1. Context Clues: Finding Out What Words Mean CONTEXT: The ___________ of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its ___________ or effect. For example, You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context. CLUES: Anything that serves to ___________ or ___________ in the solution of a problem, mystery, etc. For example, The increasing number of trees were a clue that we were in the forest. THEREFORE, we can understand that ___________ ___________ are the words, phrases, and sentences around an unknown word that help us determine a better understanding of that word.

2. Context Clues: Finding Out What Words Mean 6 Types of Context Clues 1.___________ : Words, phrases, or special type settings indicate the meaning of an unfamiliar word is being provided. 2.___________ : Another word that means the same thing as the unfamiliar word is used to help explain its meaning to the reader. 3.___________ : Another word that means the opposite as the unfamiliar word is used to help explain its meaning to the reader. 4.___________ : A familiar experience is provided to help the reader understand the meaning of the unfamiliar word. 5.___________ : One or more instances are provided to help illustrate the meaning of the unfamiliar word. 6.___________ or ___________ ___________ ): Sometimes, information can from previous and/or later sentences can help explain the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

3. Context Clues: Finding Out What Words Mean Word Part Analysis 1.___________ : Word part attached to the ___________ of a word that adds meaning to the root word. For example, in amoral, the “a” is the prefix, which makes the word’s meaning shift from moral (or ethical) to someone who is without morals. 2.___________ : The base word that has a meaning of its own. From the example above, the word “moral” serves as the root word. 3.___________ : Word part attached to the ___________ of a word that adds meaning to the root word. For example, amorality meaning “related to a lack of morals.”

4. Context Clues: Finding Out What Words Mean Denotation versus Connotation Denotation: ___________ or ___________ definition of a word or phrase. Think of it as Denotation and Dictionary. Connotation: ___________ or ___________ definition of a word or phrase. Think about the words “strange” and “different.” Which would you rather be described as by friends? If you avoided “strange” because you felt it didn’t sound flattering, then you were turned off by the negative connotations associated with the word.

5. Context Clues: Context Clues Worksheet WordClues / Inferred Meaning Sentence Word Parts