Context Clues
Write Now:
In your writer’s notebook, please write what you
predict context clues might be.
You can be a definition detective!
Have you ever read a sentence that had an unfamiliar word in it? Sometimes, when we see words that we don’t know, we don’t bother trying to figure it out. However, there are steps we can follow that can help us determine the definition of an unfamiliar
word. Those steps are called context clues.
Context Clues
Context clues are hints within a text that suggest the meaning of an unfamiliar word or phrase.
Context clues may be found in words surrounding the unfamiliar word, parts within the unfamiliar word, or in pictures relating to the unfamiliar word.
Why do we need to learn about context clues?
Being a Detective
Follow these steps:1. Identify Unfamiliar Word
2. Find Clues
3. Break it Down
4. Identify Part of Speech
5. Replace with Synonyms
Step 1: Identify the Unfamiliar Word
“Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a sonorous clang.” (page 97)
Which word is unfamiliar?
“Sonorous” is unfamiliar
Step 2: BOLO!!!!
Be
On the
Look-
Out
….For clues around the word!
“Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a sonorous clang.”
Which words might give us clues about the meaning of “sonorous?” Follow along by circling the clue words on your worksheet. •“rang” •“clear” •“echoing” •“clang”
Step 3: Break It Down
Look at prefixes, suffixes & bases to see if there are any clues that lead to the word’s definition.
(Cough, ROOTS, cough!!)
Are there any prefixes, suffixes or bases in
“sonorous”?
“Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a sonorous clang.”
Son = root word meaning
sound -ous = suffix meaning
“full of” What could sonorous mean???
Step 4: Identify the Part of Speech
Look at the suffixes to see which part of speech the word might be.
Noun (person, place, thing, or idea):
-age, -er, -or, -ist, -ship, -ness, -ity, -ure, -ment, -ism, -ion, -hood, -ance, -ence
Write down examples of nouns with these suffixes in your notes.
Verb (action):
-ed, -es, -ing, -ize
Write down examples of verbs with these suffixes in your notes.
Adjective (description):
-able, -less, -ent, -est, -ful, -ish, -ist
Write down examples of adjectives with these suffixes in your notes.
Adverb (describing a verb):
-ly
Write down examples of adverbs with these suffixes in your notes.
Sonorous
-ous = ?
Adjective!!! A
describing word
Step 5: Match with Synonyms
What is a synonym?
Synonyms for sonorous:
• Loud
• Booming
• Noisy
Synonyms are two or more different words that share the same meaning.
When using context clues, think of (or look up) synonyms for the unfamiliar word and replace them in the sentence. Then, see if the sentence still makes sense.
“Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a ______________clang.”
Step 6: Put It All Together
“Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a sonorous clang.”
Identify the word.
BOLO: -rang-clear-echoing-clang
Break it Down:
son (sound) +-ous (full of) =“full of sound”
Part of Speech:
-Ous = adjective
Sonorous is describing something
Match with Synonyms:-loud, booming, noisy
All of those words fit into the sentence
