3 rd Meeting
Building a Powerful Vocabulary
Building a powerful vocabulary means more than learning new words. It means
learning new ways to think about words. In this unit you will learn some
thinking skills that will help you guess the meaning of unknown words. Then
you will le~rn how to use synonyms and pronouns to understand what you read.
Using the context to guess unknown words
What is the context?
The context is the sentence or sentences around a word. You can often guess the
meaning of words you do not know by using the context. Use the context to
. guess which word belongs in each blank in the passage below.
EXAMPLE
► First read the whole passage. Then go back and choose a word to write In each space.
Show your work to another student. Do the two of you agree on the answers?
Last week was Henry's birthday. He was 21 years old. His girlfriend bought
him a new----,-----·
(1)
His brother and ----==---- gave him a
(2)
party. Henry's mother made a special chocolate birthday ----:::-:----, and
(l)
all of Henry's good friends came to his ----;-;-:----. They danced all
(.4)
---~
(5)
- - - · Henry really enjoyed_ his birthday.
[ watch cake night house sister I
► Now check your answers below:
Q.JleM (r)
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Exercise :1
First rea d the wh ole passage
. Then go ba ck an d choose
Show your work to another a wo rd to write In each spa
stu de nt. Do the tw o of you c
ag ree on the an sw ers ?
The Story of Helen Keller (1
)
Helen Keller was a famous write
r an d speaker. She was born in
18 80 and
she died in 1968. She wrote _
_ _ _ _ _ _ an d articles ab
(1) out education
an d politics. She _ _ _ _ _
_ _ to every part of th e world
(2) . But th e
surprising fact ab ou t Helen Kelle
r _ _ _ _ _ _ _ this: She co
(3)
uld no t
see an d sh e co ul d _ _ _ _ _
_ _ hear. In tho~e days, blind
(4) an d deaf
pe op le _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ve ry
closed ~nd sad lives. But no t He
(5) len Keller. She
was a very special _ _ _ _ _
__
(6)
pe rso n books traveled was no t ha d
Helen Keller
Exercise 2
First read the whole passage. Then go back and choose a word to write In each space.
Show your work to another student. Do the two of you agree on the answers?
The Story of Helen Keller (2)
Helen Keller _ _ _ _ _ _ _ not always blind and deaf. She was all right
(1)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ she was born on June 27, 1880. But she _ _ _ _ _..:,___
rn ~
very sick the next year. After _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , she was not the same. Her
(4)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ loved her and they tried to - - - - - , - - - - care of her. But
(6)
(S)
it was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ easy. Her parents could not show _ _ _ _ _ _ __
m ~
what to do.
By the time Helen was six _ _ _ _ _ _ _ old, her parents were
(9)
very unhappy. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ knew that Helen was very smart.
(10)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ they could not teach her. They did _ _ _ _ _ _ _ know
(11) (12)
what to do. But they knew they had to do _ _ _ _ _ __
(13)
Often, Helen was not a nice child to be near. She did not know how to
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ at the table. She made strange ________ like a bird.
(14) (15)
She sometimes hit _ _ _ _ _ _ _ mother or her fathe.i;._She often
(16)
_ _ _ _ _ __ around the room and hurt herself.
(17)
When Helen was-seven, her parents decided _ _ _ _ __ _ find help for
(18)
her. Tliey wrote to Michael Anagnos, a ________ in Boston. They asked
(19)
him to ______ _ a teacher for Helen. He ______ _ _ to them
(20) (21)
antl said: "I know _ _ _ _ _ _ _ good teacher for Helen. Her name
(22)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Annie Sullivan. I will send her to you."
(23)
her to teacher ran find wrote a But
when that take became her years was noises
is parents not They not something eat
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Exercise 3
► First read the whole passage.
Then go back and choose a
Show your work to another stude word to write In each spac
nt. Do the two of you agree on e.
the answers?
The Story of Helen Keller (3)
The Kellers were ve ry pleas
ed . Th ey _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a go
(1) od te ac he r
for Helen. Th en _ _ _ _
_ _ _ co ul d lea rn an d th
(2)
ey co ul d al l
- - - - - - - ha pp y.
The tea ch er could sh ow He
(3) . len _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to
(4)
do . She co ul d tea ch He len
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ re ad an
(5)
d to ta lk .
Annie Sullivan fin all y came
to th e Keller _ _ _ _
_ _ _ . Sh e ca m e by
(6)
tra in fro m Boston. He len 's
-- -= ,- -- -- an d father tri
(7) ed to tel l He len
-- -- <>_ _ _ An ni e wa
s he r friend. Th ey co ul d _
8 _ _--:7'.""_ _ _ m ak e
(9)
he r un de rst an d.
-- -~ <:::->_ _ _ was hard to
10 kn ow wh at He len -- ~ ,- -- -- ·S h e
could no t see and sh e 11
- - - - : : --:::-> - - -
02
no t he ar. So sh e co ul<d>no t
U > th e world. No on e knew ho
3 w ---=---
things. An d she co uld tel l he r
----::-o=s>_ _ _ tell th in gs
to an<H>
yo ne else.
Annie began to ---
-;: u- ::: -> - - - care of He
6 len . She tri ed to
< > her. She showed Helen th e na
17
She wrote th e words on m es
---- :<c :-:: 19~ >- - - <'•> th in .
ha nd s. But He len di d no t u n d er stags
nd .
-- -- =< =,-->- - - be ga n to
20 feel hopeless.
Annie take could
th ou gh t tha t wh at
no t Helen's of be
ho me to m ot he r
she teach It
know no t to
wa nt ed
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In this exercise, you must thlnK or tne m1ssmg woras. r,rsi Teaa me wno,e passage.
Then go back and write a word In each space. Show your work to another student.
Do the two of you agree on the answers?
The Story of Helen Keller ( 4)
One day, Annie was trying to teach Helen. They went for a walk, and
came to a well. Helen was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ warm and
-----(-1)___ (2)
thirsty.·Annie put Helen's hand _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the water. She took a
(3)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ and gave Helen a drink. Helen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ glad to
(4) (5)
have a cool drink.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Annie took Helen's hand. She used her _ _ _ _ _ __
oo m
to write "WAT E R" on Helen's ______ __ . Suddenly, Helen understooc
(8)
She knew that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was telling her something. The feeling
(9)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ her hand was the name for ---~-,-- ---! Helen was
(10) (11)
very happy. She _ _ _ _ _ _ _ excited. Now she·could find out the
(12)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ of everything.
(13)
The next year, Annie Sullivan took Helen - - - ~ - - - Boston. They
(14)
stayed with Michael Anagnos. ----=--_;_ __ went to a special school. She
(IS)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ how to speak and how to "listen" ______ __ her
(16) (17)
hands. She learned to read ----=-
(18)
-- with her fingers. Then she was
= - - - New York. Annie
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ to go to another school, - - - -(.20)
(19)
and Helen went to New York, - - - ~
(21)
- - - Helen went to the Gilman
School.
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Exercise 5
In this e,t.e,c/se, you must think of the mlssllllt words. First read the whole passage.
Tlr•• go 1,aek and w,tte a word In each space. Show your worl< to another student.
Do the two of you agree on the answers?
The story of Helen Keller ( 5)
Soon Helen was 19 years old. _ _ __ _ _ _ _ was time for her to go
(I)
, amous
----::::<> - - - college. She took an examination for Radcliffe a f
2 ----<-:-:- : - - - >_ _ _ student.
<> - - - in Massachusetts. Helen was a
- ---- 4
3
----:-:<-, - -- to Radcliffe, and she
She passed the examination. She 5
- - - (: ; - ; : 6 ) - - - in 1904.
Annie and Helen stayed ----::(7)=----· Helen wrote a book ab
----::::-:------ !if out
cs1 e. It was called The Story of M L .fi
wrote many other b ks y l e. She -----;;;::-----
00 . Some of (9)
Annie ----;:c1;;;:o,:----~ books became movies
<H>
and other -----:~--- Helen traveled to England , Scotland, Greece .
(12) • Helen visited al most every ,
· She tried to h part of the
(13)
1
e Pother people. She £so
tried to
Helen CISl poor people and she tri::i•~o
. 01, that h . -----,;-;-:---- w·
nme Sulliva er 1tfe wash <t•> ars.
A n. She loved An . appy because (18)
her called -r. n1e, and <•9> wrote b
1.eacher. ao, is the a ook about
all of her rt
i e. Helen K 11
name that Hel en- used for
e er died in
. June 1968.
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