Key words
or
that is to say
in other words
i.e. or that is
e.g.
The surface of Africa consists mainly of plateaus, or large flat areas, although these occur at different levels.
an unfamiliar word = plateaus
signal word = or
meaning = large flat areas
Exercise 3 Use signal words as your clues to find the meaning of the underlined words. Circle signal words and write the meaning in the space provided.
1. According to Indian custom, a great dowry of money and objects is given to the bridegroom, in other words, it is a dot.
dot = ______________________________________
2. There are several types of aerosol cans. Simple ones contain a liquefied gas, called the propellant, in which material is dissolved, i.e., melt.
dissolved =__________________________________
3. Our youth nowadays should not engage in intoxicating things such as alcohol, cigarettes, and tranquilizers, that is to say, they should not ingest them.
engage =___________________________________
3. Punctuation marks
Punctuation is used to describe the meaning of unfamiliar words. The writer will write unfamiliar words and then use punctuation, words, phrases, or sentences to explain the meaning of the new words. Such punctuation is in the “Key words box” below.
Key words
, commas
, , appositive
( ) parentheses
? ? dashes
; semicolon
: colon
e.g.
Full-color pictures are printed using only black and three colors: yellow, cyan (a light blue) and magenta (a light purple).
an unfamiliar word = cyan and magenta
signal punctuation = ( )
meaning : cyan = a light blue and magenta = a light purple
The use of computers to handle text, or word processing, was foreseen in the 1950s.
an unfamiliar word = handle text
signal punctuation = , ,
meaning : handle text = word processing
Exercise 4 Use signal words as your clues to find the meaning of the underlined words. Circle signal words and write the meaning in the space provided.
1. Both facsimile (known as fax) and electronic mail (email) are ways of sending documents.
Facsimile =______________________________________
Electronic mail =__________________________________
2. An FM radio DJ (disk jockey) broadcasts over the airwaves.
DJ =___________________________________________
3. Infection ? becoming ill through contact with bacteria ? of the respiratory system such as the nose, the throat, and the chest is among the most common of all diseases.
Infection =______________________________________