This document discusses using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words. It provides an example of Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" containing made-up words like "brillig" and "gimble". Readers are instructed to use context clues from the poem to define these words. The document then provides an excerpt from a novel containing the word "prevarications" and asks readers to use context clues to determine its meaning before revealing the actual dictionary definition of "prevaricate" which is to lie or deliberately misstate information.

1. Learning Vocabulary
with…
Context Clues!

2. What are context clues?
 Context
Clues are hints that the author
gives to help define a difficult or
unusual word. The clue may appear
within the same sentence as the word
to which it refers, or it may be in a
preceding or subsequent sentence.

College Reading Skills Program

3. Jabberwocky
‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
-Lewis Carroll

4. Find the words you don’t know.
‘Twas brillig and the
slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble
in the wabe:
All mimsy were the
borogoves,
And the mome raths
outgrabe.
-Lewis Carroll
 Brillig
 Gimble
 mimsy

5. Using context clues, define the words.
 Brillig
 Gimble
 Mimsy

6. Now, apply your skills to a real reading
situation.
 “I
looked at John’s face and began to
realize it was he who had started me telling
all these prevarications. John has made an
art out of it. He prevaricates just for
prevaricating’s sake…His own life is so boring
when measured against his daydreams, that
he can’t stand it, so he makes up things to
pretend it’s exciting.”
Paul Zindel, The Pigman

7. Apply what you’ve learned.
 Based
on context clues, what do you
think prevarication means?

8. Actual definition of “prevaricate”
 Prevaricate
- to speak falsely or
misleadingly; deliberately misstate or
create an incorrect impression; lie.
 www.dictionary.com