Grammar: Context CluesEnglish 10

Context Clues

•Learning to recognize context clues helps you learn new words.

Punctuation

•Watch for commas, colons and hyphens.

•Punctuation will alert you to an upcoming definition or explanation.

▫Ex: "the seismograph, a machine used to measure earthquakes, was..."

Changes in Font

•Look for italics, bold or all caps.

•Textbooks frequently highlight vocabulary words with font changes.

• Bold or italicized words are almost always followed by further explanation.

Scan the Page

•Scan the page for context clues.

•Explanations or definitions will be provided in boxes to the sides of the text body.

•Charts, illustrations and pictures can also give you information.

Wait for More Information

•Additional information will provide clues about unfamiliar words.

•Descriptive words, such as "hit" and "screamed" do so in this example: ▫“His behavior was atrocious, he hit and

screamed his way through the crowd."

Watch for Synonyms

•Difficult words or ideas can be followed by sentences or phrases that uses a similar words.

▫Ex: “The tea had a soporific effect; it made him really sleepy."

Find the word "but" or "except." •Clues that an antonym or opposite

examples are coming.

▫Ex: “She was generally sanguine about things but her recent string of failures had her feeling gloomy and withdrawn".

Look for Examples

•Examples help to clarify difficult words.

▫Ex: "She cast aspersions on his good name every chance she got. She called him a liar, a thief and a cheat to everyone who would listen."

Summary

•Punctuation•Changes in Font•Scan the Page•Wait for More Information•Watch for Synonyms•Find the word "but" or "except." •Look for Examples