一、利用定义式线索进行猜测
定义是作者为了更好地表达思想，在文章中对一些重要的概念、难懂的术语或 词汇等所作的解释。这些解释提供的信息具有明确的针对性，利用它们猜测词义比较容易。例如:Kinetic energy is the energy of moving particles. Kinetic enegry 可能是生词，由定义可知，表语是说明主语性质内容的。所以kinetic energy就是“运动粒子的能量”。再如Typhoons are cyclones，storms with strong winds rotating around a low-pressure center.如果cyclones是生词，推断该词义的线索就是其后面的解释“绕低气压中心形成的暴风雨”由此我们可知cyclones的意思是“绕低气压中心形成的暴风雨”。在这种解释中定义句的谓语动词多为：be, mean, deal with, be considered, to be, refer to, be called, be known as, define, represent, signify, constitute等。
二、根据进一步阐述猜测词义
虽然进一步阐述不如定义那样严谨、详细，但是提供的信息足以使我们猜出生词的词义。复述部分可以是适当的词，短语或者句子。例如Experts in kinesics, in their study of body motion as related to speech ,hope to discover new methods of communications. 逗号中短语的意思是“对肢体语言进行研究的学科”。短语与前面生词kinesics是同位关系，因此我们不难猜出kinesics指“肢体语言学”。在这种复述当中,构成同位关系的两部分之间多用逗号连接，有时也使用破折号，冒号，分号，引号，和括号等。另外同位语前还常有or, similarly, that is to say, in other words, namely, or other, 等副词或短语出现。另外一种会以定语从句的形式出现如从句Obesity, which is a medical disorder that affects approximately 20-30% of the population of the United States of America. It is an excessive accumulation of body fat that results from the storage of excess food energy calories in the body's fat cells. 根据生词obesity后面的非限制性定语从句which is a medical disorder that affects approximately 20-30% of the population of the United States of America. It is an excessive accumulation of body fat that results from the storage of excess food energy calories in the body's fat cells. 我们可以推断出 obesity的含义，即“过度肥胖”。
三、根据举例猜测词义
恰当的举例能够提供猜测生词的重要线索，例如The consequences of epochal events such as wars and great scientific discoveries are not confined to a small geographical area as they were in the past. 句中“战争”和“重大科学发现”是生词的实例，通过它们我们可以猜出epochal的 大致词义“重要的”。