Definition/ Explanation Clues Sometimes a word's or phrase's meaning is explained immediately after its use. Example: "Haberdashery, which is a store that sells men’s clothing, is becoming more common today.”

Restatement/Synonym Clues Sometimes a hard word or phrase is said in a simple way. Example: "Lou was sent to the haberdashery to find a new suit. He needed to wear one for his uncle’s wedding." Because the sentence says that Lou would find a suit at the haberdashery, then it must be a place where clothes for men are sold.

Contrast/Antonym Clues Sometimes a word or phrase is clarified by the presentation of the opposite meaning somewhere close to its use. Look for signal words when applying context clues. Example: "Lou wanted to go to the haberdashery, but Ann wanted to shop at the boutique.” Because the signal word but tells the reader that an opposite thought is going to be stated, one can conclude that a haberdashery is the opposite of a boutique.

Examples Readers use an example or illustration to understand the unknown word. Example: “Bryce was only willing to buy from one of his favorite haberdasheries: Men’s Warehouse, Halberstad’s, or Seeley’s.” Because the stores that follow haberdasheries are all known as stores that sell men’s clothing, one can conclude that a haberdashery is a men’s clothing store.

Inference/Logic Clues Sometimes a word or phrase is not immediately clarified within the same sentence. Relationships, which are not directly apparent, are inferred or implied. The reader must look for clues within, before, and after the sentence in which the word is used. Example: “The haberdashery was Lou’s favorite place. He loved shopping for nice suits. The people who worked there were so kind and helpful.” The first sentence tells us that a haberdashery is a place. The second sentence tells us that it is a place to shop for suits. The third sentence tells us that it is place that has workers. Putting the three sentences together, one can logically infer that a haberdashery is a men’s clothing store. 

What is a prefix? Prefixes are placed at the beginning of a word in order to alter its meaning. Janet resubmitted her application after she was initially denied a loan. Resubmitted includes the prefix re which means again. Prefix Examples: a-, an- = without; amoral, anemic ante- = before; antecedent co- = with; co-worker de- = off, remove; de-ice

–al = having characteristics of; remedial, denial What is a suffix? Suffixes are placed at the end of a word in order to alter its meaning or change the classification of the word. We work hard in order to ensure our children’s happiness. Happiness includes the state of being suffix ness. By adding the suffix, we have changed our word from an adjective to a noun in order for it to fit grammatically in our sentence. –al = having characteristics of; remedial, denial –ed = past-tense verbs; traveled, talked –en = made of, consisting of; wooden, golden –er, -est = comparative; stronger, strongest