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