CONTEXT CLUES
STRATEGIES
BY Kathleen Borja 2008
Purpose of Context Clue
Strategies
• To help you figure our unfamiliar or
unknown words when no dictionary,
parent or other source is available.
• To help you work out the meaning of the
word by the context of the surrounding
words.
Definition
• Often a sentence will contain the actual
definition of the word.
• Example: People who suffer from
acrophobia or the fear of heights,
shouldn’t climb mountains.
• The actual definition of acrophobia is
given to you in the sentence.
Example/illustration
• Often a sentence will provide many
examples, details which help you understand
the word.
• For example: Mr. Jones is a recluse. He lives
along on the edge of town and never comes
out of his house.
• It is easy to picture what “recluse means. It
must mean that a person who is alone or
isolated.
Contrast
• Sometimes an unknown word is used in
contrast/opposite(antonym) to a word that
you do know or that is explained in the
sentence
• For example, Unlike Professor Dixon, who is
extremely nervous, Professor Benton is very
placid.
• Even if you don’t know the meaning of placid,
you do know that it is the opposite of nervous
therefore it must mean calm.
Logic/common sense
• Your knowledge about the world or a
particular situation can help you understand a
word.
• For example: the baby-sitter put a pacifier in
the baby’s mouth and suddenly little Johnny
stopped crying.
• Common knowledge about caring for infants
helps you understand that the little piece of
rubber that is used in baby’s mouth to calm
them down is called a pacifier.
Latin and Greek Roots
• You need to try to know as many prefixes,
suffixes and roots as possible because they
give you clues about unfamiliar words.
• For example: Many politicians still favor the
use of geothermal energy.
• The prefix geo may remind you of geography,
so you have a clue that it must have to do
with earth. The stem therm reminds you of
thermometer, which is a clue that it is a word
related to heat. Geothermal refers to energy
that is produced by earth’s heat.
Reflection
• Tell your neighbor the 5 strategies or
the types of clues to look for when
figuring our unknown words in text.
• Now write the summary to your Cornell
Notes