General Educational Development (GED): Vocabulary, Reading, & Word Use

Descriptive Words

Descriptive words: A word used to give details and more information.

• Adjectives and Adverbs are two kinds of descriptive words

Descriptive words give details that relate to the five senses

Signal words

Signal words tell the relationship between things, events, and ideas. Some signal words tell when events take place. Signal words can also tell where something is.

Homophones

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Example: to too two

Synonyms & Antonyms

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Context Clues

In reading a passage you may come across an unfamiliar word that you don't understand the meaning to,  when this happens look for context clues to help you determine the meaning.

Context Clues: Surrounding text

Same meaning or synonym: words that have similar meanings

Opposite Meaning or antonyms: words that have opposite meanings

Definition: the word is defined in the sentence or surrounding sentences

Example: Specific examples give meaning to a word

Restatement: the clue gives a definition by immediately stating the information again using easier language or a word with similar meaning.

Inference: the surrounding sentences have clues that help you understand unfamiliar words

Example or explanation: the surrounding sentence(s) give an example or explanation of the unfamiliar word.

Roots, Prefixes, & Suffixes 

Root: The part of a word that gives it most of its meaning

• Many English words are based on Greek or Latin roots

Prefix: Is the word part that is added at the beginning of a root or a base word to form new words.

Suffixes: A word part that is added to the end of a root or a base word to form a new word

• suffixes are added to words for grammatical reasons such as plural or past tense
• others change the meaning to the root and create a new word such as adding er to teach to create teacher.

Compound words

Compound words are a combination of two or more words that makes a new word

The meaning of compound words relate to the meaning of the words used in the compound word.

• Examples: Book + Shelf = Bookshelf,  Basket + Ball = Basketball

Literal & Non-literal meanings

Literal meaning: dictionary definition of a word or phrase

non-literal meaning: phrase that is "joking with you".  Example- I was just pulling you leg!

• GED Reading Practice Test 5 

  Practice test

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