Vocabulary-Building Strategies: Learn It 1

  • Understand how to use context clues to define words
  • Describe strategies for building your vocabulary
  • Use structural analysis to understand the meanings of words

Using Context Clues

context clues

A context clue is a word or phrase in the same sentence or a nearby sentence that can help the reader decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Context clues consist of all the words and phrases that are near a word.

Often, you can define words based on the other words (or context clues) around them. If you’re reading a lot of material, you don’t have time to look up individual words. Reading words in context helps ensure a high level of focus, whereas breaking your concentration to look up words is distracting.

Context clues can be broken down into six different types.

Type Explanation Examples
Definition Clue The author directly defines the unfamiliar word using signal phrases like is defined as, means, or punctuation (dashes, parentheses, quotation marks).
  • Telepathy is defined as the ability to communicate information to another person without the use of any known senses or communication devices.
  • When people contravene—break or violate—a law in Canada, they can expect to face legal consequences.
Synonym Clue The author uses a word or phrase with a similar meaning to help explain the unfamiliar word. Look for signals like or, in other words, or also known as.
  • The cheerleader appeared vapid—spiritless—as he delivered his pitiful performance in front of the stands.
  • Following his death by accidental overdose, actor Heath Ledger posthumously received an Oscar for The Dark Knight. (Following his death gives a clue to posthumously)
Antonym (Contrast) Clue The author uses a word with an opposite meaning to show contrast. Look for clues like but, however, unlike, although, on the other hand, instead.
  • Lions are solitary creatures that prefer to hunt alone, but hyenas are gregarious, hunting in packs.
  • I really don’t appreciate your duplicity. I expect you to give me an honest response from now on.
Example Clue The meaning of the word is shown by providing examples. Look for phrases like such as, for example, like, or to illustrate.
  • The manager disliked obsequious behavior, such as fawning and kowtowing.
  • Bats, owls, raccoons, and crickets are all nocturnal creatures.
Experience / Inference Clue The meaning can be inferred from familiar experiences or background knowledge. No direct signal words are required.
  • It would be an egregious mistake to wear a dirty t-shirt and shabby jeans to a funeral.
  • Television audiences are familiar with disingenuous ads that make grand promises but rarely deliver.
Adjacent Clue A nearby sentence or phrase explains or clarifies the unfamiliar word. Look for context in the surrounding sentences.
  • Nanotechnology is becoming more widespread in society. As computer chips continue to shrink, manufacturers are placing them in everything from clothing to building materials to even the human body.
  • The students were asked to create an annotated bibliography. In the next section, the teacher explained how to include notes that summarize and evaluate each source.