How to find word meaning in
context.
Step 1: Read the sentence
carefully…
Read the whole sentence. If you don't know the
meaning of the word, skip over it and read the rest
of the sentence. Then look at the words around
the new one and try to make a connection.
Here is an example: George cared little
for social amenities, and sometimes his
unpleasant words and actions made
people feel uncomfortable.
The words that come after the word "amenities" explain that
the word means unpleasant words and actions. Now read
the whole sentence including the new word.
Step 2: Look for clues within the
sentence…
Read this sentence: They drove their bright
new red vehicle to the park.
You might not know the word "vehicle,"
but the word "drove" is a clue that
vehicle could mean a car. In this
sentence the context clue comes before
the new word.
Read the sentence again using the word "car" instead
of "vehicle" to see if the word makes sense.
Step 3: Look for antonyms within
the sentence…
Read this sentence:He was always
late; he just couldn't ever be punctual.
The word "late" is the opposite of the
word "punctual.” In this sentence the
clue to the meaning of “punctual” is the
word “late.”
Step 4: Look for synonyms within
the sentence…
Read this sentence: The family needed to
economize, but try as they would they just
couldn't save money.
The word "save" in this sentence means
the same thing as "economize." Save is a
synonym for economize.
Sometimes a synonym, or word that means the
same as the new word is a context clue that
can help you figure out the meaning of a new
word.