Context Clues – When you come across an unfamiliar word ...



Context Clues – When you come across an unfamiliar word, you should search the setting of the word to see if it contains a clue or clues to help you infer (figure out) the definition of the word. Often times, the sentence or passage in which the word appears can help you determine the unfamiliar word’s approximate meaning.

Ex. of Unfamiliar Word: Impudent

Ex. of guessing from the Context:

“The boy was so impudent that not only was he rude and disrespectful to his teachers but to his own parents as well.”

Four Types of Context Clues

1. Example Clues- When the author gives you an example of the unfamiliar word to help you guess at the word’s possible meaning.

Ex: Unfamiliar Word: Ambivalent

“Sandra’s feelings for her ex-boyfriend was ambivalent; on one hand, she wanted to see him, but on the other hand, she couldn’t stand the sight of him.”

2. Contrast Clues- When the author tells you what the word DOES NOT mean. Knowing what a word doesn’t mean can often lead you to a good approximate definition. Contrast clues are often introduced by transitions—word bridges that connect ideas—such as but, yet, nevertheless, however. These transition words signal a change or shift in thought.

Ex. 1: Garrulous

“When Sandy first started high school, she was so quiet that she would spend days literally not saying a single word; but now that she’s adjusted to the school and made good friends, she is absolutely garrulous.”

Ex. 2: Frivolous

“After having had a really bad day, she wanted to read something frivolous. Normally, however, she preferred serious novels.”

3. Restatement Clues-When the author provides a synonym (a word or phrase similar in definition) to help the reader understand the meaning of the unfamiliar word.

Ex: Audacity

“The journalist had the audacity to criticize the president to his face. Oddly enough, her boldness seemed to amuse rather than irritate him.”

Restatement Clues in Textbooks

Restatement clues are especially important when you read textbooks. Often, textbook writers introduce specialized vocabulary (technical words that are only familiar to people in particular fields or disciplines), and they carefully define it. Textbook writers often signal a restatement clue by using the following:

Parentheses ( )

Dashes—

Boldface types

Italics

Comma use ,

Ex. #1: “During the 19th Century, much of the United States’s foreign policy was guided by the doctrine of Manifest Destiny (the belief that the U.S. was entitled to expand its land control from coast to coast).”

Ex. #2: “Reconversion—the transition from wartime production to the manufacture of consumer goods—ushered in a quarter century of ever-expanding prosperity.”

Ex.#3: “A major buzzword in leadership and management is vision, the ability to imagine different and better conditions and the ways to achieve them.”

General Knowledge Clues- When you guess the meaning of an unfamiliar word based on your common sense or life experience.

Ex: “When you cross a busy highway without looking in both directions, you needlessly put your life in jeopardy.”

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