Vocabulary
To lose value
A century ago, medical practice left much to be desired. In the late 1800s, surgeons still operated with bare hands, wearing the same clothes they had worn on the street. Their shoes carried in the surgery room the debris of the streets and hospital corridors. Spectators were often permitted to observe operations, gathering around the patient within touching distance of the incision. Surgeons used surgical dressing made from pressed sawdust, a waste product from the floors of sawmills. Surgical instruments were not disinfected. The mortality rate following operations in many hospitals was as high as 90%.
Sentence 1
Suggested by the supporting details and not clearly stated in a sentence
What is an implied main idea?
For one thing, alcohol consumption begins in high school or earlier.
What is the transition?
For one thing
Words that indicate that an author will provide one or more exaples to develop or clarify a given idea (for example, including, for instance)
Illustration words
Because she enjoyed her work, the new job offer left Elena in a quandary. She couldn't decide what to do. Quandary means...
a state of uncertainty
Looking for general vs. specific ideas, using the topic to lead you, and using key words, are all ways to lead you to it.
What is main idea?
There is more than one way to jump to conclsions
Words that signal added ideas
Words that signal similarities (alike, both, same)
Comparison words
Words surrounding unfamiliar words that help a reader figure out unfamiliar words
context clues
Adults seek out spicy or bitter foods to stimulate their smaller supply of taste buds.
Sensitivity to flavors
The difference in the sensitivity to flavors between children and adults lies in the taste buds, the tiny taste receptors that line the tongue.
Young children's tongues are loaded with taste buds and are especially sensitive; therefore, sour or spicy flavors seem too intense for them.
Sentence 3
The first farm animals were sheep and goats, the most suitable species for driving in small flocks while people might still be traveling. For milennia wild animals had been alughtered on teh spot, but then some bright person realized that sheep and goats could be captured and driven home, thereby saving the effort of dragging their carcasses. Evidently, once the animals were alive at home, it became clear that they could be kept allive for longer periods to serve as dietary insurance policies. It was only a matter of time before stocks of sheet and goats were kept alive to reproduce so that there might be a continuous supply without hunting.
A way to show the relationships between ideas in sentences
Words that signal that an author is pointing out differences between subjects (but, yet, rather than, despite)
Contrast words
Ideas about decorum change greatly over time. In our society, for instance, until relatively recently, polite people did not appear bareheaded on the street, and a man always tipped his hat to a woman. Decorum means...
how to behave properly
Police officers complain that many of the criminals they arrest end up very soon on the streets to commit crimes again. Judges argue that because of the technicalities of the law, they are forced to free many defendants, some of whom may be guilty as charged. Many chitizens charge that the police, the judges, or the government officials are not doing their jobs well. Clearly, the way the huge problem of crime is being handled angers and frustrates many segments of our society.
Sentence 4
One myth about exercise is that if a woman lifts weights, she will develop muscles as large as a man’s. Without extra male hormones, however, a woman cannot increase her muscle bulk as much as a man’s. Another misconception about exercise is that it increases the appetite. Actually, regular exercise stabilizes the blood-sugar level, which prevents hunger pains. Some people also think that a few minutes of exercise a day or one session is enough, but at least three solid workouts a week are needed for muscular and cardiovascular health.
A way to show the relationships between supporting details
Words that signal that the author is explaining the reason why something happened or the result of something happening (therefore, as a result of, because of)
Cause and effect words
You keep wandering off into thoughts that are not germane to the topic. You must learn to stick to the point. Germane means...
relevant to the subject
Sentence 3
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
The choices we make in life are important
What is the pattern of organization for the following selection?
When a president need to appoint someone to the Supreme Court, the first step is to find a list of good candidates. Next, the president shortens the list, considering the political impact of each candidate's appointment and his or her fitness to serve. Then each candidate on the short list is thoroughly investigated by the FBI. Weighing numerous political and ideological factors, as well as the chances for Senate confirmation, the president formally nominates a candidate.
Time order
What is the organizational patter of the following paragraph:
Today's divorce rate is nearly 300 percent higher than it was forty years ago. Why the increase? One reason is that today there is greater social acceptance of divorce. This increased tolerance has resulted from a relaxation of negative attitudes toward divorce among religious denominations. Although divorce is still seen as unfortunate, it is no longer treated as a sin by most religious leaders. An increase in family income has also led to the rise in divorce rates. As couples acquire more wealth, they are more likely to be able to affort the cost of divorce proceedings. Finally, as society provides greater opportunities for women, more and more wives are becoming less dependent on their husbands-both economically and emotionally. Consequently, they are more likely to leave if their marriage seems hopeless.