“Let us suppose you have marked the words that trouble you. What next? There are two main possibilities. **Either the author is using these words in a single sense throughout or he is using them in two or more senses, shifting his meaning from place to place**. “In the first alternative, the word stands for a single term. A good example of the use of important words so that they are restricted to a single meaning is found in [[Euclid]]. “In the second alternative, the word stands for several terms. In the light of these alternatives, your procedure should be as follows. **First, try to determine whether the word has one or many meanings**. If it has many, try to see how they are related. Finally, **note the places where the word is used in one sense or another, and see if the context gives you any clue to the reason for the shift in meaning**. This last will enable you to follow the word in its change of meanings with the same flexibility that characterizes the author’s usage.” ([Location 1585](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004PYDAPE&location=1585)) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[reading-books]], [[analytical-reading]], [[semantic-creep]] **Source** -- [[20250103084100 - B - How to Read a Book]]