Defining Words Using Context Clues
(Understanding the Logic of the Sentence)
Often when we don’t know a word, we can determine its definition from the context in which it
appears; that is, we use the other words and sentences around the unknown word to draw conclusions
about it. What comes before and after an unknown word can reveal its meaning, structure, and use.
There are different types of context clues we can use to determine the meaning of an unknown word:

Word Roots & Affixes (affixes = prefixes and suffixes) –
“People who study birds are experts in ornithology.”
“The Columbia was the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe.”

Definition/Restatement/Example - The meaning of the word is given in the sentence, the
meaning is described using language you are more likely to understand, or the sentence
illustrates the meaning with an example.
“The arbitrator, a neutral person chosen to settle the dispute, arrived at her decision.”
“Frugivorous birds prefer eating fruit to any other kind of food.”
“Some dogs can be trained to respond to gestures instead of sounds; for example, a
hand pointing in a certain direction.”

Synonym/Compare - Other words are used in the sentence with similar meanings. Can be
signaled by words like “similarly” or “likewise.”
“The slender woman was so thin that her clothes were too big on her.
“The floodwaters engulfed the hill in the same way a frog swallows a fly.”

Antonym/Contrast – Words are used in the sentence that are opposites, or the sentence tells you
what the word does not mean. Can be signaled by words like “whereas,” “unlike,” or “as
opposed to.”
“Unlike Jamaal’s room, which was immaculate, Jeffrey’s room was very messy.”
“Whereas Melissa is quite lithe, her sister is clumsy and awkward.”

Cause & Effect - The author explains the reason for or the result of the word. Can be signaled by
words like “because,” “since,” “therefore,” “thus,” and “so”
“We have to estimate how many people are coming because we are not sure of the
exact number.”
“The lawyers need to negotiate so that they can settle the case for their clients.”

Grammar – The part of speech or part of the sentence of the unknown word can be determined
by reading a sentence and labeling its other parts of the speech/sentence, thus narrowing down
categories of meaning.
N
AV
Adj IO(N)
Adj
Adj
Adj
DO(N)
“The Pulitzer Prize Committee awarded the writer the 1969 fiction prize.”
Adj
Adj
N
AV
IO(N)
DO(N)
Adj
Adj
N
“The managing director offered Ms. Latham the position (as assistant director).”