1、根据对比关系猜测词义在一个句子或段落中，有对两个事物或现象进行对比性的描述，我们可以劐聂赞陶根据生词或难词的反义词猜测其词义。例如：Andrew is one of the most supercilious men I know. His brother, in contrast, isquite humble and modest.该例中supercilious对许多人来说可能是个生词，但是句中短语in contrast（相对照地，相对比地）可以提示我们，supercilious和后面词组humble and modest（谦卑又谦虚）是对比关系。分析出这种关系后，我们便能猜出supercilious意为“目空一切的，傲慢的”。表示对比关系的词汇和短语主要是unlike, not, but, however, despite, in spite of, incontrast和while引导的并列句等。A good supervisor can recognize instantly theadept workers from the unskilled ones.该句中并未出现上面提到的表示对比关系的词或短语，但是通过上下文可以判断出句子前后是对比关系，即把熟练工人与非熟练工人区分开。这时我们也能够推断出生词adept的词义，“熟练的”。
2、根据比较关系猜测词义同对比关系相反，比较关系表示意义上的相似关系，例如：Green loves to talk, and his brothers are similarly loquacious.该句中副词similarly表明短语loves to talk与生词loquacious之间的比较关系。由此可以推断出loquacious词义为“健谈的”。表示比较关系的词和短语主要是similarly, like, just as, also等。
3、根据因果关系猜测词义在句子或段落中，若两个事物、现象之间构成因果关系，我们可以根据这种逻辑关系推知生词词义。例如：Tom is considered an autocratic administrator because he makes decisionswithout seeking the opinions of others.根据原因状语从句的内容，我们可以推断出生词autocratic指“独断专行的”。There were so many demonstrators in the Red Square that he had to elbow hisway through the crowd.此句为结果状语从句，根据从句的描述“许多示威者”，我们便可推知elbow的词义“挤，挤过”。
4、根据同义词的替代关系猜测词义在句子或段落中，我们可以利用熟悉的词语，根据语言环境推断生词词义。例如：Although he often had the opportunity, Mr. Tritt was never able to steal moneyfrom a customer. This would have endangered his position at the bank, and hedid not want to jeopardize his future.作者为避免重复使用endanger一词，用其同义词jeopardize来替代它，由此推知其词义为“使……陷入危险，危及，危害”。Doctors believe that smoking cigarettes is detrimental to your health. They alsoregard drinking as harmful.句中detrimental是个生词，但判断出harmful替代detrimental后，不难推断出其词义为“不利的，有害的”。