Context Clues L 10.4

“Use context (the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.”

Adapted from K. Mayfield’s Context Clues PPT

What is Context?

Most Americans can speak only one ________. Europeans, however, ________ several. As a result, Europeans think ________ are unfriendly and unwilling to communicate with them.

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Try to figure out the missing words.

What is Context?

Most Americans can speak only one language. Europeans, however, speak several. As a result, Europeans think Americans are unfriendly and unwilling to communicate with them.

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How did you do? How did you figure out the missing words?

What is Context?

Use the words surrounding the unknown word to help determine the unknown word’s meaning.

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“Phobias, such as fear of heights, water, or confined spaces are difficult to eliminate.”

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Context Clues: Definition

• Unknown word is defined immediately following its use
• brief definition, synonym, or restatement using punctuation-commas, parentheses or dashes.
• “Be” verb shows the two ideas are the same. X = Y

• A chemical bond is a strong force that holds two or more atoms together.

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• A dialect is a form of speech from a specific region.

Synonyms

• A writer often chooses a more familiar word or words with the same meaning to make the difficult word understandable

Ballet students appear so lithe (līth,); they are so limber and flexible.

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The cataract was spectacular; the steep waterfall dropped abruptly eighty feet.

Restatement

• Close to a synonym, restatement differs in that a difficult word is usually restated in a simpler form—usually set off by commas.

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The poetry was sublime, lofty and moving, and brought tears to my eyes.

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The village was depopulated, most of the residents dead or moved, but the livestock remained untouched.

Contrast

• Antonym, a word of opposite meaning (notice the restatement)
• Contrast clue words: but, however, in contrast to, on the other hand

The gentleman was portly, but his wife was thin.

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The mayoral candidate praised the town council,but the mayor deprecated (dep-ri-keyt) it.

Explanation

• Similar to a definition clue
• Generally longer than a definition
• Usually found in one or more different sentences

Context Clues: Explanation

The chrome is beginning to corrode. It shows signs of pitting and of being eaten away gradually.

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It was a martial parade: signs of the military were everywhere. Everyone was in uniform; guns, cannon and tanks were on display, and jets flew overhead.

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Context Clues: Explanation

NOTE: Sometimes the explanation is presented first.

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The puppy was a complete bother and an annoyance to all the neighbors. It was a continual nuisance.

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Example

• Examples that the reader may know to help explain a new and unfamiliar concept or term
• Note the punctuation clues: commas or hyphens
• Signal words—such as, for example, for instance, to illustrate, specifically

Legumes, such as peas and beans, produce pods.

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Forest floors are frequently covered with fungi—molds, mushrooms, and mildews.

Inference

• Use reasoning and prior knowledge
• Your experiences provide common-sense clues to the meaning of a word
• This context clue is often a little harder to spot

Since Reginald was nervous, he brought his rabbit foot talisman (tal-is-muh n) with him to the exam.

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His alibi was upheld when John’s friends offered personal testimony, letters of documentation, and three videotapes showing that he was present at the party.

Limitations of �Context Clues

1. Context clues only give the immediate definition for that particular context.
2. Context clues seldom lead to a precise, complete definition.
3. Sometimes the passage will not contain clues to the meaning of the unfamiliar word.