1. Context Clues: Hints an author gives in a text to help you define difficult or unusual words

2. 2 Context clues will give you a good guess about what the word means.

3. S.A.L.E into finding the meaning!  Synonym —Sometimes an unknown word is defined by the use of a synonym.  Example: The wardrobe, or closet, was filled with clothes.  Antonym — Sometimes an unknown word is defined by the use of an antonym. Antonym clues will often use Signal Words: e.g. however, not, but, in contrast, etc.  Example: He signaled a looey, not a right turn.  Logic —Your own knowledge about surrounding words and the sentence situation may provide clues to meaning.  Example: He petted the canis minor, and then made her sit up and beg for a bone.  Example —When part of a list of examples or if the unknown word itself provides an example, these are good clues to meaning. Example clues will often use Signal Words: e.g. for example, like, such as, etc.  Example: Adventurous, rowdy, and crazy pioneers all found their way out west.

4. Tip 1: Reread around the unknown word looking for words with similar meanings

5. 5 Example: “His father did not intend to be cruel, but he was himself a hard-working man, an early riser, and a swift workman, and it seemed a natural and necessary thing to have his sons work. He himself had been bound out at nine years of age, and he had never known a week’s release from toil.” Find key words that may tell you what toil means. Guess what does toil mean?

6. 6 Tip 2: Look for signal words to tell you the unknown word’s opposite. Sample signal words: except, but, unlike, instead.

7. 7 Example: “Not all commercial websites are untrustworthy. Indeed, many sites are reputable sources of information on the topics they discuss.” Circle the signal word. Underline the opposite meaning words. Guess what does reputable mean?

8. 8 Tip 3: Look for hints from the author – a definition in the text or footnotes, restatement of the idea in a different way.

9. 9 Example “The coulter (cutting part of the plough) went into the ground.” Underline the author’s hint for the meaning of coulter

10. Tip 4: Don’t be fooled by multiple meaning words Some words have several meanings. (Craft can mean “a skill requiring use of the hands”, “a small boat”, or “clever trickiness” Go back to the passage and read how the word was used. Don’t be fooled by the most common definition of a word.

11. 11 Example: “Hillary knew that Big Ed meant to court her the moment he offered her the first drink from his diet root beer.” Guess which of the following definitions of court is used in the sentence? Circle your answer. A. Place where trials are held B. Surface for playing tennis C. To provoke or incite D. To seek the affections or love of a person

12. 12 Tip 5: Determine the category of words in a list You might not know every word in the list, but the words will be part of the same category.

13. 13 Example: “Jeb thought that if he could play the trumpet, then he could play them all: trombone, French horn, flugelhorn, tuba, bugle and cornet.” Underline the other words in the category Guess what is a flugelhorn? A. A type of drum B. A brass instrument C. An electronic piano D. A stringed instrument

14. 14 Tip 6: Use cause-and-effect relationships to understand new words. (One thing happened because of another or one thing caused another.)

15. 15 Example: “George dropped a smoking match in the forest, and the next day there was a conflagration.” Underline what caused the conflagration Guess what word you’d use for the effect. Conflagration means A. A disastrous fire B. A group of flags C. A church meeting D. A harsh warning