Web Activity 5.5 Context as a clue to word meaning

The linguistic context in which a new word appears can provide a lot of information about its meaning.

Each of the following examples contains a nonsense word embedded in a sentence of English. For each nonsense word, generate a list of possible English synonyms. Compare your list with your classmates’ responses. How similar or different are your lists? What syntactic and nonsyntactic information did you use to constrain your guesses?

• Juleta bought mib red dresses.
• Hendrik carelessly fobbed over the lawn.
• Kimmy wrote some real vadup in that article.
• Give it to that berlish man standing over there.
• I’d rather have fep cookie.
• Peter should slind to Charlie.
• The neebest girl in the class always gets picked.
• Adolfo wanted a bit of smed.