一、定義猜詞法
即根據定義猜測詞義的方法。需要定義或解釋的單詞或短語大多是專有名詞、生僻詞或文中的關鍵詞，作者爲了使讀者正確理解它們，就得做出較淺顯的解釋或說明。
例一：Giraffe is an animal with a very long neck, four legs and orange skin with dark spots.根據後面對 Giraffe 的解釋，它的詞義爲“長頸鹿”。
例二：Anthropology is the scientific study of man.由定義可知 Anthropology 的詞義爲“研究人類的科學”即“人類學”。
例三：What is plagiarism? It is using others’ ideas and words without clearly mentioning where the information is from.根據定義我們知道plagiarism的詞義爲“剽竊”。
二、定語從句
定語從句對先行詞起限定、修飾或解釋作用，因此我們可以利用定語從句來推測先行詞的詞義。
例一：Second generation Puerto Ricans who were born in New York but who have returned to the island, are called Nuvoricans.
Nuvoricans 的詞義可以由Second generation Puerto Ricans後面的兩個定語從句來得到， 即生在紐約，後又回到波多黎各的人。
例二：Psychophysiology is a science which deals with the relationship between mind and body.根據定語從句我們可以看出Psychophysiology的意思爲“身心聯繫的科學”，即“心理生理學”。
三、同位短語或同位語從句
同位關係的兩部分之間多用逗號連接，有時也用破折號、分號、引號和括號連接。
例一：According to a report published on the British medical magazine, The Lancet, a study of ten German mobile phone users found that when they turned on their phones, their blood pressure goes up by 5 to 10 millimeters of mercury.根據句法結構的知識，我們知道The Lancet是the British medical magazine的同位語，由此可知The Lancet是一個雜誌的名稱。
例二：Semantics, the study of the meaning of words, is necessary if you are to speak and read intelligently.兩個逗號中間的短語the study of the meaning of words是Semantics的同位語，意爲“對詞義進行研究的科學”， 即“語義學”。