ 8. rampant: (a) occurring without restraint (b) universal

(c) declining
_____ 9. overnutrition: (a) eating expensive food beyond what one can afford

(b) eating food that is healthy and nutritious

(c) eating too much food, especially unhealthy food
____ 10. malnutrition: (a) average nutrition (b) excessive nutrition

(c) poor nutrition

Using the Dictionary

Whether you use a print or an online dictionary, you will need to become familiar
with their features. If you do not have a desk dictionary (print format), ask your
instructor to recommend one, or choose one from this list:
The American Heritage College Dictionary
The Random House College Dictionary
Websters New World Dictionary
THE FEATURES OF A DICTIONARY
No matter which dictionary you choose, all contain the same features. Here is a
brief overview of the important ones.
Guide Words Guide words are printed in boldface in the top margin of each page;

they indicate the first and last words and help you locate words quickly. For
example, if you are looking up the word emulate, the guide words at the top of the
pagewhich could be empress and enantiomorphshow you quickly that youre
on the right page.

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 13

14 Improving

Your Vocabulary

Entry The word entry is simply a fancy term for the word that you are looking up. It
is printed in boldface type in the left margin; dots separate the syllables, for example:
o blit er ate

Obliterate, therefore, has four syllables.

Pronunciation Symbols Pronunciation symbols are printed in parentheses and follow the

entry. English has a complicated pronunciation system. Unlike Spanish, for example,
in which every letter always has the same sound, English has approximately 75 different sounds but only 26 letters to represent them. A single vowel letter like a, for
example, can be pronounced seven ways, as in these words: cat (a); lake (a); bar (r);
bare (r); part (r); law (); and father (). The pronunciation symbols follow a standardized system to show you how each letter or combination of letters should be
pronounced in an unfamiliar word. Ask your instructor for help if you dont know
how to pronounce these symbols. In the college edition of American Heritage Dictionary, these symbols are printed in the lower-right corner of each right page. Other
dictionaries print them across the bottom of both pages.
Stress Marks Stress, or accent, marks are as important as pronunciation symbols

for pronouncing words correctly. Referring to the relative degree of loudness of

each syllable, stress marks are printed after the syllable to be stressed within the
pronunciation symbols, as you can see in this word: solid (so lid). In this case, the
first syllable, sol, receives primary stress or emphasis.
English has three kinds of stress. Primary, or heavy stress, is shown by a heavy
boldface mark, like this: . Secondary, or weak stress, is shown by the same mark
printed in lighter type, like this: . Unstressed syllables are often those containing
a neutral vowel soundsymbolized by a pronunciation symbol called a schwa
which is written like an upside down e (). For example, the word magnification
contains all three types of stress:
mag9n -f -ka9sh n.
e

The first syllable takes the secondary stress, the fourth syllable takes the primary stress, and the second and fifth syllables (each with a schwa) are unstressed.
Parts of Speech and Inflected Forms Following the dictionary pronunciation symbols
is an abbreviation indicating what part of speech the entry word is. For example,
n. = noun; v. = verb, adj. = adjective, adv. = adverb, and so forth. As you will see
at the end of this section, many words cross over and represent several parts of
speech. Its important to know what kind of word (noun, adjective, and so forth)
is used in the passage.
Inflected formsthe forms of the word that take inflections or word endingsare
also included. Thus, you can look up the proper way to spell the present participle
and past tense of a word like gratify. In gratified (the past tense form), the y changes
to i, and the ending signifying the past tense (-ed) is added. In gratifying (the present
participle), the ending ing is added. Finally, in gratifies (the present tense for the
third-person form, that is, the form used with he, she, or it) the y changes to
i, and the ending es is added. Similarly, if you want to find the plural of the word
ox, the dictionary indicates it like this: n. pl. oxen. The plural forms of deer and sheep,
however, remain deer and sheep. The dictionary tells you this, as well.

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 14

Using The Dictionary 15

Order of Definitions The one significant difference in dictionaries is in the order of

definitions if a word has more than one meaning. The American Heritage and the
Random House college editions follow this system: If a word has multiple senses
(two or more meanings, in other words), the central and often the most commonly
sought meaning is listed first. Less common senses, older forms, and obsolete
senses are listed next. However, this does not mean that you should read the first
meaning listed and look no farther. The context is crucial in determining which
sense best fits a particular words meaning. This concept will be illustrated in
more detail later in this section.
In contrast, the Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary organizes its definitions
historically, which means that the earliest sense or senses of a word come first,
with more modern senses following. If you are unsure about which method your
particular dictionary uses, ask your instructor for help or refer to the early pages
of the dictionary, called the front matter, where there will be a description of the
Order of Senses or something similar.
Variant Forms If the word has other grammatical forms, the dictionary will list those
after the last definition. If you look up incorrigible (an adjective), for example, the
dictionary lists as variants incorrigibility and incorrigibleness (nouns) and incorrigibly (adverb).
Etymology A words etymology refers to its linguistic origin, that is, the language
from which it came into English. Etymology also refers to the words history. It
is printed in brackets [ ], either before or after the definitions, depending on your
dictionary. Some dictionaries abbreviate the language or languages of origin. For
example, OF indicates Old French, ME indicates Middle English, L or Lat refers to
Latin, and Gk means Greek. A complete list of those abbreviations can be found
in the front matter of your dictionary.
Other Features Some dictionaries include useful drawings in the margins. The Amer-

ican Heritage dictionaries (both the college and unabridged editions) are particularly generous in this regard, allowing you to see, for example, the location of El
Salvador on a small map of Central America, what a French chateau (castle) looks
like, and what Princess Diana looked like, just to cite three random examples from
my dictionary. Thus the dictionary goes far beyond being merely a resource for
looking up words: It is also a mini-atlas, a biographical index, and a provider of
all manner of useful information from the world around you.
SAMPLE DICTIONARY COLUMN
Now that you are familiar with some of the more important dictionary terminology, reprinted in Figure 1 is one column from the American Heritage College Dictionary. Study the arrows to identify the key features discussed previously.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT DEFINITION
The tricky part about using a dictionary is determining which definition to use
when several meanings are listed. English is especially complicated because the
same word can be a noun and a verb, or a noun and an adjective. To illustrate this

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 15

16 Improving

Your Vocabulary

Entries

Variant
forms
Pronunciation
symbols
Parts of speech
Usage note

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 16

u USAGE NOTE The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of senior in the
sense of an older person to the 15th century. In contemporary American English,
however, this sense of senior is generally taken to be a shortening of the more
recent senior citizen, and those who object to the compound may object to the
shorter term as well. However, as the OED makes clear, senior has always evoked
the positive qualities of aging, including wisdom, dignity, and superior position,
and it is less likely to sound condescending than the obviously coined term senior
citizen. In any case, there is often no clear alternative to senior other than constructions such as older person or older adult. See Usage Notes at elderly, old.
senior airman n. 1. A noncommissioned rank in the US Air Force that is above airman first class and below staff sergeant. 2. One who holds this rank.
senior chief petty officer n. 1. A noncommissioned rank in the US Navy that is
above chief petty officer and below master chief petty officer. 2. One who holds
this rank.
senior citizen n. A person of relatively advanced age, especially a person who has
retired. sen'ior-cit'izen adj. senior citizenry n.
senior high school n. A high school usually including grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.
senioritis (seny-r'ts) n. Informal A reduction of academic focus or worsening
of academic performance characteristic of some high-school seniors, especially
after acceptance into college.
seniority (sen-yr'-te, -yor'-) n. 1. The state of being older than another or others or higher in rank than another or others. 2. Precedence of position, especially
precedence over others of the same rank by reason of a longer span of service.
senior master sergeant n. 1. A noncommissioned rank in the US Air Force that is
above master sergeant and below chief master sergeant. 2. One who holds this rank.
senior moment n. Informal An instance in which one is unable to remember
something or to focus adequately on the matter at hand, viewed as typical of aging.
seniti (sen'-te) n., pl. seniti A Tongan unit of currency equal to 1/100 of the
paanga. [Tongan < English cent.]
Senlac (sen'lak) A hill in southern England near Hastings. The battle fought
here in 1066, in which William the Conqueror defeated Harold II, is known as the
Battle of Hastings.
senna (sen') n. 1. Any of various plants in the pea family, chiefly of the genera
Senna and Chamaecrista, having pinnately compound leaves and showy, nearly
regular, usually yellow flowers, used as ornamentals and for medicinal purposes.
2. A preparation of the dried leaves of Senna alexandina, used as a laxative. [New
Latin < Arabic sana; akin to Aramaic sanya, a thorn-bush.]
Sennacherib (s-nak'r-b) Died 681 bc. King of Assyria (705681) who invaded
Judah, destroyed Babylon (689), and rebuilt Nineveh.
sennachie (sen'-ke) n. Chiefly Scots Variant of shanachie.
sennet1 (sen't) n. A call on a trumpet or cornet signaling the ceremonial exits and
entrances of actors in Elizabethan drama. [Perhaps variant of signet.]
sennet2 (sen't) n. Either of two small barracudas (Sphyraena borealis or S. picudilla) of the western Atlantic. [Origin unknown.]
sennight (sen't) n. Archaic A week. [Middle English senight, contraction of seveniht < Old English seofon nihta, seven nights : seofon, seven; see seven + nihta,
pl. of niht, night; see night.]
sennit (sen't) n. 1. Cordage formed by braiding several strands of rope fiber or
similar material. 2. Braided straw, grass, or palm leaves for making hats. [Origin
unknown.]
senopia (s-no'pe-) n. Improvement of near vision sometimes oc-

send2 | senopia

Guide words

100 mi

Dakar

MAURITANIA

SENEGAL

MALI

GAMBIA
GUINEABISSAU

ATLANTIC
OCEAN

GUINEA

Etymology

Pronunciation key

a
a

pat
oi boy
pay
ou out
r care
oo took
father
oor lure

e pet
oo boot
e
be
u
cut

pit
r urge

bite
th thin
r pier
th this
o
pot
zh vision
o
toe

about,
paw

item
r core
Stress marks: ' (primary);
(secondary), as in
dictionary (dk'sh-nere)
) )

Definitions

in charge of domestic arrangements and the administration of servants; a steward or

major-domo. [Middle English < Old French, of Germanic origin.]
Senghor (sn-gr'), Lopold Sdar 19062001. Senegalese poet and politician who
served (19601980) as the first president of Senegal following independence from
France. The author of many volumes of poetry, he contributed to the development
of the concept of negritude.
senile (se'nl, sen'l) adj. 1a. Relating to or having diminished cognitive function,
as when memory is impaired, because of old age. b. Being a disease or condition
whose cause is primarily advanced age: senile cataracts. 2. Geology At the end
of an erosion cycle: senile soil. [Latin senilis, proper to or characteristic of old
people, aged < senex, sen-, old; see sen- in App. I.] se'nilely adv. senil'ity
(s-nl'-te) n.
senile dementia n. A progressive, abnormally accelerated deterioration of mental
faculties and emotional stability in old age, occurring especially in Alzheimers
disease.
senior (sen'yr) adj. 1. Abbr. Sr. Of or being the older of two, especially the older
of two persons having the same name, as father and son. 2. Of or relating to senior
citizens. 3a. Being in a position, rank, or grade above others of the same set or class:
a senior officer; the senior ship in the battle group. b. Having precedence in making certain decisions. 4. Of or relating to the fourth and last year of high school or
college: our senior class. 5. Relating to or being a class of corporate debt that has
priority with respect to interest and principal over other classes of debt and equity
by the same issuer. v n. 1a. A person who is older than another: She is eight years
my senior. b. A senior citizen. 2a. One that is of a higher position, rank, or grade
than another in the same set or class. b. A student in the fourth year of high school
or college. [Middle English < Latin, comparative of senex, old; see sen- in App. I.]

Using the Dictionary 17

problem, consider these two examples. The first is from Rose Guilbaults School
Days (Selection 4); the second is from John Stossels opinion piece, The College
Scam (Selection 33).
A. At home all I had was an ancient English/Spanish dictionary my
father had used to teach himself English, but its tiny print and archaic
language did more to obscure meaning than to shed light on it.
Here are some of the definitions for obscure from the American Heritage
Dictionary:

ob . scure (ob sky oor) adj. 1. Deficient in light; dark. 2a. so faintly perceptible as to
lack clear distinction; indistinct. See synonyms at dark. b. Indistinctly heard, faint.
c. Linguistics Having the reduced, neutral sound represented by schwa. 3a. Far from
centers of human population: an obscure village. b. out of sight; hidden: an obscure

retreat. 4. Not readily noticed or seen: an obscure flaw. 5. Of undistinguished or

humble station or reputation: an obscure poet; an obscure family. 6. Not clearly
understood or expressed; ambiguous or vague. tr.v. 1. To make dim or indistinct:

Smog obscured our view. See synonyms at block. 2. To conceal in obscurity; hide:
Unlike the origins of most nations, Americas origins are not obscured in the mists of

time (National Review)....

You might want to throw up your hands when faced with this many choices. But
before you despair, first consider the part of speech obscure represents in Guilbaults
sentence: The little word to preceding obscure is a verb or infinitive marker, and recognizing that fact will save you a lot of time and lead you to the correct definition.
Next, you have to locate the verb definitions. If you scan through the definitions
in the preceeding box, you will quickly see that the first six are the adjective definitions (indicated by adj.), followed by the verb definitions. Its easy to miss this,
however, because you have to see the abbreviation tr.v, which stands for transitive
verb (this means that the verb requires a direct object). Now you can zero in on the
correct definition, in this case the second one. To obscure meaning means to hide it.
In the second instance, obscure is clearly an adjective, modifying the noun journals. So you can focus on the adjective definitions. In this case, the best answer is
the fourth one, as Stossel means that these journals are not widely known among
the general public.
Now study this passage that also contains obscure.
The origins of bread, like those of most important culinary customs, are
obscure. The best guess at present is that flat breads were a common feature of
late Stone Age life; surviving versions include the tortilla, Indian Johnny-cake,
and Chinese pancake. (Harold McGee, On Food and Cooking: The Science and
Lore of the Kitchen)
Obscure here is an adjective (a subject complement of the subject, origins). If you
study the six adjective definitions in the preceeding box, you will see that none of

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 17

18 Improving

Your Vocabulary

them exactly fits the way the word is used here, but you can mix and match a couple
of them to produce a good definition. Definitions 3b and 4 are probably the closest.
Obscure in this context means not immediately obvious, vague, or uncertain.
These examples are meant to emphasize the importance of knowing a given words
part of speech, not only to save time but to locate the precise definition.
And what of culinary customs in the first sentence? If you arent familiar with
the word culinary, consider the title of the book from which the sentence comes as
well as the subjectflat bread. Putting 2 and 2 together, then, gives you a good
definition: the adjective culinary describes food and cooking.
Heres a final example: In Olivia Wus article, Alfresco Marriage Market
(Selection 16), she describes the outdoor marriage markets that have sprung up all
across China, where parents congregate on pleasant days in a public park to find
marriage partners for their unmarried adult children. She writes:
Clipped to shopping bags, taped to purses, laid on a low bush, pinned to a
tree trunk, or just sitting in a lap, the signs are the springboard for the sign
carriers to screen and negotiate potential partners for their subjects.
Which part of speech is potential in this sentence? How do you know? Here are
some of the dictionary definitions for potential.

po.ten.tial (p ten she l) adj. 1. Capable of being but not yet in existence; latent: a

potential problem. 2. Having possibility, capability, or power. 3. Grammar Of, relating

to, or being a verbal construction with auxiliaries such as may or can; for example, it

may snow. n. 1. The inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming
into being. 2. Something possessing the capacity for growth or development. 3.

Grammar: A potential verb form....

In this context potential is an adjective, because it describes the noun that follows it, partners. This means that you can safely ignore the noun definitions and
focus only on the adjective ones, which follow the abbreviation adj. Either the first
or second adjective definition works in the context.
To sum up: There is no need to read through all the definitions when looking
up a word. Try to determine the words part of speech first, locate appropriate
little abbreviation, and then choose the definition that best fits the context. Here
is a list of the common part-of-speech labels. You can find these in the front pages
of your print dictionary:
adj. adjective
adv. adverb
conj. conjunction
interj. interjection

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 18

n.
noun
pron. pronoun
v.
verb

prep. preposition
tr.v
transitive verb
intr.v. intransitive verb

Using the Dictionary 19

EXERCISE IN LOCATING THE CORRECT DEFINITION

IN THE DICTIONARY
These two excerpts, again from readings in the book, contain words each of which
has multiple meanings. First, determine the part of speech. Then write the most accurate definition. For the purposes of this exercise, use a print, not an online, dictionary.
1. [This buzz-phrase] springs from the discovery thatbig surprise!weve
been living beyond our means. (Selection 6, John Bussey, Old Hat for the
New Normal)
Part of speech ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition ________________________________________________
2. It tore me up inside to suppress my dream, but I went to school for a Ph.D.
in English literature, thinking I had found the perfect compromise. (Selection
9, Caroline Hwang, The Good Daughter)
Part of speech ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition ________________________________________________
3. To encourage marriage, or to get better prospects, the family itself becomes
the search engine. (Selection 16, Olivia Wu, Alfresco Marriage Market)
Part of speech ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition ________________________________________________
4. This brings us to our first dilemma: Amidst all this heightened chatter, were
not saying much thats interesting, folks. Rather, were breaking a cardinal
rule of companionship: Thou Shalt Not Bore Thy Friends. (Selection 12, Elizabeth Bernstein, How Facebook Ruins Friendships)
Part of speech ______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition ________________________________________________
5. Phones, before they become an essential element in a childs own life, were
the competition, one that children didnt necessarily feel they could best.
(Selection 11, Sherry Turkle, The Nostalgia of the Young)
Part of speech _______________________________________________________
Dictionary definition _________________________________________________
Armed with this information and a new-found appreciation for the dictionary
and the pleasures of learning new words, youre ready to begin the hard work of
becoming a successful college reader.

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 19

Practice Selection
Part One begins with a practice selection in which all the features you will find
throughout this book are explained. Before you begin the readings in Part One,
work through this selection and complete the exercises following it. Answers
are provided for all of the exercises except for topics for discussion and writing.
Explanations for each element are highlighted in color. These will show you how
to get the most that you can out of this book, will help you focus and concentrate,
and will help you learn what to look for when you read. To start, each reading
selection begins with a brief headnote, offering biographical information about
each author as well as necessary background information, where helpful to ensure
good comprehension.
Dave Barry has written a column for The Miami Herald since 1983. In 1988 he
received a Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Besides writing, Barry plays with a literary band called Rock Bottom Remainders, along with fellow writers Amy Tan
and Stephen King. His latest book is Ill Mature When Im Dead: Dave Barrys Amazing Tales of Adulthood (2010). In this excerpt reprinted from Dave Barrys Complete
Guide to Guys, we are introduced to a fictitious couple named Roger and Elaine,
who have been dating for a while.

Vocabulary Analysis

WORD
PARTS
Answers
spectrometer: a
device that measures wavelengths
hydrometer: an
instrument that
uses fluid to measure gravity

This section constitutes a preview of one or two words in the reading. These generally are divided into two sectionsWord Parts, which discusses an important
prefix, root, or suffix, and Word Families, which introduces you to a Latin or
Greek root so that you can recognize other words in the same family.
-meter [paragraph 7] As they are driving home, instead of paying attention to what
Elaine is saying, Roger checks the odometer (pronounced o - dom - - tr) and
wonders if his car needs an oil change. People often confuse a cars odometer with
its speedometer. An odometer measures the distance that a vehicle has traveled,
while a speedometer measures the speed at which it is moving.
Odometer joins two Greek word parts: hodos (journey) + metron (measure).
Besides the word meter itself (as in a water or gas meter), this Greek word part is
attached to other roots referring to instruments that measure all sorts of things,
among them thermometer (heat), chronometer (time), and barometer (atmospheric
pressure). What do these two words ending in -meter mean? Look them up if you
are unsure and write their meanings in the space.
spectrometer _________________________________________________________________
hydrometer _________________________________________________________________

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 20

DAVE BARRY 21

Transmission [paragraph 9] Roger also worries about his cars transmission. This word

WORD
FAMILIES

is formed by two Latin word parts: the prefix trans (across) and the root mittere
(to send). A cars transmission literally transmits or sends across power from
the engine to the axle. In English, many other words derive from mittere, although
the idea of sending is lost in some of them, for example, admission, commission,
permission, and submission (sending under).
Now the selection: Follow your instructors suggestions or requirements for
reading. Otherwise, use these directions: Read through the selection once; then
answer the questions in Exercises A, B, and C. After finishing these, follow the
instructions that appear later to complete the assignment.

DAVE BARRY

Tips for Women: How to Have

a Relationship with a Guy
Before you read, 1
ask yourself: Do
you know anything
about this subject or about the
author? What does 2
the title suggest
to you? Who is his
audience?
3

5
6

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 21

Contrary to what many women believe, its fairly easy to develop a long-term,
stable, intimate, and mutually fulfilling relationship with a guy. Of course
this guy has to be a Labrador retriever. With human guys, its extremely difficult. This is because guys dont really grasp what women mean by the term
relationship.
Lets say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine. He asks
her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later
he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see
each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.
And then, one evening when theyre driving home, a thought occurs to
Elaine, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: Do you realize that, as of
tonight, weve been seeing each other for exactly six months?
And then there is silence in the car. To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence.
She thinks to herself: Geez, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe hes
been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks Im trying to push
him into some kind of obligation that he doesnt want, or isnt sure of.
And Roger is thinking: Gosh. Six months.
And Elaine is thinking: But, hey, Im not sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so Id have time to think
about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily
toward ... I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each
other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I
really even know this person?
And Roger is thinking ... so that means it was ... lets see ... February when
we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealers which

22 DAVE

BARRY

10

11

12

13

14
15
16

17
18

19
20
21
22
23

24
25
26
27
28
29
30

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 22

means ... lemme check the odometer ... Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil
change here.
And Elaine is thinking: Hes upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe Im reading
this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensedeven before I sensed itthat I
was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet thats it. Thats why hes so reluctant to
say anything about his own feelings: Hes afraid of being rejected.
And Roger is thinking: And Im gonna have them look at the transmission
again. I dont care what those morons say, its still not shifting right. And they
better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? Its
eighty-seven degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a goddamn garbage truck,
and I paid those incompetent thieving cretin bastards six hundred dollars.
And Elaine is thinking: Hes angry. And I dont blame him. Id be angry, too.
God. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I cant help the way I feel. Im
just not sure.
And Roger is thinking: Theyll probably say its only a ninety-day warranty.
Thats exactly what theyre gonna say, the scumballs.
And Elaine is thinking: Maybe Im just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to
come riding up on his white horse, when Im sitting right next to a perfectly
good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my
self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.
And Roger is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? Ill give them a
goddamn warranty. Ill take their warranty and stick it right up their ...
Roger, Elaine says aloud.
What? says Roger, startled.
Please dont torture yourself like this, she says, her eyes beginning to brim
with tears. Maybe I should never have ... Oh God, I feel so ... (She breaks
down, sobbing.)
What? says Roger.
Im such a fool. Elaine sobs. I mean, I know theres no knight. I really
know that. Its silly. Theres no knight, and theres no horse.
Theres no horse? says Roger.
You think Im a fool, dont you? Elaine says.
No! says Roger, glad to finally know the correct answer.
Its just that ... Its that I ... I need some time, Elaine says.
(There is a fifteen-second pause while Roger, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come
up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.)
Yes, he says.
(Elaine, deeply moved, touches his hand.)
Oh, Roger, do you really feel that way? she says.
What way? says Roger.
That way about time, says Elaine.
Oh, says Roger. Yes.
(Elaine turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very
nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she
speaks.)

Tips for Women 23

31
32
33

34

35

36

37
38

39

40
41

42

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 23

Thank you, Roger, she says.

Thank you, says Roger.
Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul,
and weeps until dawn, whereas when Roger gets back to his place, he opens a
bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a
rerun of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he has never heard of.
A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was
going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would
ever understand what, and so he figures its better if he doesnt think about it.
(This is also Rogers policy regarding world hunger.)
The next day Elaine will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and
they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail,
they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time
and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of
meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss
this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite
conclusions, but never getting bored with it, either.
Meanwhile, Roger, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend
of his and Elaines, will pause just before serving, frown, and say: Norm, did
Elaine ever own a horse?
Were not talking about different wavelengths here. Were talking about different planets, in completely different solar systems. Elaine cannot communicate
meaningfully with Roger about their relationship any more than she can meaningfully play chess with a duck. Because the sum total of Rogers thinking on
this particular topic is as follows:
Huh?
Women have a lot of trouble accepting this. Despite millions of years of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, women are convinced that guys must spend
a certain amount of time thinking about the relationship. How could they not?
How could a guy see another human being day after day, night after night, sharing countless hours with this person, becoming physically intimatehow can a
guy be doing these things and not be thinking about their relationship? This is
what women figure.
They are wrong. A guy in a relationship is like an ant standing on top of a
truck tire. The ant is aware, on a very basic level, that something large is there,
but he cannot even dimly comprehend what this thing is, or the nature of his
involvement with it. And if the truck starts moving, and the tire starts to roll, the
ant will sense that something important is happening, but right up until he rolls
around to the bottom and is squashed into a small black blot, the only distinct
thought that will form in his tiny brain will be, and I quote.
Huh?
Which is exactly what Roger will think when Elaine explodes with fury at
him when he commits one of the endless series of petty offenses, such as asking
her sister out, that guys are always committing in relationships because they
have virtually no clue that they are in one.
How could he? Elaine will ask her best friends. What was he thinking?

24 DAVE

BARRY

43

44

45

46

The answer is, He wasnt thinking, in the sense that women mean the word.
He cant: He doesnt have the appropriate type of brain. He has a guy brain,
which is basically an analytical, problem-solving type of organ. It likes things to
be definite and measurable and specific. Its not comfortable with nebulous and
imprecise relationship-type concepts such as love and need and trust. If the guy
brain has to form an opinion about another person, it prefers to form that opinion based on something concrete about the person, such as his or her earned-run
average.
So the guy brain is not well-suited to grasping relationships. But its good at
analyzing and solving mechanical problems. For example, if a couple owns a
house, and they want to repaint it so they can sell it, it will probably be the guy
who will take charge of this project. He will methodically take the necessary
measurements, calculate the total surface area, and determine the per-gallon
coverage capacity of the paint; then, using his natural analytical and mathematical skills, he will apply himself to the problem of figuring out a good excuse not
to paint the house.
Its too humid, hell say. Or: Ive read that prospective buyers are actually
attracted more to a house with a lot of exterior dirt. Guys simply have a natural
flair for this kind of problem-solving. Thats why we always have guys in charge
of handling the federal budget deficit.
But the point Im trying to make is that, if youre a woman, and you want to
have a successful relationship with a guy, the Number One Tip to remember is:
1. Never assume that the guy understands that you and he have a relationship.

47

The guy will not realize this on his own. You have to plant the idea in his
brain by constantly making subtle references to it in your everyday conversation, such as:
Roger, would you mind passing me a Sweet n Low, inasmuch as we have a
relationship?
Wake up, Roger! Theres a prowler in the den and we have a relationship.
You and I do, I mean.
Good news, Roger! The gynecologist says were going to have our fourth
child, which will serve as yet another indication that we have a relationship!
Roger, inasmuch as this plane is crashing and we probably have only about
a minute to live, I want you to know that weve had a wonderful fifty-three
years of marriage together, which clearly constitutes a relationship.

48

49

Never let up, women. Pound away relentlessly at this concept, and eventually
it will start to penetrate the guys brain. Some day he might even start thinking
about it on his own. Hell be talking with some other guys about women, and,
out of the blue, hell say, Elaine and I, we have, ummm ... We have, ahhh ...
We ... We have this thing.
And he will sincerely mean it.*
From Dave Barry, Dave Barrys Complete Guide to Guys. 1995 by Dave Barry. Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 24

Tips for Women 25

Exercises
Do not refer to the selection for Exercises AC unless your instructor directs you
to do so.
The first two
exercises measure your overall
comprehension.

Exercise A asks
you to identify the
writers main idea
and purpose.
Part One will help
you with this. For
now, see how well
you can do on your
own.

Exercise B measures how well

you understand
the main ideas
in the supporting
paragraphs. It is
not meant to be
tricky but meant to
determine how well
you understand the
important ideas in
the selection.

A. DETERMINING THE MAIN IDEA AND PURPOSE

Choose the best answer.
_______ 1. The main idea of the selection is that men and women
a. are interested in different activities.
b. think and communicate on completely different wavelengths.
c. should date for a long time before they begin to think about a
long-term commitment.
d. are not clear about what they want from relationships with the
opposite sex.
_______ 2. With respect to the main idea, the writers purpose is to
a. explain why so many relationships fail.
b. criticize men and women for not understanding the opposite
sex.
c. entertain the reader with an amusing story.
d. poke fun at men and womens styles of communicating.
B. COMPREHENDING MAIN IDEAS
Choose the correct answer for the multiple-choice items. Write the fill-in answers
in the space provided using your own words.
_______ 1. Roger and Elaine, the couple in this hypothetical story, have been
seeing each other for exactly
a. six days.
b. six weeks.
c. ninety days.
d. six months.
_______ 2. Roger realizes that he and Elaine have been together for this length
of time because he is overdue
a. for a pay raise.
b. for an oil change.
c. for a transmission check.
d. in his rent.
3. According to Barry, guys have trouble understanding what women mean by
the term ________________________.
4. What is Rogers reaction after Elaine tells him that theres no knight, and
theres no horse? ________________________________________________
_______ 5. Barry describes mens brains as
a. analytical and problem-solving.
b. incapable of thinking about two thoughts at the same time.

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 25

26 DAVE

BARRY

Note: The answers

appear after the
question groups.
For the balance of
the selections, the
answers appear
in the Annotated
Instructors Edition
only

c. well-equipped to understand relationship terms like love and

need.
d. poorly suited to solving mechanical problems, preferring to call
in experts.
_______ 6. Barry humorously advises a woman who wants to have a relationship with a guy to
a. choose a guy who enjoys the same activities as she does.
b. nag and criticize him until she finally wears him down.
c. give up the idea as hopeless and accept his inability to understand.
d. plant the idea in his brain by constantly making subtle references to it.
ANSWERS TO EXERCISES A AND B

Now check your

answers. If you
disagree with an
answer, ask your
instructor for an
explanation.

A. Determining the Main Idea and Purpose

1. b 2. d
B. Comprehending Main Ideas
1. d 2. b 3. the term relationship
4. He has no idea what shes talking about 5. a 6. d
Now check your answers. If you disagree with an answer or are unsure about
an error, ask your instructor for an explanation. Then fill in the Comprehension
Scoring chart below.

Next, you can

figure out your
comprehension
score.

COMPREHENSION SCORE
Score your answers in Exercises A and B as follows:
A. No. right _____ 3 2 = _____
B. No. right _____ 3 1 = _____
Total points from A and B _____ 3 10 = _______ percent.
Try to maintain a score throughout the book of 70 percent or higher.

This sequencing
exercise gives you
practice in seeing
how sentences in
a paragraph must
be arranged to
produce a logical
discussion.

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 26

C. SEQUENCING
The sentences from the selections opening paragraph have been scrambled. Read
the sentences and choose the sequence that puts them back into logical order. Do
not refer to the original selection.
1. With human guys, its extremely difficult. 2. Contrary to what many women
believe, its fairly easy to develop a long-term, stable, intimate, and mutually
fulfilling relationship with a guy. 3. This is because guys dont really grasp
what women mean by the term relationship. 4. Of course this guy has to be a
Labrador retriever.

Tips for Women 27

_______ Which of the following represents the correct sequence for these
sentences?

Now read the

selection again and
circle words you
dont know and
cant figure out
from the context.
Then look up the
words you circled.
Now complete
the remaining
exercises.
Exercise D asks you
to go beyond the
surface ideas. Later
you will be asked to
study the structure
and organization
of particular
selections.

a. 1, 3, 2, 4
b. 2, 4, 1, 3
c. 3, 4, 1, 2
d. Correct as written.
You may refer to the selection as you work through the remaining exercises.
D. INTERPRETING MEANING
Write your answers to these questions in your own words.
1. Barrys humor in this piece relies on overstatement, sometimes called hyperbole
(h-pr b -le) or deliberate exaggeration for effect. Here is one example: Barry
states in paragraph 36, Were not talking about different wavelengths here.
Were talking about different planets, in completely different solar systems.
Look through the selection and find two other examples of overstatement.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. From Elaines response in paragraph 18 about there being no knight and no
horse, what has occurred in her thinking process?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Barry writes in paragraphs 36 and 37 that the sum total of Rogers thinking on the subject of his and Elaines relationship is Huh? What does this
response mean?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. At the end of paragraph 48, what is Barry poking fun at when Roger says,
Elaine and I, we have, ummm ... We have, ahhh ... We ... We have this
thing.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
E. UNDERSTANDING VOCABULARY
Choose the best definition according to an analysis of word parts or the context.
_______ 1. this level of intimacy [paragraphs 6 and 8]:
a. privacy
b. long-term commitment
c. closeness, familiarity
d. friendship

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 27

28 DAVE

BARRY

Exercise E tests
your understanding
of some of the most
important words in
the selection. Since
you have looked
up the words you
didnt know, you
should be able
to complete this
section quickly.

Exercise F varies
from selection to
selection. This
one asks you to
consider forms of
words that are in
the same family
but have endings
that change their
grammatical
function. (That is,
they are inflected
forms.) If you arent
sure which form
to use, try reading
the sentence out
loud and inserting
each choice to see
which one sounds
right, or consult
your dictionary for
further help.

Now check
answers. Any
wrong answers?
Ask your instructor
for an explanation.

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 28

_______ 2. in painstaking detail [34]:

a. simple
b. exaggerated
c. sketchy
d. extremely careful
_______ 3. nuances of meaning [34]:
a. slight variations
b. intentions
c. direct expressions
d. examinations
_______ 4. every possible ramification [34]:
a. interpretation
b. consequence
c. use of the imagination
d. cause or reason
_______ 5. pound away relentlessly [48]:
a. harshly
b. angrily
c. persistently
d. politely
F. USING VOCABULARY
In parentheses before each sentence are some inflected forms of words from the
selection. Study the context and the sentence. Then write the correct form in the
space provided.
1. (commit, commitment) Roger and Elaines imaginary dialogue suggests that
neither of them is ready for a _____________________.
2. (incompetence, incompetent, incompetently) Roger is convinced that the
mechanic who worked on his car was guilty of dishonesty and ____________.
3. (pettiness, petty, pettily) A guy like Roger can never understand why a woman
would make a big deal out of something ______________ like asking Elaines
sister out.
4. (subtlety, subtle, subtly) Barry suggests that a woman can instill the idea of
having a relationship by _________________ referring to the concept in her
everyday conversation.
ANSWERS TO EXERCISES CF
C. Sequencing b
D. Interpreting Meaning
1. Here are some possible answers: Roger watches a tennis match between two
unknown Czech players, rather than contemplate what went on between
him and Elaine in the car [paragraph 33]. Roger commits a petty offense
by asking Elaines sister out [paragraph 41]. A guy figures out calculations

Tips for Women 29

for painting a house and then devises excuses for not doing the job [paragraphs 4445].
2. Elaines mistake is assuming that Roger, in his silence, is thinking about the
same thing as she is.
3. Huh? means that Roger has no idea what Elaine is talking about.
4. Barry means that men have difficulty even saying the word relationship perhaps because it may imply a commitment they are not yet ready to make.
E. Understanding Vocabulary
Whether or not your
instructor assigns
these questions,
you should look the
questions over in
Exercise G. They
ask you to respond
to what you read
and to extend your
thinking, perhaps to
similar situations in
your own life. One
of the topics might
be the perfect
choice for a paper
in your composition
class.

1. c 2. d 3. a 4. b 5. c
F. Using Vocabulary
1. commitment 2. incompetence 3. petty 4. Subtly
G. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Aside from Barrys observation that guys brains are different from womens, what might be some other reasons that men have difficulty talking
about relationships and abstract concepts like love and need and commitment?
2. Is Barry being fair to men? to women?
3. To what do you attribute the differences in communication styles between
men and women?
H. TOPICS FOR WRITING
1. Write an imaginary dialogue between Roger and Elaine that represents your
past experience in a relationship. The situation is this: Elaine wants to have
a relationship with Roger, and she wants him to make a commitment, but
Roger isnt so sure that hes ready to make this leap.
2. Barrys essay deals with two different communication styles between men
and women. Choose another activity that men and women do differently,
such as cooking, studying, shopping, or watching television, and write an
essay describing these differences.
EXPLORE THE WEB
A collection of Dave Barrys Miami Herald columns can be found at:
www.davebarry.com
On the next page is a Comprehension Worksheet for those who wish to have an
alternative to the texts multiple-choice questions. The page can easily be duplicated for use with any of the text selections.

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 29

30 DAVE

BARRY

Comprehension Worksheet
1. Authors name and title of the selection: ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Topic of the selection (What or who is it about?): _ _______________________________________
3. Main idea (What is the main point of the selection?): _____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Purpose (Why did the writer write it?): _________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Supporting ideas (List two or three points that support the main point.):
a. __________________________________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________________________________
6. Evaluation (What was your reaction to the selection? Why do you feel this way?):
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
7. Does your experience and/or observation correspond to the ideas expressed in the selection?
Explain. _ ___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. What other information would you like to have on this subject? ___________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

spe11111_intro_001-030.indd 30