Before introducing the techniques I’ve just mentioned, though, I need to make an important point that I believe is central to the acquisition of new vocabulary and the understanding of word meanings; that is, the importance of context. It is my belief that context is at the very foundation of vocabulary acquisition, and without it you will really make your life harder and things will be a pain in the neck to remember. Context, by the way, simply refers to the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage. So, in other words, what comes before and after a word.