為了更好地表達文章的主旨，揭示所要詮釋的思想，作者往往常常在文章中對一些比較重要的詞彙、概念和難懂的術語等做出一些解釋，這種解釋稱作針對性解釋，它可以提供明確的資訊，可以利用這些針對性解釋來猜測詞義。
1 根據定義猜測詞義
如果生詞是句子或段落所解釋的定義，理解句子或段落本身就是推斷詞義。
例如：anthropology is the scientific study of man.
由定義可知，anthropology就是研究人類的科學。
In slang the term "jam" constitutes a state of being in which a person finds himself or herself in a difficult situation.
同樣，從上下文的定義可知jam一詞在俚語中的意思是困境。定義句的謂語動詞多為：be, mean, deal with, be considered, to be, refer to, be called, be known as, define, represent, signify, constitute等。
2 根據複述猜測詞義
雖然複述不如定義那樣嚴謹、詳細，但是提供的資訊足以使閱讀者猜出生詞詞義。複述部分可以適當詞、短語或是從句。
同位語 Semantics, the study of the meaning of words, is necessary if you are to speak and read intelligently.
此例逗號中短語意為對詞意義進行研究的學科。該短語與前面生詞semanties式同位關係，因此我們不難猜出semanties指語義學。
在複述中構成同位關係的兩部分之間多用逗號連線，有時也使用破折號，冒號，分號，引號，和括號等。
Capacitance, or the ability to store electric charge, is one of the most common characteristics of electronic circuits.
由同位語我們很快猜出生詞capacitance詞義---電容量。
需要注意的是：同位語前還常有or, similarly, that is to say, in other words, namely, or other, say i. e. 等副詞或短語出現。
定語從句 Krabacber suffers from SAD, which is short for seasonal affective disorder, a syndrome characterized by severe seasonal mood swings.
根據生詞SAD後面定語從句which is short for seasonal affective disorder和同位語a syndrome characterized by severe seasonal mood swings, 我們可以推斷出 SAD含義，即季節性情緒紊亂症。
3 根據舉例猜測詞義
恰當的舉例能夠提供猜測生詞的'重要線索，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.
句中戰爭和重大科學發現是生詞的例項，通過它們我們可以猜出epochal的大致詞義重要的，這與其確切含義劃時代的十分接近。