Word Study How do you figure out what a word means in a sentence if you don’t know what the word is?

Using the Context of a Sentence Context is a noun (n) The definition of context is: the surroundings, circumstances, environment, background or settings which determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event. So when we use CONTEXT to figure out the meaning of a word, we are use the words in the surrounding sentence to clarify the words meaning.

There are four different types of context clues General Directive Nondirective Misdirective

Directive Context Clues Directive context clues direct the readers to the meaning of the word through evident and useful clues. They may provide the definition of the word or an explanation of the term in simpler words in the sentence EX: The large, very big, monkey stole my lunch and ate it with authority.

General Context Clues General context clues offer minimal information about the word. The author may restate a terms definition in simpler terms or give the synonym to the word. EX: I had a myriad of strategies to teach reading, such a plethora I cannot decide where to start.

Misdirective Context Clues Misdirective context clues have sentences that tend to suggest the opposite of what the context might appear to imply given word meanings. The author will provide an antonym or contrasting term. EX Will, who always obeyed his parents and made every effort to show them respect, appeared indifferent to all that his mother said.

Nondirective Context Clues Nondirective context clue offer no help. The author offers a general sentence or a gist of the meaning so there is not a lot of context to use to figure out the meaning of the word. EX: The first thing one noticed about Frances was her inscrutability.

Pictures of You In the selection Pictures of You, which follows this slide, the author Guang-Shing Cheng helps us infer the meaning of the word perception. After reading the piece discuss with your neighbor what you think the word perception means. What type of context clues does Cheng use to help us understand what the word perception means?

Perception Perception is a noun (n) The definition of the word perception is: Conscious understanding of something.