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Table of Contents
Context clues are useful tools in unlocking the meaning of an unfamiliar word used in a sentence. Context clues give readers a hint in order for them to understand the meaning of the unfamiliar word.
See the fact file below for more information on Context Clues, or you can download our 26-page Context Clues worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
DEFINITION
- Context clues are words or groups of words that suggest the meaning of the unfamiliar word in the same sentence or paragraph.
- Again, context clues may appear in the same sentence or the sentence after that.
- Context, in this topic, means surrounding the word that is to be defined. These surrounding words lead to the meaning of the unfamiliar word to be understood by the readers.
- These context clues can come in different forms, but all of them aim to help define the word.
EXAMPLE 1
Nowadays, fitness is very important because our body’s strength and wellness are keys to living a happy life.
- In the example given, you will see that the unfamiliar word is ‘fitness’. Analyzing the words within the sentence that surround it, specifically the phrase ‘body’s strength and wellness’ you can come up with a conclusion that fitness means your body’s sound condition.
EXAMPLE 2
I have been feverish for days now. My head aches and my body’s temperature is unusually high.
- In this second example, the unfamiliar word is ‘feverish’, and the words in the next sentence can help you identify its meaning. The word seems like a body condition, and if you are going to analyze the second sentence that still surrounds the word, you will see that it enumerates some conditions that the body may feel. In this case, you can infer that the meaning of the word ‘feverish’ is having a fever which is associated with headaches and having a high body temperature.
EXAMPLE 3
The patient was given analgesics, so he would feel relief despite the pain from the wound.
- In this sentence, the word ‘analgesic’ was clarified through explaining what it can do, which is to ‘feel relief despite the pain’, so you can infer that it may mean a pain reliever.
CONTEXT CLUES FOR IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
- Context clues are not exclusive to defining words. Context clues can also help arrive at the meaning of an idiomatic expression.
- Idiomatic expressions are tricky expressions because their standardized meaning is different from the individual words used to form the expression.
- Context clues can help the readers define the unfamiliar idiomatic expressions in the sentence or paragraph.
- Take note of the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
Jayson has been feeling under the weather since yesterday because of the series of exhaustion that he experienced during the execution of this project.In the sentence, the idiomatic expression is ‘under the weather’ and given that phrase, the meaning is a bit difficult for none of the words used suggests the meaning of this expression. But examining the surrounding words, you can say that ‘under the weather’ means not feeling well.
EXAMPLE 2
Going under the knife has been accepted by society because people believe that improving physical features through surgery is also a personal investment. The sentence above uses the expression ‘going under the knife’, which is clearly defined by the surrounding words as well as the explanation included. Therefore, you can define this expression as a procedure in order to enhance someone’s physical features, which involves a surgical operation.
- Aside from the fact that context clues aid the readers to unlock the meaning of a word in the sentence or paragraph, context clues also help develop skills that are useful not only in reading but also in language acquisition.
- First, context clues help expand vocabulary, thus eventually improving the reader’s understanding of the story or reading materials as well as the underlying meanings.
- Second, context clues allow the students to infer. Making inferences is a reading skill that trains the readers to look for clues, connect the clues, associate the clues with what they know, and arrive at a logical inference or conclusion.
KINDS OF CONTEXT CLUES
- Aside from the general context clues, which allow you to make inferences through connecting the words in the sentence, there are also other types, such as definition, synonym or restatement, contrast or antonym, examples, and cause and effect.
- The first one is the definition where the author directly defines the meaning of the word in the same sentence or paragraph.
- Example: The doctors needed to sedate, which means to calm someone using drugs, the patient.
- In this example, the surrounding words that serve as the clue to the word directly defined the word.
- The second type is the synonym or restatement where the author uses the same or nearly the same meaning as the word.
- Example: The patient experiences abdominal pain or stomach ache.
- In this sentence, it can be seen that the meaning of the more technical term, abdominal pain, was made easier through using a restatement or a synonym that is simpler.
- The third type is the contrast or antonym where the author uses the opposite meaning of the unfamiliar word.
- Example: While others who are not as healthy are still vulnerable, some have started to become resistant to the disease.
- The opposite word ‘resistant’ helped define the unfamiliar word in the sentence. In this case, ‘vulnerable’ means weak or unsafe from the disease.
- The fourth type of example which, from the term itself, enumerates words or items that belong to the same category to be able to suggest the meaning of the unfamiliar in the sentence.
- Example: Pandemics such as Spanish Flu and COVID-19 would really change the life of the human race.
- In this sentence, the context clues are specific examples of the unfamiliar word. If you are familiar with the examples given, you can conclude that ‘pandemic’ means a global outbreak of a disease.
- The last type is the cause and effect, where the meaning is suggested through showing the cause or the effect associated with the unfamiliar word.
- Example: Because the patient went through a kidney transplant, he can definitely feel better with his new kidney.
- In this sentence, aside from the words that suggest the meaning of the word ‘transplant’, the effect of the situation was also cited, which will strengthen your inference.
Context Clues Worksheets
This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Context Clues across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Context Clues, which are useful tools in unlocking the meaning of an unfamiliar word used in a sentence.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.
- Context Clues Facts
- What Do I Mean?
- What’s the Hint?
- Clues for Idioms
- Complete Me (Part 1)
- Complete Me (Part 2)
- Use the Types
- My Context Clues
- Context Clues with Passages
- Strengths and Weaknesses
- Life Clues
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Link will appear as Context Clues Facts & Worksheet: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, December 12, 2022
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.