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Context Clues - Lesson 1

This document discusses different types of context clues that can help readers understand the meaning of unfamiliar words: (1) Inference clues allow readers to make educated guesses, (2) Definition clues directly define words using commas or dashes, and (3) Example clues provide examples introduced by words like "such as". It also covers antonym clues using contrasting words and synonym restatement clues that repeat ideas in familiar synonyms.

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Alshadaf Faidar
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25 views

Context Clues - Lesson 1

This document discusses different types of context clues that can help readers understand the meaning of unfamiliar words: (1) Inference clues allow readers to make educated guesses, (2) Definition clues directly define words using commas or dashes, and (3) Example clues provide examples introduced by words like "such as". It also covers antonym clues using contrasting words and synonym restatement clues that repeat ideas in familiar synonyms.

Uploaded by

Alshadaf Faidar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Vocabulary

Building

 Context Clues
Learning Objectives

Develop various vocabulary building strategies – structural analysis,


contextual guessing, linguistic signals and knowledge of lexical
collocations.
Enhance the awareness and develop word grammar focusing on
vocabulary restrictions namely, verb - noun restrictions, co-
occurrence restrictions, and semantic restrictions.
CONTEXT CLUES

▪ Context clues are hints found within a sentence, paragraph, or passage that
a reader can use to understand the meanings of new or unfamiliar words.
▪ A reader must be aware that many words have several possible meanings.
Only by being sensitive to the circumstances in which a word is used can
the reader decide upon an appropriate definition to fit the context.
Different Types of Context
Clues
INFERENCE CLUE
▪ Sufficient clues might be available for the careful reader to make
an educated guess at the meaning.

▪ Example:
a. My dad drinks a cup of joe every morning to help him wake
up. He adds a little cream and half a teaspoon of sugar.
▪ In order to infer that a cup of joe is a coffee, a reader
would need to know at least one of a few things.
Many adults like to drink coffee in the morning.
People drink coffee to help them wake up or become more
alert.
Coffee drinkers sometimes add cream and sugar to their
coffee.
DEFINITION / DESCRIPTION CLUE

The new term may be formally defined, or sufficient explanation may be


given within the sentence or in the following sentence. Clues to definition
include “that is,” commas, dashes, and parentheses.
ex.
a. His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like appearance, was frightening to see.
b. Fluoroscopy, examination with a fluoroscope, has become a common
practice.

c. . The dudeen – a short-stemmed clay pipe – is found in Irish folk tale


DEFINITION CLUE
▪ Authors mostly use this technique in nonfiction texts.
▪ The definition of the word can be shown in different ways. One way
is having the definition come right after the word use of commas or
dashes.
Example:
▪ The paleontologist, a scientist who studies the remains of living
organisms, spent a month at the site.
▪ The paleontologist – a scientist who studies the remains of living
organisms – spent a month at the site.
EXAMPLE CLUES
▪ Sometimes when a reader finds a new word, an example might be found
nearby that helps to explain its meaning. Words like including, such as,
and for example, point out example clues.
Examples:
a. Piscatorial creatures, such as flounder, salmon, and trout, live in the
coldest parts of the ocean.
b. Celestial bodies, including the sun, moon, and stars, have fascinated man
through the centuries.
c. In the course of man’s evolution, certain organs have atrophied. The
appendix, for example, has wasted away from disuse.
“Atrophied” means “wasted away.”
CONTRAST / ANTONYM CLUE

▪ Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. An opposite meaning


context clue contrasts the meaning of an unfamiliar word with the
meaning of a familiar term. Words like “although,” “however,” and “but”
may signal contrast clues.
Examples:
a. When the light brightens, the pupils of the eyes contract; however, when
it grows darker, they dilate.

b. The children were as different as day and night. He was a lively


conversationalist, but she was reserved and taciturn.
SYNONYM RESTATEMENT CLUE
▪ The reader may discover the meaning of an unknown word because it repeats an
idea expressed in familiar words nearby. Synonyms are words with the same
meaning.
Examples:

a. Flooded with spotlights – the focus of all attention – the new Miss America began
her year-long reign. She was the cynosure of all eyes for the rest of the evening.

B. The mountain pass was a tortuous road, winding and twisting like a snake around
the trees of the mountainside.
SUMMARY

▪ I – INFERENCE : educated guess


▪ D – DEFINITION : commas or dashes.
▪ E – EXAMPLE: such as, and for example
▪ A – ANTONYM: “although,” “however,” and “but”
▪ S – SYNONYM: familiar words nearby

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