Vocabulary in Context Clues Mrs. Ramsey/Ford Lovinggood Middle School

What is Vocabulary in Context Vocabulary in context means using clues found in the sentence or paragraph you are reading to figure out the meaning of a word you are not familiar with. Here's how it works. What would you say if someone asked you what the word culpable means? Just thinking of the meaning of the word might be difficult for you. But if you saw the word in a sentence, you would be more likely to know what it means.

See if you can figure out the meaning. After the automobile accident, police must try to determine who is culpable. The party who is not to blame is not charged with any offense. Culpable means: a. believable b. hurt c. to blame

Explanation Culpable means "to blame." Choices a and b may work in the first sentence, but the second sentence eliminates them as possibilities. The phrase "the party who is not to blame" makes it clear that culpable means "to blame."

Context Clues help in 3 ways. 1. Context clues will save you time when you are reading, since you won't have to stop and look up every new word you read. 2. Context clues will improve your understanding of what you read, since you will know the meaning of more of the words you are reading. 3. Context clues will expand your vocabulary, because you will be learning the meanings of many new words. When you see these words more than once, they will become a part of your reading vocabulary.

Types of Context Clues 1. Examples 2. Synonyms/Definitions 3. Antonyms/Contrast Clues 4. General Sense or Implied Meaning 5. Part of Speech

Examples A difficult word may be followed by examples that will reveal what the word means. The examples often follow signal words such as for example, including, for instance, such as, to illustrate or e.g.(which means "for example"). Adversities such as poverty, poor grades, and a weak family background can be overcome with hard effort. Pungent odors, including those from a lemon, garlic, and ammonia, can cause allergic reactions in some people.

Synonyms/Definitions Synonyms are words that have similar meanings. For example, the words club, organization, and association are synonyms - they all mean about the same thing. A good detective tries to corroborate statements made by witnesses. Sometimes statements can be confirmed by interviewing witnesses separately. The terms corroborate and "confirm" are synonyms. The second sentence is a restatement of the first sentence, and "confirm" is used in place of "corroborate."

Antonyms Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. For example, summer is the opposite of winter; soft is the opposite of hard. When authors use antonyms as context clues, the opposite meaning of an unknown word is provided. Antonyms are often signaled by words such as unlike, but, however, instead of, in contrast, and on the other hand. Instead of alleviating the situation, Mark's explanation of why he was two hours late for his date only made things worse. The sentence tells us that Mark's explanation made things worse. The opposite of making things worse is making things better.

General Sense or Implied Meaning Careful reading and your personal experiences can help determine the meaning of words when no examples, synonyms or antonyms are present. Because he was hit from behind, Ray was unable to identify his assailant.

Parts of Speech Sometimes knowing the part of speech of the unknown word or the words around the unknown word can give clues to the word’s meaning. Jake’s story was preposterous. No one would ever believe he really went sky diving over the weekend.

3,2,1, Practice 3-Things you have learned. 2-Questions you still have. 1-Item you need clarified.