Context Clues: Synonyms

1. Though Samantha's test was partially done, 2. The soft pliable wood was easy to bend.
she received a low grade because it was not
complete. In this sentence, the word pliable means
bendable
In this sentence, the word partially means rough
badly solid
finally hard
completely
incomplete
3. The altar boy was an acolyte - a helper in 4. My best friend has been a companion to me
the religious service. for five years.

In this sentence, the word acolyte means In this sentence, the

deacon word companion means
boss mother
leader friend
helper brother
father
5. The saturated, dripping dog ran in the house 6. The ugly monster's face was hideous to
after swimming in the lake. look at.

In this sentence, the word saturated means In this sentence, the word hideous means
old beautiful
smelly scary
wet funny
dirty lovely
7. Mom had to sterilize, or clean, the baby's 8. The lady sat primly straight in the chair.
bottle.
In this sentence, the word primly means
In this sentence, the word sterilize means proper or tall
dirty slouched
throw out up
clean down
buy
9. We are planning a picnic for today. It is 10. Tara watches the TV continuously, or all
sunny and warm outside. It will be an the time.
idyllic day - just perfect for a picnic.
 In this sentence, the
In this sentence, the word idyllic means word continuously means
flawed in the morning
unsure all the time
perfect never
bad in the country

Examples of Context Clues

7th grade8th grade9th gradeMiddle SchoolHigh SchoolCollege

image: http://www.yourdictionary.com/index.php/image/articles/18580.ThinkstockPhotos-
454181141.jpg

A context clue is a source of information about a word that helps readers understand the word. This
word or phrase offers insight, either directly or indirectly, into the word’s meaning.

Synonyms as Context Clues

 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 dates are listed in chronological order. They start at the beginning and end with the last
event.
 Her animosity, or hatred, of her sister had divided the family.
 Bill felt remorse, or shame, for his harsh words.
 This situation is a conundrum - a puzzle.
Antonyms as Context Clues
 Emma had a lot of anxiety about the exam but I had no worries about it.
 Marty is gregarious, not like his brother who is quiet and shy.
 She is a famous singing star in her country but unknown to the rest of the world.
 I am willing to hike in the mountains, but he is reluctant because it gets so cold walking up and
down the trails.
 Avoiding the accident was futile. Both cars did not have time to stop before crashing.

Definitions as Context Clues

 There is great prosperity in the country but many citizens are living in poverty.
 Some celestial bodies, such as the planets and stars, can be seen with the naked eye.
 The manager wanted a weekly inspection, which is a methodical examination of all the
equipment.
 There was a lot of tangible evidence, including fingerprints and DNA, to prove them guilty.
 There is a 30 percent chance of precipitation, such as snow or sleet.

Explanations as Context Clues

 The team was elated when they won the trophy.
 During the demonstration, a skirmish broke out and the police were called to restore order.
 The cat has a kind disposition and would never bite or claw anyone.
 His constant questioning of my remarks made him a nuisance.
 Something in the refrigerator has a putrid odor; the smell was rotten when we opened the door.
 He winced in pain when he hit his thumb with the hammer.

Comparisons as Context Clues

 Diane was lethargic and didn’t have the energy to get out of bed.
 The greatest trip I ever took was my expedition to Africa.
 Eating nutritious food is just as important as regular exercise.
 I am determined to graduate with honor and my friend is just as resolute.
 Sometimes he is perplexed by Sudoku puzzles, but others find them much easier to solve than a
crossword puzzle.

Contrasts as Context Clues

 The picture of the landscape is picturesque but the one of the old house is ugly.
 The feral cat would not let us pet him, unlike our tame cat.
 Cold weather soon replaced the sweltering heat of summer.
 The hero was virtuous, not like the evil villain.
 The winner of the gold medal was omnipotent against his weaker opponents.
Whether you are someone learning English as a second language or a reader who is trying to build
their vocabulary, by knowing the different types of context clues, you may be better able to recognize
and understand new words when you are reading.


Read more at http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-context-

clues.html#A8mkWLmCjVL4Ovom.99
Synonym Context Clues are clues are words around
a difficult word that mean the same or nearly
the same as the word.
For example: After seeing the picture of the
starving people, we felt compassion or pity for
their suffering.
In this sentence, the word "pity" tells us that
compassion means to have feelings of sympathy
for the starving people.

Definition Context clues are words that say, “Stop - don’t

touch that dictionary. The definition of the word you don’t
know is right here in the text!"
For example: There are many theories or ideas about
what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
In this sentence , the word "ideas" tells us that theories
are different thoughts people have about something.

Antonym Context clues are words around a

difficult word that mean the opposite or nearly
the opposite as the word.
For example: Joe was reluctant to take the job
of captain of the team. He was afraid that the
time it would take would hurt his grades. On the
other hand, Billy was eager for the chance to be
the team captain.
In this sentence the words “on the other hand”
and “eager” tell us that Billy feels the opposite of
Joe, therefore, reluctant means uncertain or
cautious.

Example Context clues can be found when the unknown

term is defined right in the sentence, usually the sentence is
set off by commas.
For example:
Sedentary individuals, people who are not very active, often
have diminished health.
In this sentence, the words "people who are not very active"
tell us that sedentary individuals are not very active.
[Back to Top]

General Knowledge Context clues expect the reader to

derive the meaning from the reader's own background or
experience using common sense or logic.
For example:
Rose is always sucking up to the coach, even in front of
others. That sycophant just doesn't care what others think of
her behavior.
In this sentence, we can figure out the meaning of the word
"sycophant" by using our knowledge of the type of person
who would suck up to the coach to get an advantage.

Context Clues: Contrast Clues

1. Johnny was besotted in not checking the depth of the water before he jumped in, but it was a
good thing that his father was wise and checked it first.

Using the contrast clue, the word besotted in this sentence means
decent foolish
unaware incomplete
2. Brad made a cursory effort to finish his homework. This was unlike him; usually he worked
hard to finish before dinner.

Using the contrast clue, the word cursory in this sentence means
insincere valid
genuine actual
3. I thought the painting of the waves crashing into the shore was very picturesque, but I
thought the one next to it was quite ugly.

Using the contrast clue, the word picturesque in this sentence means
attractive colorful
large soothing
4. The omnipotent superhero always won his battles, unlike his weak opponents.

Using the contrast clue, the word omnipotent in this sentence means
almighty or all powerful powerless
weak
5. After being ill and unable to eat for three days, Beverly had a voracious appetite.

Using the contrast clue, the word voracious in this sentence means
satisfied small
quenched big
6. We were all pretty apathetic in the movie about animals, but we became interested when it
started showing all the tricks dogs could do.

Using the contrast clue, the word apathetic in this sentence means
gracious uninterested
angry sleepy

Context Clues I

Post Test Answers

1. a

2. d

3. a

4. b

5. d

6. d

7. a

8. b

9. d

10. a

Context Clues I
Post test

Choose the best meaning to the word that is underlined.

1. Tommy was a real avid baseball card collector. He inherited the desire to collect
cards because his dad had a collection, too.
 a. eager
b. careless
c. apart
d. fearful

2. Her Christmas bills added up. After the holidays, her extravagance was going to
take several months to pay off.
a. economy
b. praise
c. external
d. overdoing

3. It was gratifying to see how she acted toward her grandmother because her
grandmother was always kind to her.
a. pleasing
b. nervous
c. aggravating
d. unclear

4. The boy was caught stealing from the store. His larceny caught up with him when
the owner showed him a video tape.
a. gift
b. theft
c. lawless
d. honor

5. The ideas she presented to the class were clearly an untested theory because there
had never been any research done on it.
a. magic
b. brutal
c. indictment
d. belief

6. His eternal light would shine on the people even after his death.
a. temporary
 b. ethical
c. reformed
d. endless

7. He cut the paper precisely on the line, and it fit perfectly in the grooves of the
picture frame.
a. exactly
b. embellish
c. outer
d. advance

8. The boy tried to justify his actions to his mother by explaining the reasons why he
did what he did.
a. depend
b. prove
c. strict
d. concourse

9. She did several backbends in a row to show how limber she was, so that she could
be chosen for the squad.
a. enthused
b. responsive
c. likely
d. flexible

10. He climbed the mountain and stood looking over the tops of the trees on the
mountain across from him. He was right on the precipice and could have fallen.
a. edge
b. stiff
c. top
d. under

Context Clues II
 Post test

Choose the word that best describes the underlined word.

1. The ghastly face of the dead man floated up from the bottom of the pool
and scared us all.
a. tamed
b. fat
c. horrible
d. egosistical

2. The generous man handed out 20 dollar bills to the homeless at Christmas time.
a. ignorant
b. rendered
c. overcast
d. kind

3. The boy always minded his mother and father's rules, and they loved
their obedient child.
a. independent
b. do what he's told
c. never works
d. quiet

4. The smells coming from the kitchen enticed the neighbors to come over and see
what was baking in our oven.
a. reared
b. tempted
c. argued
d. alarmed

5. We knew to look for the rainbow after the ensuing rains.

a. rearranging
b. oblique
 c. following
d. entity

6. She has devoted her life to making sure that the children of her community were
fed and had a chance to go to the doctor.
a. met
b. given
c. recorded
d. decreased

7. The young man frequently reads new books. Yesterday he checked out five more.
a. often
b. logically
c. delved
d. developed

8. The man grew up on a farm and went to school in the rural community of Marfa.
a. suburb
b. island
c. country
d. static

9. There was much evidence that the burglar had been in their home because chairs
were overturned and many items were broken.
a. help
b. support
c. mess
d. decision

10. The girl was mortified to see that her name was on the board for talking too much
at lunch, and she put her head down on her desk and cried.
a. happy
b. intense
 c. shocked
d. indecisive

1. c

2. d

3. b

4. b

5. c

6. b

7. a

8. c

9. b

10. c

OW Words (that sound like the ou in

out)allowallowanceanyhowavowblowsybowbowelbowerbo
werybowspritbrowbrowbeatbrownbrownoutbrowsechowch
owderclowncowcowardcowboycowercowhidecowlcowlickc
owlcowpoxcowriecowslipcrowdcrowndowagerdowdydowel
dowerdowndownydownrightdownsidedownspoutdowrydow
sedrowndrowsedrowsyempowerendowendowmentflowerfo
wlfowlerfrownfrowsyglowergowngrowlgunpowderhowhowe
verhowitzerhowljowljowlykowtowmanpowermeownowowlpl
owplowsharepowpowderpowwowprowprowl-
prowlerprowessrenownrow
(brit)rowdyrowelsafflowerscowscowlshower
Fish is a
healthy food.

mood I could see from his smile that he was in a good mood.

roof The roof was made of lead.

proof I have proof that Kim took the money.

cool Soothe the pain with some cool cream.

tool Please pass me my tool box.

boom The big drum made a loud boom.

gloom It was a misty day so the town was in gloom.

spoon Mix the soup with a wooden spoon.

soon She will arrive soon.

scoop Use a scoop to serve the ice cream.

hoot The owl called with a hoot.

moor They had a lovely walk on the moor.

poor My spelling is poor but getting better.

Practice Materials for Diphthongs (AmE)

These materials can be used as additional phonetic exercises for practicing

diphthongs in frequently used words. Words are arranged here in groups
with similar spelling. After sufficient practice of these exercises, you can mix
the words and practice their pronunciation again. (You can listen to similar
words in Listening for Vowels (AmE) in the section Phonetics.)

Эти материалы можно использовать как дополнительные фонетические

упражнения на дифтонги в часто употребляемых словах. Слова собраны
здесь в группы с похожим написанием. После достаточной практики на
этих упражнениях, можно перемешать слова и снова упражняться в их
произношении. (Вы можете прослушать похожие слова в материале для
прослушивания Listening for Vowels (AmE) в разделе Phonetics.)

Diphthongs

[ei], [ai], [au], [oi], [ou]

ray – ride – how – boy – no;

The sound [ei] as in RAY

rate – late – Kate – fate – race – base – place – same – name – take – ache
– lake – rage – age – wage – save – cave – wave;

dictate – educate – decorate – celebrate – concentrate – investigate;

cable – table – able – cradle – range – change – strange – taste – waste;

baby – bacon – paper – April – danger – angel – stranger – basis – lazy –

crazy;

patient – racial – nation – nature – fatal – patriot – radio – vacant;

ray – gray – play – lay – day – may – say – way – pray – stay – stray –
delay;

hey – prey – they – convey – obey;

rain – main – aim – brain – drain – train – stain – remain – explain –

complain;

fail – mail – sail – rail – raise – raid – afraid – wait – straight – faint – paint;

weight – weigh – eight – vein – neighbor;

break – great – steak;

betrayal – portrayal – layer – player – conveyor – surveyor;

saying – staying – playing – laying – praying – delaying – conveying –

obeying – archaic.

The sound [ai] as in RIDE

ride – nice – ice – life – file – smile – line – fine – quite – rise – wise – prize
– hi;

polite – combine – arrive – surprise – despise – organize – modernize;

private – library – final – minus – crisis – climate – bicycle – horizon – item

– Ida;

idea – ideal – identity – identical – biology;

find – kind – mind – blind – child – mild – wild – climb – rifle – trifle – title –
idle;
high – sigh – sign – right – fight – night – light – sight – height;

lie – die – tie – dye – rye – bye – eye – buy – guy – alibi;

cry – dry – fry – try – by – my – sky – style – type – hype;

nylon – cycle – cyber – hybrid – dynamite – dynamic – hyperactive;

rely – reply – apply – deny – satisfy – modify – signify – analyze – paralyze;

buying – lying – flying – frying – trying – drying – crying – dying – denying

– replying;

diet – client – quiet – riot – giant – lion – violet – dial – diary – diagram –
denial – trial – science – society – pioneer;

buyer – flyer – dryer – higher – iron – liar – prior;

fire – hire – dire – wire – tire – tired – entire – aspire – expire – desire –
require – acquire – empire.

The sound [au] as in HOW

how – cow – now – allow – owl – brown – down – town – clown – drown –
crown – crowd – powder – browse – browser;

loud – proud – cloud – out – shout – about – doubt – foul – noun – house –
mouse – mouth – south – couch;

found – ground – around – pound – sound – count – amount – mountain –

announce – bounce;

allowing – plowing / ploughing;

towel – bowel – Powell;

power – tower – flower – shower – coward – Howard;

hour – our – sour – flour.

The sound [oi] as in BOY

noise – voice – avoid – poison – join – coin – point – boil – foil – oil – spoil –
toil – exploit;

joy – toy – boy – annoy – employ – destroy;

toying – employing – destroying – annoying;

loyal – royal – voyage – annoyance – oyster – destroyer – employer.

The sound [ou] as in NO

role – bone – phone – stone – close – note – notice – lonely – home – hope
– open – ocean – remote – suppose;

go – ago – no – so – toe – hero – zero – veto – ego – echo – radio – studio

– Mexico – potato – tomato – logo – motto;

solar – polar – modal – total – motor – moment – bonus – focus – vogue –

social – soldier – coworker;

cold – gold – hold – old – bold – sold – told – roll – poll – control – bolt –
colt – folk – yolk – comb – don't – won't;

most – post – host – hostess – ghost – both;

road – load – boat – coat – oat – oak – soak – goal – coal – coach –
approach – roast – toast – boast – coast;

soul – shoulder – though – although – dough;

OK – obey – omit – hotel – motel;

low – know – mow – snow – show – tow – owe – own – bowl – blow – blown
– grow – grown – growth – throw – thrown;

follow – borrow – narrow – sparrow – window – yellow;

knowing – going – growing – throwing – showing – sewing – towing –

blowing – owing – flowing;

following – borrowing – narrowing – zeroing – echoing;

heroic – stoical – poet – poetry;

lower – slower – mower – borrower – follower – widower.

English Vowel Sounds

A vowel letter can represent different vowel sounds: hat [hæt], hate [heit],
all [o:l], art [a:rt], any ['eni].
(Одна гласная буква может передавать разные гласные звуки: hat [hæt],
hate [heit], all [o:l], art [a:rt], any ['eni].)
The same vowel sound is often represented by different vowel letters in
writing: [ei] they, weigh, may, cake, steak, rain.
(Один и тот же гласный звук часто представлен разными гласными
буквами на письме: [ei] they, weigh, may, cake, steak, rain.)

Open and closed syllables

(Открытые и закрытые слоги)

Open syllable: Kate [keit], Pete [pi:t], note [nout], site [sait], cute [kyu:t].
Closed syllable: cat [kæt], pet [pet], not [not], sit [sit], cut (the neutral
sound [ə]).

Vowels and vowel combinations

The vowels A, E, I, O, U, Y alone, in combination with one another or with R,

W represent different vowel sounds. The chart below lists the vowel sounds
according to the American variant of pronunciation.
(Гласные A, E, I, O, U, Y по отдельности, в комбинации друг с другом или
с R, W передают различные гласные звуки. В таблице ниже указаны
гласные звуки согласно американскому варианту произношения.)

Sounds Letters Examples Notes

been [i];
e, ee be, eve, see, meet, sleep, bread, deaf [e];
[i:] ea meal, read, leave, sea, team, great, break
ie, ei field, believe, receive [ei];
friend [e]
[i] i it, kiss, tip, pick, dinner, machine, ski,
y system, busy, pity, sunny liter, pizza [i:]
[e] e let, tell, press, send, end, meter [i:]
ea bread, dead, weather, leather sea, mean [i:]
a late, make, race, able, stable,
[ei] ai, ay aim, wait, play, say, day,
said, says [e];
ei, ey eight, weight, they, hey,
height, eye [ai]
ea break, great, steak
[æ] a cat, apple, land, travel, mad;
 AmE: last, class, dance,
castle, half
army, car, party, garden,
park, war, warm [o:]
[a:] ar
father, calm, palm, drama;
a
BrE: last, class, dance, castle,
half
[ai] i, ie ice, find, smile, tie, lie, die,
y, uy my, style, apply, buy, guy
group, soup
[au] ou out, about, house, mouse,
[u:]
ow now, brown, cow, owl, powder
know, own [ou]
[o] o not, rock, model, bottle, copy

or more, order, cord, port,

work, word [ər]
o long, gone, cost, coffee,
[o:] aw, au law, saw, pause, because,
ought bought, thought, caught,
al, wa- hall, always, water, war, want
[oi] oi, oy oil, voice, noise, boy, toy

o go, note, open, old, most, do, move [u:]

[ou]
oa, ow road, boat, low, own, bowl how, owl [au]
use, duty, music, cute, huge,
u
tune,
[yu:] ew
few, dew, mew, new,
eu
euphemism, feud, neutral,
ue, ui
hue, cue, due, sue, suit
u rude, Lucy, June,
o, oo do, move, room, tool,
[u:] ew crew, chew, flew, jewel,
guide, quite
ue, ui blue, true, fruit, juice,
[ai];
ou group, through, route;
build [i]
AmE: duty, new, sue, student
oo look, book, foot, good,
[u] u put, push, pull, full, sugar,
ou would, could, should
neutral sound u, o gun, cut, son, money, love, Also:
[ə] ou tough, enough, rough, stressed, [ʌ];
 a, e about, brutal, taken, violent, unstressed, [ə].
o, i memory, reason, family
er, ur, serve, herb, burn, hurt, girl,
[ər] ir sir,
heart, hearth
or, ar work, word, doctor, dollar,
[a:]
ear heard, earn, earnest, earth

Note 1: The letter Y

The letter Y can function as a vowel or as a consonant. As a vowel, Y has the
vowel sounds [i], [ai]. As a consonant, Y has the consonant sound [y] (i.e.,
a semivowel sound), usually at the beginning of the word and only in the
syllable before a vowel.
[i]: any, city, carry, funny, mystery, synonym;
[ai]: my, cry, rely, signify, nylon, type;
[y]: yard, year, yes, yet, yield, you.
Примечание 1: Буква Y
Буква Y может функционировать как гласная или согласная. Как гласная,
Y имеет гласные звуки [i], [ai]. Как согласная, Y имеет согласный звук
[y] (т.е. полугласный звук), обычно в начале слова и только в слоге
перед гласной.
[i]: any, city, carry, funny, mystery, synonym;
[ai]: my, cry, rely, signify, nylon, type;
[y]: yard, year, yes, yet, yield, you.

Note 2: Diphthongs
A diphthong is one indivisible vowel sound that consists of two parts. The
first part is the main strong component (the nucleus); the second part is
short and weak (the glide). A diphthong is always stressed on its first
component: [au], [ou]. A diphthong forms one syllable. American linguists
usually list five diphthongs: [ei], [ai], [au], [oi], [ou].
Примечание 2: Дифтонги
Дифтонг это один неделимый гласный звук, который состоит из двух
частей. Первая часть главный сильный компонент (ядро); вторая часть
короткая и слабая (скольжение). Дифтонг всегда имеет ударение на
первом компоненте: [au], [ou]. Дифтонг образует один слог.
Американские лингвисты обычно приводят пять дифтонгов: [ei], [ai],
[au], [oi], [ou].

Note 3: The sound [o]

The sound [o] is short in British English. In the same words in American
English, the sound [o] is a long sound colored as [a:]. This sound is often
listed as [a:] in American materials for ESL students. In some words, there
are two variants of pronunciation in AmE: [o:] or [o].
[o]: lot, rock, rob, bother, bottle, college, comment, document, modern,
popular, respond, John, Tom;
[o:] or [o]: gone, coffee, office, borrow, orange, sorry, loss, lost, want,
wash, water.
Примечание 3: Звук [o]
Звук [o] краткий в британском английском. В тех же словах в
американском английском, звук [o] долгий звук, окрашенный как [a:].
Этот звук часто дается как [a:] в американских материалах для
студентов ESL. В некоторых словах два варианта произношения в AmE:
[o:] или [o].
[o]: lot, rock, rob, bother, bottle, college, comment, document, modern,
popular, respond, John, Tom;
[o:] или [o]: gone, coffee, office, borrow, orange, sorry, loss, lost, want,
wash, water.

Note 4: The neutral sound

Transcription symbols for the neutral sound are [ʌ] (caret) in stressed
syllables (fun, son) and [ə] (schwa) in unstressed syllables (about, lesson).
In American ESL materials, the neutral sound is often shown as [ə] (schwa)
in both stressed and unstressed syllables.
Примечание 4: Нейтральный звук
Символы транскрипции для нейтрального звука: [ʌ] (caret) в ударных
слогах (fun, son) и [ə] (schwa) в безударных слогах (about, lesson). В
американских материалах ESL нейтральный звук часто дается как [ə]
(schwa) и в ударных, и в безударных слогах.