Synonyms
Text Version

Narrator: Let's look at this example: “The cruel and oppressive rule of most 19th century czars caused widespread social unrest for decades.” How are "synonyms" used to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases in the text?

(Visual description: the screen starts with the following passage: “The cruel and oppressive rule of most 19th century czars caused widespread social unrest for decades.” Then, the title “Synonyms” appears on top of the passage.)

Narrator: The meaning of the term oppressive can be determined by knowing the meaning of the term cruel, which is a synonym for oppressive. Rather than having signal words, the way the words are used in the sentence tells you they have a similar meaning.

(Visual description: the words “oppressive” and “cruel” are underlined in blue, followed by a curved arrow pointing from the word “oppressive” to the word “cruel.”)