Context Clues
Context Clues
Context Clues
NUT
MACHETE
IRIS
SILK
PALETTE
NIB
CHOP
LAGOON
PI
LOOFAH
Processing…
1. How do you get or identify
the meaning of unfamiliar
word?
2. What is/are your strategies to
improve your vocabulary?
CONTEXT
CLUES
Getting the meaning using Context clues!
CONTEXT CLUES
Context clues are hints
found within a sentence,
paragraph, or passage
that a reader can use to
understand the
meanings of new or
unfamiliar words.
◦A reader should rely
CONTEXT on context clues when
CLUES an obvious clue to
meaning is provided,
or when only a
general sense of the
meaning is needed for
the reader’s purposes.
CONTEXT CLUES
Context clues should not be relied upon when a precise
meaning is required, when clues suggest several possible
definitions, when nearby words are unfamiliar, and when
the unknown word is a common one that will be needed
again; in these cases, a dictionary should be consulted.
TYPES OF CONTEXT CLUES
I D E A S
I D E A S
N E X N Y
F F
A T N
E I
N M O O
R I P N N
E T L Y Y
N I E M M
C O
E N
INFERENCE
I The meaning is not given so you must
use text clues.
Inference Clues force the reader to use rationale or reasoning skills in order
to figure out the meaning of an unknown word. Even though the word is
not directly defined, the reader can logically reason out the meaning using
the information provided in the context.
What is an Idiomatic
Expression?
Idiomatic Expression
An idiom is “an
expression” whose
meaning cannot be
predicted from the usual
meaning.
“It’s raining cats and dogs. I
wish I had brought my
umbrella.”
Meaning:
It is raining heavily.
Meaning:
The person who you love the most
“Before I perform,
my friend told me to
break a leg.”
“Jen had butterflies in her
stomach before the exam.”
Meaning:
To feel very nervous
Here are some examples
of Idiomatic expression
in context:
“Stephanie was down in the
dumps. She broke her new
toy.”
A.Sad
B.Visiting the garbage dump
“Stephen had ants in his
pants. He couldn’t stay still.
1. You’ve got to have some work experience under your belt before you
can hope to get a stable job.
A.have gained a lot of friends from high places who can help you get
the job
B. have acquired experience or have satisfactorily achieved something
C.have attained more talent to manipulate interview results
D.have obtained enough financial resources to unwind
2. Now here’s this week’s quiz. It’s time to put your thinking caps on.
A.to feel bombarded and heavy with a difficult task
B. to solve a problem or create an idea by thinking
C.to consider with much deliberation
D.to think with deep meditation
3. To live in grey existence would mean to live a colorless life.
A. confused, at a loss C. dull, monotonous
B. exciting, full D. hectic, busy
4. After going to the zoo, the mall, and the movies, Cassie was sick of bending
over backwards to entertain her nieces.
A. Cassie was doing very little to entertain her nieces.
B. Cassie was making small efforts to entertain her nieces.
C.Cassie was trying very hard to entertain her nieces.
D. Cassie was not trying at all to entertain her nieces
5. Over the summer Brian was really excited about being placed in the
advanced math class, but after getting his syllabus on the first day and seeing
the workload, he was ready to jump ship.
A. Brian was even more excited about the math class than he was over the
summer.
B. Brian wanted to start working on his math assignments right away.
C.Brian did not want to be in the advance math class anymore.
D. Brian wanted to cause some trouble in the advanced math class.
make a beast of oneself - eat large quantities of food, leaving little
for others
a cat’s nap - a short sleep taken during the day
donkey’s years - a very long time
a fish out of water - someone who feels uncomfortable in
unfamiliar surroundings or company
smell a rat - detect something suspicious; sense that
something is wrong
6. My students had planned to play trick on me, but because they were so
quiet and attentive I _______________________.
7. Why don’t you take ________________________ if you’re tired?
8. I always expect that a voracious eater like him will ___________on such a
big occasion like this.
9. I didn’t know anyone at the party and I felt like _______________among all
my sister’s high school friends.
10. At first, I didn’t recognize Ana when she stopped me in the park because
I hadn’t seen her for __________________.
SEATWORK #1 DIRECTIONS: Identify the type of context clue used in the ff.
sentences. Write whether it is Inference, Definition, Example, Antonym, or
Synonym type of context clue.
1. The dudeen – a short-stemmed clay pipe – absolutely vapid.”
is found in Irish folk tales. 6. The children were as different as day and
2. Piscatorial creatures, such as flounder, night. He was a lively conversationalist, but
salmon, and trout, live in the coldest parts she was reserved and taciturn.
of the ocean. 7. His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like
3. Flooded with spotlights – the focus of all appearance, was frightening to see.
attention – the new Miss Philippines began 8. Katie’s belligerence surprised everyone. She
her year-long reign. She was the cynosure threw her book across the room, glared at
of all eyes for the rest of the evening. Chris, and then pushed him to the floor.
4. When the light brightens, the pupils of the 9. A sleuth, such as Sherlock Holmes, can be
eyes contract; however, when it grows very helpful in solving crimes.
darker, they dilate.
10.The mountain pass was a tortuous road,
5. She told her friend, “I’m through with blind winding and twisting like a snake around
dates forever. What a dull evening! I was the trees of the mountainside.
bored every minute. The conversation was
1.DEFINITION
2.EXAMPLE
3.SYNONYM
4.ANTONYM
5.INFERENCE
6.ANTONYM
7.DEFINITION
8.INFERENCE
9.EXAMPLE
10. SYNONYM