CONTEXT CLUES STRATEGIES

BY Kathleen Borja 2008

Purpose of Context Clue Strategies

• To help you figure our unfamiliar or unknown words when no dictionary, parent or other source is available.

• To help you work out the meaning of the word by the context of the surrounding words.

Definition• Often a sentence will contain the actual

definition of the word.• Example: People who suffer from

acrophobia or the fear of heights, shouldn’t climb mountains.

• The actual definition of acrophobia is given to you in the sentence.

Example/illustration• Often a sentence will provide many

examples, details which help you understand the word.

• For example: Mr. Jones is a recluse. He lives along on the edge of town and never comes out of his house.

• It is easy to picture what “recluse means. It must mean that a person who is alone or isolated.

Contrast• Sometimes an unknown word is used in

contrast/opposite(antonym) to a word that you do know or that is explained in the sentence

• For example, Unlike Professor Dixon, who is extremely nervous, Professor Benton is very placid.

• Even if you don’t know the meaning of placid, you do know that it is the opposite of nervous therefore it must mean calm.

Logic/common sense• Your knowledge about the world or a

particular situation can help you understand a word.

• For example: the baby-sitter put a pacifier in the baby’s mouth and suddenly little Johnny stopped crying.

• Common knowledge about caring for infants helps you understand that the little piece of rubber that is used in baby’s mouth to calm them down is called a pacifier.

Latin and Greek Roots• You need to try to know as many prefixes,

suffixes and roots as possible because they give you clues about unfamiliar words.

• For example: Many politicians still favor the use of geothermal energy.

• The prefix geo may remind you of geography, so you have a clue that it must have to do with earth. The stem therm reminds you of thermometer, which is a clue that it is a word related to heat. Geothermal refers to energy that is produced by earth’s heat.

Reflection• Tell your neighbor the 5 strategies or the

types of clues to look for when figuring our unknown words in text.

• Now write the summary to your Cornell Notes