Determining Meanings through Clues

Context Clues

Four Types of Context Clues

• Details (inference)• Synonyms (same meaning words)• Antonyms (opposite meaning words)• Rewording (definition)

Four Types of Context Clues

• Details (Inferencing): Clues are given within a text to give you hints about a word’s meaning

• Example: The parking lot was vacant. I hadn’t seen a

car pull into the lot in over three hours. • What details help you determine the

meaning of the word?

Four Types of Context Clues

• Synonym: One or two words with the same (or similar) meaning are found in the text

• Example: Maggie was livid because Ashleigh was late

again for school. Every time Ashleigh isn’t ready on time, Maggie gets mad because it makes her late for work.

• What is the synonym for livid?

Four Types of Context Clues

• Antonym – Words that have a different (or opposite) meaning are used as clues in the text

• Example: Unlike Jessica, Becky is never punctual. Jessica

is always on time for her classes and appointments.

• What clues let us know this is an antonym?• What antonym is used in the text?

Four Types of Context Clues

• Rewording (Defining) – A brief explanation of the meaning follows the difficult word.

• Example: Isaiah’s sister is forlorn, or extremely

disappointed, because she didn’t pass her Algebra exam.

• How is the difficult word reworded in the text?

Context Clues: Guided Practice

• On Saturday Guinevere was emphatic about going to the mall with her friends, but yesterday she sounded much less excited.

• The clue but lets you know that emphatic is an antonym for excited.

Antonym

Context Clues: Guided Practice

• Ms. Wright often commends her teachers and staff, or gives praise to them for a job well done.

• The context clues gives praise to them are rewording and defining the meaning of commends.

Rewording/Defining

Context Clues: Guided Practice

• The ground was desolate. There were no plants, and it hadn’t rained in weeks.

• The context clues ground, no plants and hadn’t rained in weeks help you infer the meaning of desolate.

Details/Inference

Context Clues: Guided Practice

• Ms. Zayas wrote Joseph up for being insubordinate. She had warned him several times about being disrespectful to her in class.

• We use our clues to see that disrespectful has the same (or similar) meaning to insubordinate.

Synonym

Now time for…

Independent Practice