CONTEXT CLUES

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CONTEXT CLUES

• Writers often include other words or phrases to
  help with the understanding of a vocabulary word.
  These words or phrases are referred to as context
  clues. They are built into the sentences around
  the difficult word. You can make logical guesses
  about the meanings of many words by using the
  clue words.

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Types of Context Clues

• 1. examples
•  2. synonyms and definitions
• 3. antonyms and contrasts

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What are example clues?

• Using examples, an author tries to show what a
  word means. A writer may give just one example or
  several. Remember that these examples are not
  synonyms. Look for words or phrases like "such
  as," "including," or "consists of." Colons and
  dashes - can also signal examples.

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Here are some example clues.

• The river was full of noxious materials such as
  cleaning agents from factories and pesticides
  from the nearby farms.
• This third grade was full of precocious children.
  One child had learned to read at two and another
  could do algebra at age 6.
• When going to an office party you should show
  your best decorum, for example, dress your best,
  drink and eat moderately, and be sure to thank
  the host before you leave.
• The words highlighted in yellow are examples of
  the word that you need to define

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A definition or synonym clue is a clue that means
the same as the vocabulary word

• The initial, or first, class explained how to
  write a sentence, and they made it easy to learn.
• (We learn from the words around initial that
  the definition is first. The comma is a signal
  that a definition or example might follow)

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An antonym or opposite clue means the opposite of
the vocabulary word

• Janice, who was incapable of lying, had to tell
  Tanya the truth about her purse.
• Does incapable mean
• A. Truth
• B. Unable
• C. Noticed
• D. Deliered

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incapable A. unable

• incapable of lying
• had to tell the truth
• These are opposite so we know she couldnt lie
  and had to tell the truth.

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Tips for understanding a new word. When
choosing the definition of a word, try to insert
a word you know that makes sense with the other
words and see if it is on the list of choices.
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More Tips

• Read the sentences around the word, dont just
  skip to the underlined word and try to figure it
  out.
• Sometimes meanings are hidden in the other
  sentences.

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People who skip over words they dont understand
can lose more than just one word they can lose
the entire meaning of a sentence or more.