1. GROUNDWORK FOR COLLEGE READING WITH PHONICS
Fourth Edition
John Langan
© Townsend Press

2. Part II, Chapter Three: Vocabulary in Context
THIS CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL
• You don’t always have to use a dictionary to learn the meanings of new words in your reading. You can often use context clues to figure out the meaning of a word.
• There are four kinds of context clues:
— Examples of the new word
— Synonyms (words that mean the same as the new word)
— Antonyms (words that mean the opposite of the new word)
— The rest of the sentence or passage
See page 209 in textbook.

3. VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT Do you know the meaning of the word consolidate?
Look at the cartoon and see if the context—the words surrounding the unfamiliar word—helps you figure out the meaning of the word.
Frank and Ernest
See pages 209 and 210 in textbook.
ANSWER: C. combine into one The next slide explains the answer.
What does consolidate mean?
A. separate B. cancel C. combine into one

4. VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Frank and Ernest are seeking to combine all their small debts into “one giant nightmare” of a loan.
The context tells you that consolidate means “combine into one.”
Frank and Ernest
See pages 209 and 210 in textbook.
What does consolidate mean?
A. separate B. cancel C. combine into one

5. There are four common types of context clues: 1 Examples 2 Synonyms
3 Antonyms
4 General Sense of the Sentence or Passage
See page 211 in textbook.

6. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES Examples Commitment means
Look at the cartoon and see if the examples help you understand the meaning of the word commitment.
See pages 211 to 212 in textbook.
ANSWER: A. a promise to do something
The next slide explains the answer.
Copyright © Randy Glasbergen.
Commitment means
A. a promise to do something C. an opinion about something
B. an opportunity for something

7. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES Examples
See pages 211 to 212 in textbook.
Copyright © Randy Glasbergen.
The cartoon gives three examples of commitment: a 30-year mortgage, a 5-year car lease, and a lifetime gym membership.
These examples help you understand that commitment means “a promise to do something.”

8. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
Synonyms
Context clues are often found in the form of synonyms: one or more words that mean the same or almost the same as the unknown word.
See pages 213 to 215 in textbook.

9. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES Synonyms
Which words in this cartoon help you understand what humiliate means?
See page 214 in textbook.
ANSWER: “I feel worthless enough already”
The next slide explains the answer.
Copyright © 2004 Randy Glasbergen.

10. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES Synonyms
The words “I feel worthless enough already” help you understand that humiliate means “to make feel ashamed.”
See page 214 in textbook.
Copyright © 2004 Randy Glasbergen.

11. Antonyms are words or phrases that mean the opposite of a word.
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
Antonyms
Antonyms are words or phrases that mean the opposite of a word.
Antonyms are also useful as context clues.
See pages 215 to 217 in textbook.

12. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES Antonyms
Which words in this cartoon help you understand what overwhelmed means?
See page 216 in textbook.
ANSWER: “nothing to do”
The next slide explains the answer.
Copyright © 2004 Randy Glasbergen.

13. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES Antonyms
The antonym “nothing to do” helps you figure out that overwhelmed must mean “having too much to do.”
See page 216 in textbook.
Copyright © 2004 Randy Glasbergen.

14. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
General Sense of the Sentence or Passage
Often, the context of a new word contains no examples, synonyms, or antonyms.
In such cases, you must become a detective and try to make a guess based on any clues provided.
See pages 218 to 219 in textbook.

15. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES General Sense of the Sentence or Passage
How does this cartoon about a job interview help you understand what the word impressive means?
See page 218 in textbook.
ANSWER: Meaning: very favorable
All of the positive statements in the personal reference suggest the meaning of the word.
The next slide explains the answer.
Copyright © 2001 Randy Glasbergen.

16. TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES General Sense of the Sentence or Passage
The glowing reference (from the job applicant’s mother!) helps you realize that impressive means “very favorable.”
See page 218 in textbook.
Copyright © 2001 Randy Glasbergen.

17. An Important Point about Textbook Definitions
• Textbook authors often provide definitions of important terms and give examples of the term.
• They usually set off their definitions in italic or boldface type.
Example: Phobias are fears that are out of proportion to the actual danger in a situation. Some people, for example, have a fear of riding in elevators
See page 220 in textbook.

18. In this chapter, you learned the following:
CHAPTER REVIEW
In this chapter, you learned the following:
• To save time when reading, you should try to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words. You can do so by looking at their context—the words surrounding them.
• There are four kinds of context clues: examples (marked by words like for example, for instance, including, and such as); synonyms (words that mean the same as unknown words); antonyms (words that mean the opposite of unknown words); and general sense of the sentence (clues in the sentence or surrounding sentences about what words might mean).
• Textbook authors typically set off important words in italic or boldface type and define those words for you, often providing examples as well.
See page 221 in textbook.
The next chapter—Chapter 4—will introduce you to the most important of all comprehension skills, finding the main idea.