Southern Nevada Regional
Professional Development
Program
RPDP.net
RPDP Secondary Literacy
Reading Strategies
Context Clues
Created by Jill M. Leone
Reading Specialist
Copyright © 2007
Students will –
• differentiate among different types of
context clues.
• use context clues in text to determine
word meanings.
• identify specific context clues in selected
questions.
RPDP Secondary Literacy
That’s probably difficult because words
are so important in everything we do.
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How could you order
something to eat?
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Listen to the lyrics of your favorite song?
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Plan that dream vacation?
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Ask a salesclerk for a special color?
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Share a secret with a friend?
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Talk on the telephone?
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Or even read your favorite book?
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No singing, no talking, no life
as we know it!
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Trademark of Hanna-Barbera ©2000
How important words are in our lives!
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• Understand the world
around us.
• Connect ideas.
• Create new ideas.
• Write.
• Talk about our thoughts
and feelings to others.
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It’s like pumping iron
or training for a sport.
We improve a little
with each workout.
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It’s the same with
learning vocabulary.
The more we learn,
the easier it is to read
and understand more.
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When you see an unfamiliar word,
do you feel like skipping it?
Learn what that word means!
You can usually find clues to help you.
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Writers are often thoughtful of their readers.
When they use difficult words, they
often provide clues to help us figure
out what these new words mean.
These are called context clues.
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The area surrounding
a word is called the
context.
Context clues are the
words, phrases, and
sentences that
surround a word you
do not know.
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Many sentences and paragraphs -
Contain enough
information for you
to use the clues that
the writer has left to
figure out the
meaning of words
you do not know.
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What does this mean?
This means you try
to figure out the
meaning of a word
that you don’t
know by using the
surrounding words
that you do know.
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Clue words and phrases help us -
• understand the passages.
• know how fast we should read.
• decide the importance of
information.
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Context Clues are
words that say
STOP.
The definition is
here!
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To figure out the meaning of
a new word always -
 Read the sentence that the word is in.
 Read the sentence right before.
 Read the sentence right after.
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This skill is practiced without a dictionary
for two reasons • You don’t always have dictionary nearby.
• You might not want to stop reading and
get it.
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Sometimes
it’s just not
convenient
to stop
reading.
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Also, if we keep stopping to look up
words, it takes away from
understanding.
It’s like holding an empty paper towel
roll up to our eyes and using
it to read only
a few words at a time.
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There’s little understanding when you can’t see
the context, or the surrounding words.
It’s the context of the page that gives it meaning.
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The meaning of the unfamiliar word is
stated in the sentence.
Clue words to look for:
also known as
that is
in other words
which is
or
which means
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The course includes demography, which is
the study of human populations.
Etymology, which means the study of the
origin of words, is important in vocabulary
studies.
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The meaning of the unfamiliar word is
explained through familiar examples.
Clue words to look for:
for example
such as
for instance
is called
including
like
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She loved macabre stories, such as those
written by Stephen King.
Miscreants of all kinds, including thieves,
vandals, and pickpockets roamed the streets
of Victorian England.
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The unfamiliar word is similar to a
familiar word or phrase.
Clue words to look for:
also
too
identical
same
similar
resembling
like, likewise
as any
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Consuela suffered from acrophobia;
her father also had a fear of heights.
Despite his physical suffering, his mind
was as lucid as any rational person’s.
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The unfamiliar word is the opposite of a
familiar word or phrase.
Clue words to look for:
although
on the other hand
unlike
though
however
but
on the contrary
yet
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Patricia thought that
taking the driver’s test
was futile, but her
brother remained
hopeful that his sister
would pass.
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Although our athletes
were not a bit worried,
the opposing team
members proved to
be such formidable
opponents that they
defeated our team
by a wide margin.
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The unfamiliar word is explained as part
of a cause and effect relationship.
Clue words to look for:
as a result
because
since
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therefore
thus
consequently
Because they had not eaten in days,
the rats were ravenous.
Maria felt the stranger was being
intrusive, since he asked too
many personal questions.
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Sometimes a new word will be part of
a group of words that go together.
Study the other words in the series to
figure out the meaning.
Example:
Peas, beans, peanuts and other
legumes provide vitamins and fiber.
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It’s important to
realize that these
same context clues
can be found in
both fiction and
nonfiction writing.
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Practice Question
I thought that Alexis was the most affable
person I had met in years. She really went
out of her way to make me feel at home.
Affable means –
A. nasty and argumentative
B. frightened and afraid
C. pleasant and agreeable
D. distracted and not focused
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Practice Question
Affable means –
A. nasty and argumentative
B. frightened and afraid
C. pleasant and agreeable
D. distracted and not focused
How did you do?
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Practice Question
She sang softly. The song told of a life where all had
gone wrong. She didn’t raise her voice or cry, but
everyone was affected by her dolorous tone. Tears
could be seen throughout the audience. Even the
musicians were moved. All the pain of life could be
heard in her voice.
Dolorous means –
A. loud
B. sad
C. fierce
D. joyful
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Practice Question
She sang softly. The song told of a life where all had
gone wrong. She didn’t raise her voice or cry, but
everyone was affected by her dolorous tone. Tears
could be seen throughout the audience. Even the
musicians were moved. All the pain of life could be
heard in her voice.
Dolorous means –
A. loud
B. sad
C. fierce How did you do?
D. joyful
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Practice Question
Camilla was now the boss, and she wanted everyone
to know it. She expected all the workers to follow
orders and praise her. Workers who weren’t obedient
and obsequious found themselves out of a job. Soon,
no one wanted to work for her company.
A person who is obsequious would –
A. study hard
B. do a good job without making mistakes
C. praise and compliment the boss
D. take long coffee breaks
RPDP Secondary Literacy
Practice Question
Camilla was now the boss, and she wanted everyone
to know it. She expected all the workers to follow
orders and praise her. Workers who weren’t obedient
and obsequious found themselves out of a job. Soon,
no one wanted to work for her company.
A person who is obsequious would –
A. study hard
B. do a good job without making mistakes
C. praise and compliment the boss
D. take long coffee breaks
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Practice Question
Mukti went to the doctor for her annual checkup last
Week. “You’re doing just fine, Mukti,” said Dr. Patel.
“Yet it never hurts to make sure you’re getting the
vitamins you need. Vitamins help your body perform
important tasks. If you get too little of them, you can
become susceptible to infections.”
In this passage, the word susceptible means –
A. resistant
B. interested
C. immune
D. in a weakened state
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Practice Question
Mukti went to the doctor for her annual checkup last
Week. “You’re doing just fine, Mukti,” said Dr. Patel.
“Yet it never hurts to make sure you’re getting the
vitamins you need. Vitamins help your body perform
important tasks. If you get too little of them, you can
become susceptible to infections.”
In this passage, the word susceptible means –
A. resistant
B. interested
C. immune
D. in a weakened state
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Practice Question
Rashad was usually happy and content all the
time. But ever since his brother became a rich
and famous rap star, he sometimes makes
himself sick coveting his brother’s possessions.
Coveting means –
A. refusing
B. desiring
C. writing about
D. throwing out
RPDP Secondary Literacy
Practice Question
Rashad was usually happy and content all the
time. But ever since his brother became a rich
and famous rap star, he sometimes makes
himself sick coveting his brother’s possessions.
Coveting means –
A. refusing
B. desiring
C. writing about
D. throwing out
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Practice Question
The climate in Siberia is often cold and bleak.
People who were forced to move there by the
Russian government had a very difficult time. Yet
Siberia’s long-term residents were inured to the
cold and miserable climate. They had little trouble
with the weather.
Someone who is inured to a climate –
A. is accustomed to it
B. hates it
C. avoids it
D. is often sick or uncomfortable
RPDP Secondary Literacy
Practice Question
The climate in Siberia is often cold and bleak.
People who were forced to move there by the
Russian government had a very difficult time. Yet
Siberia’s long-term residents were inured to the
cold and miserable climate. They had little trouble
with the weather.
Someone who is inured to a climate –
A. is accustomed to it
B. hates it
C. avoids it
D. is often sick or uncomfortable
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Practice Question
A hospital is supposed to be a safe place, but
sometimes it can prove dangerous. Many patients
have diseases, which they transmit to other patients.
A person being treated for a broken leg may become
very sick with something else. Patients can acquire
new diseases while in the hospital. They must be
cured of these iatrogenic diseases,
as well as the diseases that put them
in the hospital in the first place.
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Practice Question
An iatrogenic disease is one that is caused by –
A. bad nutrition
B. alcohol and drugs
C. doctors and hospitals
D. broken bones
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Practice Question
An iatrogenic disease is one that is caused by –
A. bad nutrition
B. alcohol and drugs
C. doctors and hospitals
D. broken bones
RPDP Secondary Literacy
• Use the overall context of the page.
• Make an inference.
• Always use your prior knowledge.
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• Think about what you’re reading.
• Connect to what you already know.
• Check how passages are organized.
• Look for word clues provided by the
writer.
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Remember to use the context of a page
when you come across words you don’t
know.
Always read the following:
The sentence right before
The sentence the word is in
The sentence right after
When there are no word clues, use your
prior knowledge and make an inference.
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• Context & Context Clues
• Definition Clues
• Example Clues
• Comparison Clues
• Contrast Clues
• Cause and Effect Clues
• Series Clues
RPDP Secondary Literacy
Copyright Notice
Permission is granted to copy (unmodified) all or part
of this PowerPoint for educational, personal, noncommercial use off-line as long as the copyright
message (Copyright © 2007 by Jill Leone) is
maintained on the title page. This material may not
be sold, duplicated on other websites, incorporated
in commercial documents or products, or used for
promotional purposes.
Copyright © 2007 by Jill M. Leone
RPDP Secondary Literacy