Vocabulary Learning

1. Using Context Clues

What is Context?

Try to figure out what is missing in the following brief paragraph and fill the missing
words in the blanks provided.

Most Americans can speak only one ________________. Europeans,

however, ____________ several. As a result, Europeans think __________
are unfriendly and unwilling to communicate with them.

Did you insert the word language in the first blank, speak on the second black and Americans in the
third black? Most likely, you correctly identified all three missing words. You could tell from the
sentence which word to put in. The words around the missing words- the sentence context-gave you
clues as to which word would fit and make sense. Such clues are called context clues. Context clues
can help you to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words.

Context clues give students an idea, or hint, of what an unfamiliar word might mean. Such clues are
found in both the text and/or illustrations surrounding the unknown word. Contexts vary in their
helpfulness of how much information they provide a reader. Sometimes the context provides a direct
explanation of the meaning of a new word. Sometimes the context provides some information about a
new word, but not enough for the student to be certain of its meaning.

Example:

Phobias, such as fear of heights, water, or confined spaces, are difficult to eliminate.

From the sentence, you can tell that phobia means “fear of specific objects or situations.”

Here is another example:

The couple finally secured a table at the popular, crowded restaurant.

You can figure out that secured means “got” or “took ownership of” the table.

TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES__________________________________________

There are five types of context clues to look for: (1) definition, (2) synonym, (3), example,
(4) contrast, and (5) inference.

Definition Clues

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Many times a writer defines a word immediately following its use. The writer may directly define a
word by giving a brief definition or a synonym (a word that has the same meaning). Such words and
phrases as means, is, refers to, and can be defined as are often used. Here are some examples:

Carona refers to the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere.

At other times, rather than formally define the word, a writer may provide clues or synonyms.
Punctuation is often used to signal that a definition clue to a word’s meaning is to follow. Punctuation
also separates the meaning clue from the rest of the sentence. Three types of punctuation are used in
this way. In the examples below, notice that the meaning clues is separated from the rest of the
sentence by punctuation.

1. Commas
An oligopoly, control of a product by a small number of companies, exists in the long-
distance phone market.
2. Parentheses
A leading cause of heart disease is a diet with too much cholesterol (a fatty substance made
of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen).
3. Dashes
Ancient Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics-pictures used to represent words.

Synonym Clues
At other times, rather than formally define the word, a writer may provide a synonym- a word or brief
phrase that is close in meaning. The synonym may appear in the same sentence as the unknown
word.

The author purposely left the ending of his novel ambiguous, or unclear, so readers would have
to decide for themselves what happened.

Example Clues
Writers often include examples that help to explain or clarify a word. Suppose you do not know the
meaning of the word toxic, and you could conclude that toxic means “poisonous.”

Toxic materials, such as arsenic, asbestos, pesticides, and lead, can cause bodily damage.

This sentence gives four examples of toxic materials. From the examples given, which are all
poisonous substances, you could conclude that toxic means “poisonous.”

Antonym/Contrast Clues
It is sometimes possible to determine the meaning of an unknown word from a word or phrase in the
context that has an opposite meaning. If a single word provides a clue, it is often an antonym- a word

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opposite in meaning to the unknown word. Words like “although,” “however,” and “but” may signal
contrast clues. Notice, in the following sentence, how a word opposite in meaning to the bold faced
word provides a clue to its meaning:

One of the dinner guests succumbed to the temptation to have a second piece of cake, but the
others resisted.

Although you may not know the meaning of succumbed, you know that the one guest who
succumbed was different from the others who resisted. The word but suggests this. Since the others
resisted a second dessert, you can tell that one guest gave in and had a piece. Thus, succumbed means
the opposite of resist; that is, to give in to.

Inference Clues
Many times you can figure out the meaning of an unknown word by using logic and reasoning skills.
Sufficient clues might be available for the careful reader to make an educated guess at the meaning.
For instance, look at the following sentence:

Bob is quite versatile; he is a good student, a top athlete, an excellent car mechanic, and a gourmet
cook.

You can see that Bob is successful at many different types of activities, and you could reason that
versatile means “capable of doing many things competently.”

Directions: Circle the clues, identify the clue type, and determine meanings of each words below
from the context.
1. His pertinacity, or stubbornness, is the cause of most of his trouble.
2. The girl was churlish-rude, sullen and absolutely ill-mannered.
3. He was so parsimonious that he refused to give his own sons the few pennies they needed to buy
pencils for school. It truly hurt him to part with his money.
4. Pedagogical institutions, including highschools, kindergarton, and colleges, require community
support to function efficiently.
5. Ecclesiastics, such as priests, ministers, and pastors, should set models of behaviour for their
congreggants.
6. We wanted to contribute to the project, not take away from it.
7. The haberdashery was Peter’s favorite place. He loved shopping for nice suits. The people who
worked there were so friendly and helpful.
8. The hostile dog barked at everyone and everything in sight. He even thought a piece of trash was
an enemy, so he barked at it, too.
9. The city holds a bazaar, or market, every other Saturday.
10. The remote site was far away from our current location.
11. I explained to him that I would take care of his problem later, but he was not appeased.
12. He seemed quite free and easy with few friends, but at large parties he was quite inhibited.

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13. As they moved westward, early pioneers faced many adversities, such as short supplies of food,
extreme weather, and loneliness.
14. The river was full of noxious materials such as cleaning agents from factories and pesticides from
the nearby farms.
15.

EXERCISE I: Circle the letter of the best meaning for the underlined word as it is used in
context.

1. My brother said, “I just freed myself from a very loquacious history professor. All he seemed to
want was an audience.”
a. pretentious b. grouchy c. talkative d. worried
2. There is no doubt that the idea of living in such a benign climate was appealing. The islanders
seemed to keep their vitality and live longer than Europeans.

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 a. tropical b. not malignant c. kind d. favorable
3. It is difficult to imagine a surfeit of talent in one individual, yet Leonard Bernstein simply does
not have the time to make complete use of his talent as conductor, performer, writer, and lecturer.
a. excess b. variety c. superiority d. lack
4. There is a large demand all over the United States for plants indigenous to the desert. Many
people in Arizona have made a good business of growing and selling cacti and other local plants.
a. native b. necessary c. foreign d. alien
5. After the Romans left, a millennium and a half passed before people again lived in such comfort.
Churchill wrote, “From the year 400 until the year 1900 no one had central heating and very few had
hot baths.”
a. a decade b. many years c. 1000 years d. a century
6. Many years before, Caesar’s men had tried and failed to invade Britain. No doubt this contributed
to the xenophobia of the Romans. They were cautious about strangers who entered their country.
a. honesty b. fear of foreigners c. kindliness d. stubbornness
7. Such are the vicissitudes of history. Nothing remains the same. Three hundred years of peace
ended in darkness and confusion.
a. evils b. mistakes c. changes d. rules
8. The purpose of the psychiatrist is to mitigate the suffering of the patient.
a. make milder b. beautify c. increase d. banish
9. We knew he couldn’t hold out much longer, because he had been doomed from the beginning.
One night he met his ineluctable fate.
a. forgotten b. inevitable c. hidden d. unhappy
10. A combination of fog and industrial smoke, called smog, has vitiated the air in and around many
big cities.
a. concentrate b. fill up c. replace d. contaminate

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