Vocabulary from
Context
Excerpt from New Directions by
Peter S. Gardner (1996)
The “What” and “Why’s” of
Using Context Clues
O context
O
O
O
O
the sentence and paragraph in
which the word appears
using context clues allows the reader to make an
educated guess
+++ can avoid interruption which can interfere
with reading comprehension
+++ helps the learner retain meaning from the
reading because they are asking questions of
themselves
+++ requires making connections between
sentences—inferring, an important skill
Example: The average age at which
babies begin walking is about 12
months, while 11 months is the
average age for cruising.
What is cruising?
trying to walk while holding on
Four Types of Context Clues
O Words with a similar meaning
O Words used in contrast
O Definitions, direct or indirect
O General context
Words with a Similar Meaning
Example: Tuesday is always the worst day—it’s
the day the drudgery, boredom, and fatigue
start all over again.” (from “Confessions of a
Working Stiff”)
What are the synonyms or related words near
by?
boredom and fatigue
Another Example
At the age of five, six, well past the time when
most other children no longer easily notice the
difference between sounds uttered at home
and words spoken in public, I had a different
experience.” (from Hunger of Memory)
What is the nearby synonym?
spoken
Phrases that Signal Similarity
O Likewise
O Similarly
O By the same token
O In the same way
Example
“Birdwhistell maintains that verbal communication
represents less than 35% of the ‘social meaning’
of a situation, while more than 65% is expressed
through nonnverbal communication. Similarly,
Albert Mehrabian contends that the total impact of
a message is composed of a 7% verbal element, a
38% vocal element, and a 55% facial element.”
(from “Cultural Differences in Nonverbal
Communication”)
Are the underlined words synonyms, antonyms or?
Do you know what either maintains or contends
means?
says, argues
Words Used in Contrast
Look for words (near by) opposite in meaning to
the one you don’t know.
Example: The child comes to school curious about
other people, particularly other children, and the
school teaches him to be indifferent.” (from
“School is Bad for Children”)
What is the antonym?
curious
Look for:
not
Example:
Generalizing about groups of people makes
many of us nervous. We like to think of
ourselves as unique individuals, not
representatives of stereotypes.” (from “Sex,
Sighs, and Conversation)
What does stereotypes mean?
Look Contrast Words and
Phases
O but
O however
O although
O on the other hand
O on the contrary
O in contrast
O nevertheless
O whereas
O despite
Examples with Contrast Words
Barbara Gutek surveyed 1,200 men and women
for a study on harassment. She asked her subjects
whether they considered a sexual proposition
flattering. About 67% of the men said they would,
while only 17% of the women agreed. In contrast,
63% of women would be insulted by a proposition,
compared with just 15% of men. (from “Striking a
Nerve”)
What is the antonym of flattering?
insulted by
Look for Adverbs with a
Negative Meaning
O rarely
O never
O only
Example: “The jejune assignments that teachers
give rarely lead to inspired student essays.”
What is the antonym of jejune?
inspired
What does jejune mean?
boring
Look for Words with Negative
Prefixes
un, in, im, il, ir, non, a, dis
Example: Sotopo thrust out his hand to grasp
Adrian by the hand, but the Dutch boy was
frightened by the unexpected movement and
drew away.
What did Sotopo do with his hand?
He pushed it out quickly, unexpectedly.
Look for Direct Definitions
Example: “Each of us speaks a distinctive form
of English which is not identical in every
particular with the form spoken by anyone
else; linguists call this individual variety of
language an idiolect.” (from “The English
Language in the Dictionary”)
The definition is right there!!
Commas, Parentheses or
Dashes
Example: Commas “Alzheimer’s disease, a
progressive form of degenerative brain disease of
unknown cause, affects an estimated 2 to 4
percent of people over 65.” (from Human
Sexuality)
Example: Parentheses “The disposition towards
ethnocentrism (centeredness on one’s own
group)might well be the characteristic that most
directly relates to intercultural communication.”
(from Communication Between Cultures)
Example: Dashes “Because the Incas
preserved their mummies, it seems that they
never felt the urge to represent their ancestors
as gods in their art. Thus, the huacas—the
mummies or the stones representing them—
were not dedicated to particular gods.” (from
World Religions)
Indirect Definitions:
such as examples
Example: “While the material aspects of
African cultures—technology of iron-working,
wood carving and weaving—died out or were
greatly transformed, nonmaterial aspects
survived.” (From Comprehensive Multicultural
Education)
How can we figure out what material aspects
means?
technology of iron-working, wood
carving and weaving
Example: “Given nucleation, there are fewer
role models from whom children can learn.
There is less chance that a grandparent or
elderly aunt, for instance, can tell stories
about the important historical and mythical
figures in a culture. Visits from relatives
become a ‘special occasion,’ not a normal
everyday part of socialization.” (from
Understanding Culture’s Influence on
Behavior)
How can we figure out what nucleation means?
What are the clues?
Grandparents aren’t around a lot.
Just living with parents/kids.
General Context
Use the meanings of familiar words in the
paragraph to limit the number of possible
meanings of the unknown word or idiom.
Example: “I was always hungry—oh, so hungry! The
scant meals I could afford only sharpened my
appetite for real food.” (From “American and I,”)
What does scant mean? How do you know?
very little
General Context
Why then can’t they cultivate your
fields and look after your goats while you
make baskets for me? Not only this, they
might gather for you the fibers and the colors
in the bush and lend you a hand here and
there in preparing the material you need for
the baskets.” (from “Assembly Line”)
What do cultivate and lend you a hand mean?
get crops from the land and help