1根据定义猜测词义
如果生词是句子或段落所解释的定义，理解句子或段落本身就是推断词义。
例如： anthropology is the scientific study of man.
由定义可知，anthropology就是“研究人类的科学”。
In slang the term "jam" constitutes a state of being in which a person finds himself or herself in a difficult situation.
同样，从上下文的定义可知jam一词在俚语中的意思是“困境”。定义句的谓语动词多为：be, mean, deal with, be considered, to be, refer to, be called, be known as, define, represent, signify, constitute等。
2根据复述猜测词义
虽然复述不如定义那样严谨、详细，但是提供的信息足以使阅读者猜出生词词义。复述部分可以适当词、短语或是从句。
同位语 Semantics, the study of the meaning of words, is necessary if you are to speak and read intelligently.
此例逗号中短语意为“对词意义进行研究的学科”。该短语与前面生词semanties式同位关系，因此我们不难猜出semanties指“语义学”。
在复述中构成同位关系的两部分之间多用逗号连接，有时也使用破折号，冒号，分号，引号，和括号等。
Capacitance, or the ability to store electric charge, is one of the most common characteristics of electronic circuits.
由同位语我们很快猜出生词capacitance词义---电容量。
需要注意的是：同位语前还常有or, similarly, that is to say, in other words, namely, or other, say i. e. 等副词或短语出现。
定语从句 Krabacber suffers from SAD, which is short for seasonal affective disorder, a syndrome characterized by severe seasonal mood swings.
根据生词SAD后面定语从句which is short for seasonal affective disorder和同位语a syndrome characterized by severe seasonal mood swings, 我们可以推断出 SAD含义，即“季节性情绪紊乱症”。
