This document discusses using context clues to understand unfamiliar words when reading. It provides reasons why context clues are a useful reading strategy, such as being able to understand texts independently and remember words better. The document outlines how to use context clues like surrounding words and grammar, and advises being content with a general understanding rather than an exact definition. An exercise is included to practice using context clues, and partners are instructed to further practice with worksheets.
4. APRIL 17, 2015 4
1. He picked up a heavy encyclopaedia from the book shelf.
2. He was riding on a pulka, a sled pulled by reindeer.
3. I played a dual role in the play. In the first act I was a teenager, and in
the second act I was middle-aged.
4. Unlike his brother, who was quite friendly and lovable, Stephen was
quite standoffish.
5. The child is as fragile as porcelain.
6. All the houses in the city collapsed during the earthquake.
Guess the meaning of the word in italics
5. Why use context clues?
Make a list of reasons why using context clues
is an excellent reading strategy.
• You can use this strategy when no one else is around to help.
• It might be quicker.
• It’s a strategy you will use your whole life.
• It helps you understand the text better.
• It helps you to remember the word better if you work it out yourself.
• You don’t have to put your text down and go look it up.
• You don’t have to spend time looking it up in a dictionary and trying
to understand which is the correct definition.
6. How to use context clues
1. Use the meaning of the other words in the sentence as a
whole to reduce the number of possible meanings.
2. Use grammar and punctuation clues which point to the
relationships among the various parts of the sentence.
3. Be content with a general idea about the unfamiliar word;
the exact definition or synonym is not always necessary.
4. Learn to recognize situations in which it is not necessary to
know the meaning of the word.
7. Practice exercise
APRIL 17, 2015
Read each sentence quickly and supply a word for each blank.
1. Harvey is a thief; he would __________ the gold from his
grandmother’s teeth and not feel guilty.
2. Unlike his brother, who is a truly handsome person,
Hogartty is quite __________.
9. Take-home message
Using context clues can help you guess unknown words,
and thereby become a more independent and efficient reader.
Editor's Notes
1. Although the word “encyclopedia” may be strange to you, you will not hesitate to say that it must be a very thick book. Why? Because the words “heavy” and “bookshelf” can lead you to make such a guess.
2. “Pulka” may be a new word to you, but you understand the meaning perfectly, for the phrase that follows gives you a clear definition of the word.
3. Explanation and description can also lead you to the meaning of a word.
4. Synonyms and antonyms are also important clues for guessing.
5. Comparison and contrast can also shed light on the meaning of a new word
6. Consequence and result, cause and effect are also very important clues
In using the context to decide the meaning of a word you have to use your knowledge of grammar and your understanding of the author’s ideas. Although there is no formula which you can memorize to improve your ability to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words, you should keep the following points in mind:
Harvey is a thief. A thief steals. The semicolon(;) indicates that the sentence which follows contains an explanation of the first statement. Further, you know that the definition of thief is: a person who steals. Thus the missing word should be steal.
Hogartty is the opposite of his brother, and since his brother is handsome, Hogartty must be ugly. The word unlike signals the relationship between Hogartty and his brother.