Context+Clues

=Context Clues:=

Context clues are words and phrases in a sentence which help you reason out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Oftentimes you can figure out the meanings of new or unfamiliar vocabulary by paying attention to the surrounding language. The table below gives the types of clues, signals and examples of each clue.
 * || ** Type of Context Clue  ** ||   || **  Definition  ** ||   || **  Signals   ** || **  Examples  ** ||
 * || ** Antonym or Contrast Clue  ** ||   ||  Phrases or words that indicate opposite  ||   || ======  but, in contrast, however, instead of, unlike, yet  ====== ||  Unlike   his  //  quiet   and l   ow key  //  family, Brad is  //  garrulous  //  .  ||
 * || ** Definition or Example Clue  ** ||   ||  Phrases or words that define or explain  ||   || ======  is defined as, means, the term, [a term in boldface or italics] set off with commas  ====== || //  Sedentary  //  individuals  , people who are not very active,   often have diminished health.  ||
 * || ** General Knowledge  ** ||   ||  The meaning is derived from the experience and background knowledge of the reader; "common sense" and logic.  ||   || ======  the information may be something basically familiar to you  ====== ||  Lourdes is always sucking up to the boss, even in front of others. That  //  sycophant  //  just doesn't care what others think of her behavior.  ||
 * || ** Restatement or Synonym Clue  ** ||   ||  Another word or phrase with the same or a similar meaning is used.  ||   || ======  in other word, that is, also known as, sometimes called, or  ====== ||  The  //  dromedary  // , commonly   called a camel   , stores fat in its hump.  ||

In addition to context clues are word parts: prefixes, roots and suffixes. Some textbooks refer to this as word analysis. These come into the English language from several other languages, and many of the oldest are Greek or Latin in origin. There are many books which you can use to study word analysis. You may also find several online sites that are excellent resources. -from [|www.montgomerycollege.edu] =[|PRACTICE: CLICK HERE]= =Interactive lesson:= =[reading&num=7&act=1|click here]=

=__Direct Context Clues__=

These sentences contain an unfamiliar word, but also include a word or phrase which directly explains or defines the word. These words or phrases are called **DIRECT CONTEXT CLUES**. They may be set off by dashes (as in example 1), or commas (as in 2), or by parentheses (as in 3) or other punctuation.

(1) Many U.S. companies are **downsizing** -- or reducing the number of employees -- order to say money and increase the amount of profit that the companies can make. (2) Sports are universal, and very few people have not ** succumbed ,** or given in, to their lure at one time or another. (3) The restaurant specializes in European gourmet foods such as ** paella ** (a rice based dish from Spain), **crepes** (an egg based food from France), and ** torte ** (a fruit pastry dish from Germany).

__Indirect Context Clues__
Sometimes there are no direct context clues; that is, there is no explanation or definition given in the sentence. But you may still be able to guess to meaning of the word that you do not know. For example, have you ever been on a diet? If you have, then you have personal experience that may help you to guess the meanings of some of the following words.

1) You've gone diet after diet yet still haven't __shed__ those unwanted pounds, or -- worse -- your weight it actually going up! In this sentence, the best meaning for __shed__ is: a) taken in b) taken off c) put on d) put in

Answer, then scroll down to see if you are correct:

b) taken off

Remember to use the substitution method -- especially if you are given multiple choice questions. Put each answer in place of the underlined word and decide which one makes the best sense. You've gone diet after diet yet still haven't __taken in__ those unwanted pounds, or -- worse -- your weight it actually going up! You've gone diet after diet yet still haven't __taken off__ those unwanted pounds, or -- worse -- your weight it actually going up! You've gone diet after diet yet still haven't __put on__ those unwanted pounds, or -- worse -- your weight it actually going up! You've gone diet after diet yet still haven't __put in__ those unwanted pounds, or -- worse -- your weight it actually going up! As you can see, only one answer, **"b"** makes sense when substituted in the sentence.

2) The problem could be your __metabolism__ -- your body's "operating speed" -- which determines the rate at which you burn calories. Metabolism is: This context clue is: a) direct b) indirect

Answer, then scroll down to see if you are correct:

a) direct -- it means operating speed

3) If you have fast metabolism, you'll burn calories quickly and easily. If your metabolism runs slowly, no matter how little you eat, a greater __portion__ of the calories you __consume__ will be stored as fat.

The best meaning for __portion__ is: a) quality b) particle c) amount d) bigger

The best meaning for __consume__ is: a) contain b) eat c) condition d) have

Answer both, then scroll down to see if you are correct:

c) amount b) eat

4) These context clues are: a) direct b) indirect

Answer, then scroll down to see if you are correct:

b) indirect

5) But don't give up. Recent research shows it's possible to rev up a __sluggish__ metabolism so you can burn calories and lose weight faster. Sluggish means: a) quick b) strange c) lazy d) slow

Answer, then scroll down to see if you are correct:

d) slow

6) In addition to slow metabolism, other __essential__ factors can make or break your diet. Essential means: a) important b) unnecessary c) eager d) eating

Answer, then scroll down to see if you are correct:

a) important

7) Take __temptation__ for instance. Is it impossible for you to stick to a diet because you can't __resist__ eating too many of the wrong things? Temptation comes from the verb tempt, which means: a) to test, try b) to tell, say c) to overeat d) to react

Resist means: a) pertain b) withstand c) react d) avoid

Answer both, then scroll down to see if you are correct:

a) to test, try b) withstand

Keep in mind that **you may not need to guess the meaning of every word** that you see. As you begin to read faster, you should guess the meaning of words that you do not know by using the context clues given. It takes too long to look up many words in the dictionary. But there are times when you do not need to guess the meaning of a word either -- you can skip over the word completely.

__How to Guess the Meaning of Unknown Words:__
The words are: voyage, world, crew, water, tasted. When you see an unfamiliar word in your reading, just pretend there is a blank there instead of a word and fill it in with a word of your own that makes sense in the sentence. In many cases, the word you choose will be close in meaning to the word you don't know. ||
 * If there is a word that you don’t know BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO UNDERSTAND the sentence or the paragraph, you should imagine that there is a blank line there. Then substitute a word that you know in the space. This word will probably be similar in meaning to the word that you don’t know, as long as the sentence still makes sense. ||
 * In the following paragraph, some words have been left out. Read all the sentences; then go back and fill in the words you think belong in the blanks.
 * When Columbus made his second to the new in 1494, he sailed too far south, missing Hispaniola, and reaching Jamaica. He went ashore to find fresh water for his, discovered a lake within walking distance, and ordered his sailors to fill the casks with fresh . He knew it was fresh for he had it himself.** ||
 * You probably had little trouble choosing words to fill in the blanks to make sense of the sentences because of the help you got from the context.
 * You probably had little trouble choosing words to fill in the blanks to make sense of the sentences because of the help you got from the context.

__When to Use Context Clues, When to Use the Dictionary and When to Skip Over a Word__
There is no rule! You -- the reader -- must decide whether a word is important to the meaning of what you are reading or not. If the word is important, then you should first try to guess its meaning. If that doesn’t work, then you must look the word up in the dictionary. On the other hand, if the word is not important, then skip over the word completely. So how do you know if a word is important or not? Here are a few guidelines to help you decide. **Practice:** Is the underlined word in the following sentences important or unimportant? Do you need to understand the word in order to understand the entire sentence?
 * If you cannot understand the **Main Idea** without understanding a word, then it is important.
 * If the word is in the title or one of the subtitles, it is probably important.
 * If the word is the subject or main verb of a sentence, it may be important.
 * If the word is repeated several times, it may be important.
 * If you do not feel comfortable without knowing a word, then it is important to you, so guess at it!

Leo ate so much __fettucine__ that he could not eat another bite. He felt like his stomach would __explode__. Is //fetticine// important? a) yes b) no

Answer:

No, it is a kind of food. That is all that is important. What can you guess about this word? It must be a kind of food because we know that Leo ate so much of it, but do you need to know what kind of food it is? **No** -- so this is not important.

Is //explode// important? a) yes b) no Answer:

a) yes -- it tells what happened to his stomach. What can you guess about this word? How does Leo’s stomach feel? How would your stomach feel if you ate "so much" of something? You may not know the meaning of this word, but you can guess that Leo’s stomach is full of food and he feels uncomfortable because of that. In this case, the word //explode// is important in order to understand how Leo feels, so **you need to guess** at the meaning of this word.

__Context Clues or the Dictionary?__
Once you have decided that a word is important to understand the meaning of the sentence or paragraph, you must either use context clues or use the dictionary. Start with context clues because it is faster and easier to guess -- especially if a direct context clue is given. Use the dictionary only if it is impossible to guess from the context because consulting the dictionary will cause you to stop reading completely to look up a word.

Context Clues help you guess the meaning of unknown words as you read, to save you time, effort and trouble - no one has time to look up every word in the dictionary! You should be able to tell when the context gives you enough clues to guess the meaning, and when the context is not enough. Not all unfamiliar words will have adequate context clues. At times you may __HAVE__ to consult the DICTIONARY.

adapted from: Comments? Questions?bmezaki@mtsac.edu ||
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