Transcript CONTEXT CLUES PowerPoint3.29.09

Essential Question: How can I use
context clues to figure out the meaning of
unknown words?
CONTEXT CLUES
Writers often include other words or phrases
to help with the understanding of a
vocabulary word. These words or phrases are
referred to as context clues. They are built
into the sentences around the difficult word.
You can make logical guesses about the
meanings of many words by using the clue
words.
Types of Context Clues
1. Examples
2. Synonyms and
definitions
3. Antonyms and
contrasts
4. Experience or sense of
the sentence
What are example clues?
• Using examples, an author tries to show
what a word means. A writer may give just
one example or several. Remember that
these examples are not synonyms. Look
for words or phrases like "such as,"
"including," or "consists of." Colons : and
dashes - can also signal examples.
Here are some example clues:
• The river was full of noxious materials such as
cleaning agents from factories and pesticides
from the nearby farms.
• This third grade was full of precocious children.
One child had learned to read at two and
another could do algebra at age 6.
• When going to an office party you should show
your best decorum, for example, dress your
best, drink and eat moderately, and be sure to
thank the host before you leave.
The words highlighted in yellow are
examples of the word that you need to
define.
A definition or synonym clue is a
clue that means the same as the
vocabulary word.
• The initial, or first, class explained how
to write a sentence, and they made it
easy to learn.
(We learn from the words around “initial”
that the definition is first. The comma
is a signal that a definition or example
might follow.)
An antonym or opposite clue
means the opposite of the
vocabulary word.
• Janice, who was incapable of lying, had
to tell Tanya the truth about her purse.
*Does incapable mean
A. Truth
B. Unable
C. Noticed
D. Delivered
incapable = A. unable
• incapable of lying
• had to tell the truth
• These are opposite,
so we know she
couldn’t lie and had
to tell the truth.
Tips for understanding a new
word:
* When choosing the definition of a
word, try to insert a word you know
that makes sense with the other
words and see if it is on the list of
choices.
More Tips
• Read the sentences around the word.
Don’t just skip to the underlined word
and try to figure it out.
• Sometimes meanings are hidden in the
other sentences.
People who skip over words
they don’t understand can
lose more than just one word;
they can lose the entire
meaning of a sentence or
more.
1.The joey, which is a baby kangaroo,
peeked out of his mother's pocket.
(definition)
2. The beach was covered with debris
like paper and cans, and the children
picked up all the trash.
(synonym)
3. The ancient dress looked like
new after she washed it.
(antonym)
4. These were the words that
pinwheeled through Despereaux’s
mind as his body descended into
the darkness.
Experience or sense of the sentence
THE
END !!!!!