Decoding Word Meanings from Context Clues in Sentences

hints you can find about a word's meaning by looking carefully at the other words in a sentence. Information provided in text that can help readers decode what unfamiliar word means.

The most basic, and perhaps helpful, type of context clues are synonyms. If you can t decipher a meaning, adding a few synonyms, or words with similar meanings, is a surefire way to point to a word s meaning. It was an idyllic day - sunny, warm, and perfect for a walk in the park. She hums continuously, or all the time, and it annoys me. The crime he committed was egregious; he ll never recover from this horrendous scandal. His animosity, or hatred, of his sister divided the family. Bill felt remorse, or shame, for his harsh words. This situation is a conundrum, a puzzle that s difficult to solve.

The manager wanted a weekly inspection, which is a methodical examination of all the equipment. Diane was lethargic; she didn't have the energy to get out of bed. The dates are listed in chronological order; they start at the beginning and end with the last event. The doctor s writing was utterly illegible; no one could read those scribbles. She heard the cry of the banshee, a spirit that alludes to the death of a family member. He knew his future was precarious and likely to fall apart.

Marty is gregarious, unlike his brother who is quiet and shy. Attempting to avoid the accident was futile; it was impossible for either of them to stop in time. This painting of the landscape is picturesque, while the one of the old house is just plain ugly. The feral cat would not let us pet him, unlike our friendly cat. Our sweltering summer days were quickly replaced by the cold flashes of fall. She was virtuous, unlike her evil and conniving brother.

The team was elated because they just found out they placed in the semifinals. During the demonstration, a skirmish broke out so the police were called to restore order. We know the dog has a kind disposition because we ve never seen her bite or scratch anyone. I called him a nuisance because he annoyed me with his incessant line of questioning. Something in the refrigerator is so putrid, a wave of odor wafted out when we opened the door. It s no surprise he winced in pain after hitting his thumb with the hammer.

Find the Meaning from the Text The Velveteen Rabbit is a story of a stuffed toy that is given to a little boy for Christmas. At first the rabbit is not played with very much. But later, the little boy finds he likes the rabbit best of all. Below is a paragraph from the beginning of the story. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams For a long time he lived in the toy cupboard or on the nursery floor. No one thought very much about him. He was naturally shy. Being only made of velveteen, some of the more expensive toys quite snubbed him. The mechanical toys were very superior and looked down upon everyone else. They were full of modern ideas, and they pretended they were real. The model boat, who had lived through two seasons and lost most of his paint, caught the tone from them. He never missed an opportunity of referring to his rigging in technical terms. The Rabbit could not claim to be a model of anything, for he didn t know that real rabbits existed. He thought they were all stuffed with sawdust like himself. He understood that sawdust was quite out-of-date and should never be mentioned in modern circles.

Find the Meaning from the Text Write the letter of the word on the right which has almost the same meaning as the word or phrase on the left. Use the words in the text to understand the meaning. ____________ 1. naturally ____________ 2. velveteen ____________ 3. expensive ____________ 4. snubbed ____________ 5. superior ____________ 6. seasons ____________ 7. opportunity ____________ 8. referring to ____________ 9. technical ____________ 10. existed ____________ 11. sawdust ____________ 12. out-of-date A. talking about B. chance C. old fashioned D. soft wood chips E. times of the year F. soft cloth G. usually H. lived I. special knowledge J. ignored K. cost a lot of money L. stuck up

Find the Meaning from the Text In each sentence, one word is in red. The student finds a word on a table that has a similar meaning and places it over the red word in the sentence. Underlined words are context clues. 1. The green toad hopped into the pond. 2. I learned to write the numeral 8 in math. 3. The gigantic dinosaur crashed in the forest. 4. The lion s eyes stared at the hunter. 5. The camper s shelter was a tent. 6. The blue and red banner flew on the pole. frog number large looked house flag

Read each of the sentences below carefully. A word is underlined in each sentence. then write the letter from the list that has about the same meaning 1. She turned he biggest foe into her best friend. A. enemy B. shoes 2. The man walked down the long corridor in the dark building. A. table B. fan 3. Jack is approximately 9 years old. A. about B. badly 4. My sister s eyes resemble our mother s eyes. A. run like B. look like 5. The stars were brilliant in the clear night sky. A. dim B. walking 6. Asia is the largest continent, and Australia is the smallest. A. ocean B. land area 7. Keisha s surname is Turner, and her middle name is Olivia. A. last name B. teacher 8. Our class has a strategy for raising money for our class party. A. guess B. door C. lesson C. hall C. carefully C. feel like C. bright C. kitchen C. street name C. plan