CONTEXT CLUES

CONTEXT CLUES

• Being able to define a word by using the words around it– Synonym– Definition– Comparison– Antonym – Contrast– Using the whole passage

Can you read this?Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 pleope out of 100 can. I cdnuuolt blveivee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabridge Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerder the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lleter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Asznmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt !!

Synonym Clue

• A word is used in a passage that means the same thing as the unknown word.

• Example:– The underdeveloped country had

many poverty-stricken, or poor, people.

Synonym Clue -- practice

– The underdeveloped country had many poverty-stricken, or poor, people.

• Poverty-stricken is followed by the definition “poor” set off by commas.

• Try this one:– The sky was cerulean, a beautiful blue

color, and was highlighted by wispy white clouds.

– Cerulean is closest in meaning to:

blue stormy

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That’s right !!

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Definition Clue

• The sentence gives the definition of the unknown word straight out.

• Example:– Calvin Coolidge once said, “When

more and more people are thrown out of work, unemployment results.”

Definition Clue - practice– Calvin Coolidge once said, “When more

and more people are thrown out of work, unemployment results.”

– This is similar to the synomyn clue; the definition of the word is given to you in the same sentence!

– Try this one:• Susan’s children were noisy all the time.

Their boisterous behavior meant that there was never any quiet time in the house!

• Boisterous is closest in meaning to:

quiet noisy



That’s right !!


Comparison Clue

• Compares the unknown word to something known.

• Example:– The girls at Whitman High School are

homogeneous. Like a school of identically shaped and colored fish, they wear the same clothes, eat the same food, and even talk the same.

Comparison Clue - practiceThe girls at Whitman High School are homogeneous.

Like a school of identically shaped and colored fish, they wear the same clothes, eat the same food, and even talk the same.

• You might know how a school of fish are identical.. that is the comparison in this sentence. So homogeneous means that they are all alike.

• Try this one:– The girls were given an arduous task of stacking

all the firewood. – Arduous is closest in meaning to:

effortless difficult



That’s right !!


Antonym Clue

• Unknown word is defined by the use of its antonym, or opposite, in the sentence.

• Example:– As the strike entered its ninth

week, the workers had to decide whether to persist, or whether to give up.

Antonym Clue - practice

– As the strike entered its ninth week, the workers had to decide whether to persist, or whether to give up.

– Using the “whether/or” combination like “whether or not...”. That is the clue that there will be an opposite word. The opposite of persist is give up.. So persist means to NOT give up.. to keep going.

– Try this one:• I’d rather have a loquacious class than a

class where everyone is quiet. – Loquacious is closest in meaning to:

quiet talkative



That’s right !!


Contrast Clue

• This clue uses a contrasting, or opposite, situation to define an unknown word.

• Example:– Unlike children in wealthy

Kenwood, many children in impoverished Garfield Park go hungry.

Contrast Clue - practice

• Unlike children in wealthy Kenwood, many children in impoverished Garfield Park go hungry.

• The contrast clue here is “unlike” ...so they are contrasting wealthy with impoverished

• Try this one:– Virtuoso piano players are not like the novice

players who have just started learning the piano keys.

– Virtuoso is closest in meaning to:

experienced beginning



That’s right !!


Using the whole passage for a clue

• The word is not directly defined, but you still may be able to figure out the meaning after reading the message of the whole passage.

• Example:– The great American megalopolis

stretches over four hundred miles from Boston to Washington, D.C. It includes such large cities as New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. It is the largest urban area in the United States.

Whole passage clues – practice

• The great American megalopolis stretches over four hundred miles from Boston to Washington, D.C. ...

• Megalopolis is described in the following sentences as a large urban area. In fact, break down the word and you should see “mega-” meaning big, large and then “—polis” meaning city (Indianapolis, Annapolis, Minneapolis)

• Try this one: – The lackadaisical workers did not want to be there

after the holiday break. They would rather be golfing or playing at the beach. The workers did not start on time and they took a coffee break every hour!

– Lackadaisical is closest in meaning to:

lazy hard working



That’s right !!


This lesson has been...• accomplished, achieved, ceased, closed, compassed,

completed, consummated, discharged, dispatched, disposed of, done, effected, effecuated, ended, executed, finalized, finished, fulfilled, perfected, performed, realized, satisfied, settled, terminated, wound up

• Do you know what I’m trying to say?

• Special thanks to Jennifer Brady from DCCC for her work in preparing these context clues.

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CONTEXT CLUES