UNDERSTANDING VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT

UNDERSTANDING VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT

1. If English is your second language, when you read, you may find many words you don’t understand. A better way to read is to guess what most of the new words mean.Using context clues can help you to increase your vocabulary. It can also help you to be a better reader and make reading more enjoyable.

2. Comparison Clues

   • Comparison clues show that two or more things are alike. Words like similar, as well as, both and likewise show that comparison is possible.
     • Washing windows is a tedious job. Similarly, cleaning the oven is very boring. The word similarly shows that there is something the same in the two sentences.

3. Punctuation Clues

   • Punctuation clues are one of the easiest kinds of context clues. With punctuation clues, the meaning of a word is explained immediately after the word between brackets, commas or dashes.
     • Brackets: A tornado (a violent storm of twisting wind) struck Edmonton and caused a lot of damage. Commas: A tornado, a violent storm of twisting wind, struck Edmonton and caused a lot of damage. Dashes: A tornado – a violent storm of twisting wind – struck Edmonton and caused a lot of damage.

4. Example Clues

   • Example clues give you examples of the unknown word. You must figure out what the examples have in common in order to figure out the meaning of the word.Examples are usually introduced by expressions like these: such as, for instance, including, for example, and like.
     • Large corporations like General Foods, Shell Oil, Nortel and Canadian Pacific are often less innovative than smaller ones. This sentence gives you 4 examples of large corporations. Think about the examples. What do they have in common? They are all large companies.

5. Using Your Knowledge of the World

   • Often you can guess the meaning of a word just by using your own knowledge of the world and how things work.
     • I didn’t sleep well because my neighbour’s dog was yapping all night. You can guess the meaning of yapping by thinking about your knowledge of dogs and your knowledge of sleep.

6. Definition Clues

   • A word’s meaning is often given by including its definition in the sentence. The definition is linked to the word with a linking word, usually a verb. Here are some examples of linking words: is, was, are, means, i.e. (that is), involves, is called, that is and resembles.
     • A cane resembles a walking stick. Giggling involves laughing in a silly way.

7. Contrast Clues

   • With contrast clues, you use the opposite of known information to figure out the meaning of an unknown word. Connecting words like however, yet, on the other hand, instead of, but, while and although are used to show that meanings are opposite.
     • Although some old people abhor change, most of them enjoy new things and experiences. In this sentence the word although shows that there is some opposite meaning in the two parts of the sentence. Both parts are about old people and their attitudes to change.

8. Referent Clues

   • Referent clues is when an unknown word is referred to (mentioned) again using a synonym or explanation of the word. Synonyms often follow words like this, that, these, those, or the.
     • She yelled out the window at her neighbour’s dog. Then she said to her husband, “That hound is always waking me up at night with its barking. Tomorrow I’m going to complain.” In this example, that comes before the unknown word. This suggests that a hound has already been mentioned. We can guess that that hound refers to the dog. So, a hound is probably a dog.