①定义法，即通过文章中对生词的定义确定其词义，如:
Annealing is a way of making metal softer by heating it and then letting it cool very slowly.
句子给予annealing 以明确的定义，即"退火"。再如:
It will be very hard but also very brittle1-that is, it will break easily.
从后面的解释中我们可以了解到brittle 是"脆的、容易折断的"意思。又如: The herdsman, who looks after sheep, earns about 650 yuan a year.
定语从句中 looks after sheep表明了herdsman 的词义为"牧羊人"。
②同位法，即通过句子中的同位成分如同位语、同位语从句、破折号后的词组或语句来确定词义, 如: They traveled a long way, at last got to a castle, a large building in old times.
同位语部分a large building in old times 给出了 castle 的确切词义，即"城堡"。
We are on the night shift-from midnight to 8 a.m.-this week.
两个破折号之间的短语很清楚地表明night shift 是"夜班"的意思。
③对比法，即通过同义、反义或转折词的关系来确定词义, 如:
She is usually prompt for all her class, but today she arrived in the middle of her first class.
but一词表转折，因此but 前后的意思正相反。后半句的意思是她今天"第一节上了一半才来"，因此反向推理，可得出她平时一向"准时"的结论。
④构词法，即运用词根、词缀的意义判断词义，如:
Perhaps, we can see some possibilities for next fifty years. But the next hundred?
possibility 是 possible 的同根名词，据此可以判断定 possibility 意思是"可能性"。
⑤因果法，即运用因果关系和因果词如so, because, therefore, hence等来判断词义，如:
The lack of movement caused the muscles to weaken. Sometimes the weakness was permanent. So the player could never play the sport again.
从后面的结果"永远不能再运动"中，可以推测 permanent 的意思为"永远的，永久的"。
