One of the ways you can figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word is to use its context – the words around it, and the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Learning to use context for clues is an important skill. You won’t always have a dictionary handy (on-line or paper), and tests such as the SAT, GRE, LSAT, and ACT are notorious (notorious: well-known or famous, but not in a good way) for using difficult words in their vocabulary and comprehension sections. In order to succeed, you need to be able to determine the meaning of words by their context.

Like any other skill, learning to use context requires practice and training. One of the best ways to train in this skill is to be a frequent and active reader. Read as much as you can! Read something new every day, if possible. Pick up a magazine while you’re waiting to see the doctor. Grab a newspaper on your way to work. Spend your lunch hour catching up on the latest scientific news on the blogs. Choose reading materials that you know will contain words that are new and unfamiliar to you, which deal with politics, current events, science, or education.

When you come across a word that you aren’t sure of, study the sentence and try to guess the word’s meaning. Use the other methods we’ve discussed on this blog to identify a word’s meaning. Can you see a root word that looks familiar? Are there prefixes or suffixes that give you a hint? Write down the word, and your best guess as to what it means.

Next, look the word up (the Ultimate Vocabulary system has more than 142,000 words in its database) and check the meaning. If there are multiple meanings listed, because the word is used in different ways, make sure you have the one that matches the context of the sentence you read. Take the time to review the other uses as well, and any synonyms or antonyms listed for the word. The more you know about a word, the better you’ll remember it in the future.

Finally, put your notes aside and go back to the sentence and paragraph where you first saw the word. Keeping the meaning of the word in mind, look at the context again, and think about what clues there were to the word’s meaning that you may have missed the first time. By working backwards in this way, you’ll develop your skills at determining context, and the next time you find a new word, you’ll be even better at deducing its meaning (to deduce: to come to a conclusion or answer by using logic).

A better vocabulary is an asset that everyone can benefit from, and learning new vocabulary words and how to use them with confidence is a life-long process. You’ll learn new words every day, almost unconsciously, as you read books and magazines, or listen to the radio, or talk with other experts in your field. However, there are some times when you’re required to quickly gain mastery over a number of words, and that might put some pressure on you. If you’re studying for an exam like the GRE or SAT, or if you’re working towards a promotion or a new job, you probably have a limited time to devote to your study. Here are some tips for using that time as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Get Comfortable

It’s important first identify the environment that’s most conducive to your studying (conducive: favorable, helping to bring about, encouraging). Some people need to have absolute quiet in order to concentrate; others work better if music is playing in the background. If you find your home environment to be too distracting, find a spot to study at your local library or university. You might find that being in a room where there are many other people studying will inspire you and help you focus.

Get Creative

While most people have a primary learning style – that is, they learn best by seeing and reading information (visual learning), or by hearing it (auditory learning), or by performing some task or action (kinesthetic learning) – the most effective way to learn and retain information is by using more than one learning method. The Ultimate Vocabulary program provides many different ways of looking at the vocabulary words and studying them: there are exercises in using the words, examples of antonyms and synonyms, audio files to give examples of the pronunciation, and word-mapping that allows you to relate one word to several others, creating stronger ties in your memory and understanding of how that word is used. If you’re studying on your own, practice saying the word out loud, write it down as well as reading it on the page, and make opportunities to use it in conversation. The more ways you approach learning a word, more likely it is that you’ll remember it.

Get Cracking!

Even if you only have a few minutes a day to study, it’s important to keep moving forward in your study program. Try scheduling a specific time each day to sit down and practice, whether you’re using the Ultimate Vocabulary system or using paper and pencil to test yourself on your words and definitions. Do you have a friend who’s also interested in improving their vocabulary? You might find it useful to work with someone else – you’ll motivate each other, and give each other the chance to practice using your words in conversation.

Do you have any study tips to share? Leave a comment on this post!

How did you do on yesterday’s quiz? (If you haven’t had a chance to take it, give it a try here before looking at the answers below.) Did you find it easier to pick the correct word by using the context of the sentence to figure out which one fit the best? Were there words that you still mixed up? Some of the word pairs have very similar spelling – did those word pairs cause any trouble? Other word pairs sound the same, or nearly the same, when spoken out loud – did you find yourself getting confused because of that? Think about any problems you might have had when you took this quiz, then check your answers. In future posts, we’ll have tips on how you can get the most out of your vocabulary study time.

When the choirs from the five local churches perform all together, they sound very impressive.

Passing the written test of road safety is the penultimate step towards getting a driver’s license.

When you are overwhelmed by a large project, try breaking it down into discrete parts and working on them one at a time.

Howard takes every opportunity he can to flaunt his knowledge of Japanese when he goes out to the sushi bars with us.

Knowing that the crowd would be angry and inflammable, the police department decided to set patrols near the site of the demonstration.

Her job performance at our company was unexceptionable and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her for that position.

When you spend next week at that health spa, remember that they proscribe coffee and tea, so be prepared for a drop in your energy at first.

When we heard that the total solar eclipse was imminent we all rushed outside to watch.

The international scientific conference started with a speech by the eminent physicist Stephen Hawking.

Altogether, that was the best conference I have ever attended.

The store manager was arrested for the illicit surveillance videos he made of his employees in the changing rooms.

The United Nations Security Council is instrumental in keeping peace around the world.

If you arrive late for the wedding, please be discreet when you enter the church, so that you don’t interrupt the ceremony.

I’m not averse to the use of salt in cooking, but she adds too much to her dishes for my taste.

Because the oxygen in the respirators is highly flammable there is no smoking allowed in the asthma ward.

A homeopathic physician may prescribe a course of botanical extracts to cure your allergies.

The doctors tried everything they could to elicit a response from the comatose patient.

Ellen got a compliment from the minister on the lovely flower arrangement she made for the altar.

If you’re angry with her, I’d counsel you to wait a few days to think about your response to her remark.

Women in the 19th century were considered very daring to flout convention and wear trousers.

This symphony season was unexceptional and I don’t think I’m going to renew my subscription.

Some people think that free-fall skydiving is the ultimate in thrilling adventure.

Her positive attitude helps her deal with the most adverse situations.

Robert Burns stated that the perfect complement to a haggis is a dram of whiskey.

The English language has evolved over the centuries, incorporating terms from many other languages, and changing the way words are spelled, pronounced, and used. There are many words that still cause confusion even for native speakers, but which, when learned and used correctly, will give your spoken and written communication that extra polish and professionalism which will help you advance in your career.

Prescribe v. Proscribe

To help you achieve this command of the language, we prescribe daily study using the Ultimate Vocabulary system. Prescribe means to direct or order something to be done. This can be a recommendation or a command.

A good doctor will only prescribe the medication that is absolutely necessary for treatment.
My personal trainer prescribes an exercise regimen involving swimming, running, and weights.

When something is prescribed, it’s encouraged. When something is proscribed, it’s forbidden. A synonym for proscribe is prohibit.

Strict Catholic doctrine proscribes the eating of meat during the season of Lent.
Many native villages in Alaska are “dry” and proscribe the selling of alcohol in stores.

Elicit v. Illicit

Even though it’s forbidden to sell alcohol in a “dry” town, there are usually still places where people can make illicit purchases of beer or whiskey. Illicit means unlawful or illegal, acting against the rule of law or the rules of society.

Several politicians have resigned recently when their illicit affairs became public knowledge.
The broker was fired after his illicit trading of client stock holdings was discovered.

When someone’s caught breaking the law, it generally elicits a negative response from other people. Elicit means to call forth or draw out, or to evoke.

She was able to elicit a smile from the anxious child by giving him a soft and colorful toy.
It took repeated questioning for the attorney to elicit the answer he wanted from the witness.

Discrete v. Discreet

Many extramarital affairs are found out because the participants are not able to be discreet. The word discreet means unobtrusive or hidden. It can also be used in a positive way, to describe a person or an action that is modest or restrained, not causing problems for other people.

The waiter was so discreet in his service that we almost didn’t realize he was there.
Janet gave Thomas a little discreet assistance in his lab work so the teacher wouldn’t penalize him for being slow.

Though spelled almost identically, discrete has an entirely different meaning than discreet. In fact, that’s the definition of discrete: distinct, separate, apart.

The United States government was designed to have three discrete branches: judicial, executive, and legislative.
In mathematics, integers are also known as discrete numbers.

We hope you’re clear now on the distinctions between the words in these commonly-confused pairs. Review the earlier posts (part 1, part 2, and part 3) and get ready for tomorrow’s quiz!

Some words are frequently confused and misused even by native English speakers, because the definitions of the words have been blended and exchanged over the years, so most people don’t remember the original, correct meanings. If you learn these three word pairs and use them correctly, your English skills will be unexceptionable.

All Together v. Altogether

All together now, repeat after me: “Altogether is one word.” While both of these words have the underlying sense of “everything,” they’re used and spelled in different ways. All together means in a group, or as a group.

When we’re all together, we have a lot of fun.
The sheep were huddled all together in the far corner of the field.

The word altogether, on the other hand, has an altogether different use. This word is an adjective meaning completely or totally, or taking all things into consideration.

Once we were over the mountain range, we lost cell phone service altogether.
It rained for two days, and the beds weren’t very comfortable, but altogether we had a very nice vacation at the beach.

Penultimate v. Ultimate

Here at Ultimate Vocabulary we’re happy to acknowledge that one definition of ultimate is “the best.” We also like the other ways this word is used – to mean “the last in a series” (you won’t need another vocabulary learning program!) or to indicate something that is the highest (the Ultimate Vocabulary system is the tops!). Here are a few more examples of the word:

The new cruise line promises to provide the ultimate in luxury sailing experiences.
The ultimate goal of the program is to train you to have confidence in your speaking abilities.

Penultimate means the next to the last thing. The word comes from the Latin paene (almost) and ultima (final).

Auckland is the penultimate stop on our around-the-world cruise.
The Scottish town Kirkcudbright is pronounced “kirr-koo-bree,” with the accent on the penultimate syllable.

Flammable v. Inflammable

Both of these words mean catching fire easily, or capable of burning or being burned. However, many people think that the word inflammable refers to something that can’t be burned. We’re used to words like indiscreet (not discreet) and indirect (not direct) where the prefix in- means “not” – but in this case, in-flammable still means flammable. If you want to talk about something that can’t catch fire, use the word nonflammable. Inflammable is also often used to describe emotional states, where it means fiery, or easily aroused.

That can of kerosene is flammable and should be moved away from the fire.
His inflammable temper makes him completely unsuited to work in customer service.

Keep your temper and don’t lose patience with these easily-confused words! We’ll discuss three more word pairs tomorrow.

This week, we’re looking at words that are frequently confused and misused. Being able to use the correct word in any situation is an important skill, and many of these words appear on tests such as the GRE and SAT. Take the time to study and thoroughly learn these words – you’ll improve your English skills immensely.

Eminent v. Imminent

Because these words are so close in pronunciation, they’re often more confusing in a spoken sentence than a written one. The word imminent (IH-mih-nent) is used to describe something that is probably (though not definitely) just about to happen.

The town was evacuated when scientists stated that the volcano’s eruption was imminent.
If he doesn’t slow down, he’s in imminent danger of crashing into the wall.

Eminent (EH-mih-nent) means distinguished, important, and of great worth.

His university mentor is an eminent scholar of ancient Greek texts.
The town council had a ceremony to honor the eminent members of the community who had contributed to the charity.

Council v. Counsel

Council is a noun used to indicate a group of people who are gathered or elected to be legislators, advisors, or administrators, and who make and follow rules and directives.

Of the six people on the council, two are teachers and the other four are career politicians.
After the coup, the generals replaced all of the local councils with military advisors.

In its advisory capacity, a council might counsel a specific course of action. Counsel means advice or recommendations, or the giving of such advice or guidance.

I depend on the counsel of my grandparents to guide me through difficult choices.
A good psychiatrist will counsel you in such a way that you find your own solutions to your problems.

Flaunt v. Flout

To flout means to scorn, or show contempt for. This verb is usually used when referring to someone’s deliberate disregard for the laws (legal or otherwise) of society.

Though her family is very traditional, Emma decided to flout convention and wear a black dress at her wedding.
Rich people often think their wealth allows them to flout the rules and do whatever they want.

Another thing many rich people are known for is a tendency to flaunt their wealth. To flaunt means to show off, to display to excess.

James always flaunts his newest sports car at each year’s company picnic, though it doesn’t make him any friends.
Deidre flaunted her engagement ring at every opportunity, waving her hands constantly as she spoke.

Practice these word pairs until you’re certain you won’t confuse them in the future. It’s better to flaunt your knowledge of English than flout the rules of grammar.