Vocabulary 1
Synonym
What is a word or phrase that has the same or similar meaning as the unfamiliar one.
Connotation
What is an idea or feeling that a word suggests in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
This is the story of the great war that Rikki-tikki-tavi fought single-handed, through the bath-rooms of the big bungalow in Segowlee cantonment. Darzee, the Tailorbird, helped him, and Chuchundra, the musk-rat, who never comes out into the middle of the floor, but always creeps round by the wall, gave him advice, but Rikki-tikki did the real fighting.
What is a house.
Antonym
What is a word or phrase that has the opposite meaning of the unfamiliar one or that is a non-example of it.
Denotation
What is the literal or dictionary definition of a word.
Context clues that help figure out the setting.
This is the story of the great war that Rikki-tikki-tavi fought single-handed, through the bath-rooms of the big bungalow in Segowlee cantonment. Darzee, the Tailorbird, helped him, and Chuchundra, the musk-rat, who never comes out into the middle of the floor, but always creeps round by the wall, gave him advice, but Rikki-tikki did the real fighting.
What is a house, surrounded by a wall.
Example
What is one or more details that demonstrate the word or phrase’s meaning.
Signal Words for Example
What is “for example” or “for instance”.
This is the story of the great war that Rikki-tikki-tavi fought single-handed, through the bath-rooms of the big bungalow in Segowlee cantonment. Darzee, the Tailorbird, helped him, and Chuchundra, the musk-rat, who never comes out into the middle of the floor, but always creeps round by the wall, gave him advice, but Rikki-tikki did the real fighting.
What is a a neighborhood.
Definition
What is an explanation of a word or phrase’s meaning, usually set off by a comma.
Signal Words for Synonym
What is “like,” “similarly,” or “just as”.
Darzee and his wife only cowered down in the nest without answering, for from the thick grass at the foot of the bush there came a low hiss—a horrid cold sound that made Rikki-tikki jump back two clear feet.
What is "… down in the nest without answering".
Inference
An educated guess that readers make about the meaning of a word or phrase, using general context clues in the text and their own reasoning and background knowledge.
Signal Words for an Antonym
What is “but,” “however,” or “unlike”.
When he had lifted one-third of himself clear of the ground, he stayed balancing to and fro exactly as a dandelion tuft balances in the wind, and he looked at Rikki-tikki with the wicked snake’s eyes that never change their expression, whatever the snake may be thinking of.
What is a cluster of small, soft parts.