CONTEXT CLUES
BY
Mr. Gonzalez
Language Arts &
Reading Teacher
John I. Smith K-12
Reading Standards
Workshop Activity
Title: Context Clues Unit
The students will be able to:
1) recognize different types of context clues
2) use context clues to determine the meaning of an
unfamiliar word;
3) analyze words, phrases, and word relationships to
determine meaning;
4) analyze the context surrounding a word with multiple
meanings to determine the correct meaning of the word.
Concept map
WHAT ARE CONTEXT CLUES?
Context
Clues
How Do You Guess The
Meaning Of An
Unfamiliar Word?
There are words or phrases around an
unfamiliar word that can help you
understand the meaning of a new word.
These words and phrases are called
context clues.
If you learn how to use these clues,
you can save yourself a trip to the
dictionary, increase your vocabulary, and
improve your reading comprehension.
CONTEXT CLUES
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
CONTEXT CLUES:
Definition
Synonym or restatement
Antonym or contrast
Example
Comparison
List or Series
Cause and Effect
Inference or general context
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
TYPE
DESCRIPTION
CLUES
”SIGNAL WORDS”
EXAMPLE
1. Definition
The author provides a direct (explicit)
definition of an unknown word in the
sentence.
- Martha is a curator, a person who is responsible for looking
after a museum’s collection.
-Entomology is the study of insects.
- Archeology is the scientific study of prehistoric cultures by
excavation of their remains.
2. Synonym or
Restatement
The author uses a word having the
same or nearly the same meaning as
another word or other words in a
sentence.
Is, are
Is /are called
Is / are known as
Is defined as
Means, Or, Refers to
Commas , Semicolon ;
Dashes Parenthesis ( )
Sometimes signal words or, that
is, or in other words are used.
3. Antonym or
Contrast
The author uses another word or
phrase that means the opposite of an
unfamiliar word
Words used are:
But, however, although,
otherwise, unless, instead of, on
the contrary, on the other hand,
while, unlike, different from
4. Comparison
In comparison clues, the author uses
words and phrases that have the
same or similar meaning as an
unfamiliar word.
Words used are:
like, as, similar to, in
the same way, likewise,
resembling, too, also, similarly
- Carnivores, that is, meat eaters, are the top of the food
chain.
- My best friend squandered all his money; his drinking and
gambling wasted all his earnings.
-After seeing the picture of the starving children, we all felt
compassion or pity for their suffering.
- After a time, glaciers, or slowly moving rivers of ice, formed
over many parts of the Earth.
-Mike’s parrot was loquacious, but Maria’s said very little.
-The gentleman was portly, but his wife was thin.
-While Luis is hardworking, his indolent brother spends most
of the time watching TV or sitting around with friends.
-My brother is enthralled by birds similar to the way that I am
fascinated by insects.
- The stench of the old shoes was like the smell of garbage.
TYPE
DESCRIPTION
CLUES
”SIGNAL WORDS”
EXAMPLE
5. Example/
Explanation
The author provides examples or
additional explanations or
summaries to help you understand
an unfamiliar word. The word is
cleared up by giving an example.
For example
For instance
Including
Such as
Especially, Specifically
To illustrate
-The archeologist found different amulets, such as a
rabbit’s foot and bags of herb.
-Paula was suspended from school because of several
infractions of the rules, including smoking in the bathroom
and dressing improperly.
- Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and stars, are
governed by predictable laws.
6. Cause and Effect
The meaning of an unknown word
depends on the cause/effect
relationship with other words in the
text.
As a result, Due to
Accordingly
Because, Since, So
Consequently
For this reason
Hence, if … then
-Since no one came to the first meeting, attendance for
the second one is mandatory for all staff.
- Because the conflagration was aided by wind, it was so
destructive that every building in the area was completely
burned to the ground.
7. List or Series
The unfamiliar word is included in
a series of related words that give
an idea of the word’s meaning.
Look for a list of words
-North American predators include grizzly bears, pumas,
wolves, and foxes.
-The debris in the stadium stands included numerous
paper cups, ticket stubs, sandwich wrappings, and
cigarette butts.
8. Inference
or General Context
The meaning of an unfamiliar word
can be inferred (guessed) from the
description of a situation.
The author provides non-specific
clues, often spread over the
sentence or number of sentences.
Look for clues over several words
or sentences
-The monkey’s vociferous chatter made me wish I had
earplugs.
- Katie’s belligerence surprised everyone. She threw her
book across the room, glared at Chris, and then pushed
him to the floor.
1) Armadillos are unusual mammals that are widespread in parts of South America and in the Southern part of the United States.
They get their name from the Spanish word armado, which means one that is armed, because of the armor covering their bodies.
There are 20 species that include the nine-banded armadillo, the giant armadillo, the apara, the fairy armadillo, the pichi, and the
naked-tailed armadillo. They live in burrows that they dig with their sharp front claws in open grasslands and tropical forests, but
they are unable to survive in arid areas such as deserts, or in very cold areas. The nine-banded armadillo, the species found in
Florida, is the only armadillo that can swim. It inflates its stomach and intestines with air to keep itself buoyant. It also can cross a
small river by holding its breath for up to six minutes and walking on the river bottom.
2) Many mammals are active primarily during the day, but armadillos are nocturnal. They have a varied diet, eating insects or
invertebrates, plants, and small vertebrates, such as snakes and lizards. They sometimes feed on carrion; that is, rotting animal
flesh. The giant armadillo of South America is even said to have dug into flesh graves to eat corpses. Armadillos’ main food sources
are ants and termites. They dig into ant runs or termite mounds with their sharp claws and use their long, sticky tongues to extract
insects. The nine-banded armadillo eats up to 40,000 ants at one feeding.
3) The nine-banded armadillo mates in July and August, but the egg does not become implanted in the uterine wall for about
three months. This process, in which development of the embryo does not take place immediately, is called delayed implantation.
Once the embryo starts forming, the gestation period is 120 days. The young are then born in the spring when food is more
plentiful. The nine-banded armadillo has four in a litter. The young are identical quads and always of the same sex because all four
develop from the same egg. All four are attached by umbilical cords to the same placenta. The placenta is the area of the uterine
wall specialized for transferring food, etc. between the blood of the mother and that of the embryo. This kind of multiple births is
rare in other mammals, but it is rule for nine-banded armadillos.
4) Armadillos are covered with bony plates of armor. These plates are hinged so that the armadillo can roll itself into an armored
roll to protect its soft underparts and limbs from predators. Armadillos appear to be hairless at first glance, but as with elephants, a
closer look reveals that most species have sparse hair on their bodies.
5) The population of armadillos has dwindled in South America, mainly because their habitat has been destroyed by the
expansion of agriculture. In the United States, however, the population of armadillos has not dwindled. Many are killed each year
on highways, but this has not caused a significant drop in the population. In fact, in some areas they have become agricultural pests
because they dig up so many crops in their quest for insects.
The armadillo is an interesting mammal. Watch for it as you travel around Florida.
Context Clues Chart for the Text “Armadillos”
WORD
1)
apara
2)
arid
3)
buoyant
4)
nocturnal
5)
carrion
6)
placenta
MY DEFINITION
CONTEXT CLUE
TYPE OF CONTEXT CLUE
Context Clues Chart for the Text “Armadillos”
WORD
7)
sparse
8)
dwindled
9)
10)
11)
12)
MY DEFINITION
CONTEXT CLUE
TYPE OF CONTEXT CLUE
DEFINITION

Writers often define a word
after they use it. They use words
and phrases such as means, is,
refers to, and are called to
signal that a definition is to
follow.
Examples of Definition
Context Clues
• EXAMPLES:
 Entomology is the study of insects.
 Archaeology is the scientific study of prehistoric cultures
by excavation of their remains.
 The cattle was disturbed by a pack of coyotes, small
wolves that live in the western United States.
 Broad, flat noodles that are served with sauce or butter are
called fettuccine.
SYNONYM or
RESTATEMENT
The meaning is usually right after the
unfamiliar word and often separated from
the rest of the sentence with commas,
dashes, or parentheses; sometimes, or,
that is, or in other words is used. A
synonym may also be set off with a pair
of dashes, a pair of parentheses, or a pair
of commas before and after it.
Look at the following
cases:
EXAMPLES:
• Carnivores, that is, meat eaters, are at the top of
the food chain.
• My opponent's argument is fallacious, misleading – plain
wrong..
• Ashamed of his flaccid –flabby – muscles, Glenn joined the
local gym.
• My best friend squandered all his money; his drinking and
gambling wasted all his earnings.
• Christina’s use of curses and personal attacks against the
waitress mortified – embarrassed – everyone.
EXAMPLE
Context Clues
The unfamiliar word is cleared up by
giving an example; for instance, for
example ,such as, like, including,
consisting of may be used as signals.
EXAMPLE:
The archeologist found different amulets, such
as a rabbit’s foot and bags of herbs, near the
ancient altar.
Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and
stars, are governed by predictable laws.
OTHER
EXAMPLES
• Some creatures can regenerate parts of themselves, such
as a starfish growing a new arm or a lizard growing a new
tail.
• Paula was suspended from school because of several
infractions of the rules, including smoking in the bathroom
and dressing improperly.
• My uncle often has had some embarrassing mishaps, such
as back his car into the side of his boss’s Honda and trying
to walk through a glass door.
• In the past month, we have had almost every type of
precipitation, including rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
• Toxic materials, such as arsenic, asbestos, pesticides, and
lead, can cause bodily damage.
ANTONYM or
CONTRAST
The unfamiliar word is shown to be different from
or unlike another word, and is often an opposite;
but, however, although, otherwise, unless,
instead of, on the contrary, in contrast, yet, on
the other hand, as opposed to, while, unlike,
never or not may be used to signal contrast.
EXAMPLE:
Mike’s parrot was loquacious, but Maria’s said
very little.
Instead of living with other people, she chose to
be a recluse.
MORE EXAMPLES
of ANTONYM
CONTEXT CLUES
• The coach takes every opportunity to reprimand
his players; yet he ignores every chance to praise
them.
• Julie Ann refused to remain illiterate, instead
she worked to become well-educated.
• The employee received not a commendation but
a rebuke for working overtime.
• While Luis is hardworking, his indolent brother
spends most of the time watching TV or sitting
around with friends.
COMPARISON
The unfamiliar word is shown to be the
same as or like another word; too, like, as,
similar to, or in the same way may be
used to signal the comparison.
EXAMPLE:
*My brother is enthralled by birds similar
to the way that I am fascinated by
insects.
LIST OR SERIES
The unfamiliar word is included in a
series of related words that give an
idea of the word’s meaning.
EXAMPLE:
*North American predators include grizzly
bears, pumas, wolves, and foxes.
* The debris in the stadium stands included
numerous paper cups, ticket stubs, sandwich
wrappings, and cigarette butts.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
The meaning of an unfamiliar word
is signaled by a cause-and-effect
relationship between ideas in the
text.
EXAMPLE:
Because the conflagration was aided by wind,
it was so destructive that every building in the
area was completely burned to the ground.
INFERENCE or
GENERAL CONTEXT
(DESCRIPTION)
The meaning of an unfamiliar word
can be inferred from the description
of a situation or experience.
EXAMPLE:
*The monkey’s vociferous chatter made me wish I had
earplugs.
* The newly weds agreed to be very frugal in their
shopping because they wanted to save enough money to
buy a house.
* Katie’s belligerence surprised everyone. She threw her
book across the room, glared at Chris, and then pushed
him to the floor.
CONTEXT CLUES
PRACTICE
Read each sentence or paragraph and circle
the correct answer.
1. The archeologist carefully removed the tome from its ancient
resting and proceeded to read the pages related to marriage in
ancient Greece. What does the word tome probably mean?
a. Pen
b. weapon
c. book
d. sausage
2. The Navajo language is an unwritten language of extreme
complexity with no alphabet or symbols, and is spoken only on
the lands of the Navajo Nation in the American Southwest. During
World War II a Navajo code was created for the U.S. Navy. This
code was virtually undecipherable to anyone except Navajo
speaking persons. What does the word virtually probably mean?
a. Pleasant
b. almost
c. never
d. always
CONTEXT CLUES
PRACTICE
Cont.
3. Lakes occupy less than two percent of the Earth’s surface, yet
they help sustain life. For instance, lakes give us fish to eat, irrigate
crops, and generate electrical power. What does the word sustain
probably mean?
a. support
b. obstruct
c. prolong
d. destroy
4. The ancient Greeks pioneered many of the kinds of writing we
consider standard today. They wrote speeches, plays, poems,
books about science and learning, long histories of the things
that happened to them. What does the word pioneered probably
mean?
a. complicated
b. developed
c. destroyed
d. explored
CONTEXT CLUES
PRACTICE
Cont.
5. Fifty-five mostly prominent, male delegates attended the
Philadelphia Convention in 1787. About seventy-five percent of
the delegates had served in Congress and others were important
people in their home states. These men are often referred to as
the Framers of the Constitution. What does the word prominent
probably mean?
a. unimportant
b. unknown
c. common
d. important
6. Bats that eat fruit and nectar spread seeds and help flowers
grow. Without bats many important plants would not thrive. What
does the word thrive probably mean?
a. flourish
b. die
c. wither
d. deteriorate
THE END
QUESTIONS?