Vocabulary in Context

In the SET Stage 1 English paper, you will almost certainly face questions that ask you to work out the meaning of a word as it is used in the passage. This is called understanding vocabulary in context, and it is one of the most commonly tested skills.

---

Why Is Vocabulary So Important?

A strong vocabulary helps you:

• Understand passages more quickly — the more words you know, the less you need to work out
• Answer vocabulary questions accurately — these appear in almost every SET paper
• Improve your inference skills — understanding word meanings helps you read between the lines
• Save time — you will not get stuck on unfamiliar words

---

What Does "In Context" Mean?

Many words have more than one meaning. The SET exam tests whether you can work out the correct meaning based on how the word is used in the passage.

Example: The word "light" can mean: