Context Clues

We are going to learn a good way to guess what a new word means. Noticing how a word is used in your reading will help you guess the word’s meaning. The other words and ideas in the reading material will help you define the new word.

Suppose you are reading a story. You come across a new word in the reading. How can you figure out what the new word means? One good way is to look for clues in the words and sentences that come before and after the new word. The ideas that are around a new word are called its context. The meaning clues that you can spot near a new word are called context clues.

Now let’s practice:

Some people like their weddings to be different. In 1940, one couple had a truly un conventional marriage ceremony. The couple was married in the air. The bride, groom, minister, best man, maid of honor, and four musicians all jumped from a plane and floated to the ground in parachutes. Check your answer. Unconventional means different or not ordinary.

Types of Context Clues

Clue 1: DEFINITION CLUE Sometimes you will find the meaning of a new word given right before or after the word. The definition will be in the same sentence. Look for a definition clue in the next story.

Robert Heck and Gimme Brown love underwater diving – and each other. So they got married underwater in a tank in Marineland in Florida. The bride was attired, or dressed, in a white diving suit. Check your answer: Attired means dressed.

Clue 2: SERIES CLUE Sometimes a new word will be part of a group of words that go together. You can figure out the meaning of the new word by looking at the other words in the series. Use a series clue to help you with the next one.

An old-fashioned gypsy wedding celebration can last for four days. But the bride and groom don’t join in the singing, dancing, eating, or other rejoicing. They are kept locked in separate rooms throughout the four days. Afterward, they begin their life together. Check your answer: Rejoicing means being happy or celebrating.

Clue 3: SYNONYM CLUE Sometimes you can spot a synonym of a word in a sentence near the one in which the new word appears. Look for a synonym clue in this story.

Pamela Benning was born in Canada, and her future husband Jack Carlson was born in the U.S. So they decided to get married on a site in between the two countries. The location for the wedding was the ice of Lake St. Clair, a body of water between Michigan and Ontario. Everyone wore snowmobile suits to the ceremony. Check you answer: Site means location.

Clue 4: ANTONYM CLUE Sometimes you can spot an antonym for a new word in a sentence near the one in which the new word appears. The antonym can help you figure out the meaning of the new word. Look for an antonym in the story.

Octovio Guillen and Adriana Martinez of Mexico City became engaged in 1902 when each of them was 15 years old. They didn’t want to rush into a quick marriage. So they decided to have a lengthy engagement. They finally got married – in Their lengthy engagement had lasted 67 years. Check your answer: Lengthy means long.

Clue 5: EXPERIENCE CLUE Sometimes you can guess the meaning of a new word because the meaning makes sense to you. The meaning fits with things you know to be true. Use your experience to guess the next one.

A Swiss couple wanted to get married and see New York City at the same time. So they got married while they were aloft in a helicopter flying above the Empire State Building. Check your answer: Aloft means in the air.

Review The ideas that are around a new word are called its context. The meaning clues that you can spot near a new word are called context clues.