Page 234

Learning New Words

1. Read, read, read!

The best way to learn new words is to read a lot. Books, magazines, newspapers, websites—read anything and everything!

2. Check nearby words.

The words that come before and after a new word (its context) may help you find its meaning. Check out the following sentence:

The animal expert talked about herons, cranes, and ibises.

Ibises? That’s probably a new word for you! Look at the words that come before it. Herons and cranes are both long-legged birds. Ibises are probably long-legged birds, too.

Here’s another sentence with a new word:

At work, my mom uses a microscope to look at germs.

A microscope is an instrument for looking at very small things. What words in this sentence help you know that?