Strategies for Unlocking Word Meanings

What happens when you come across and unfamiliar word in your reading? If you
have dictionary, you could always look it up. But what happens if you’re without one? You
can use one of two strategies to help you understand the word: using context clues and
word part analysis.

Part A – Context Clues

Context refers to the words or sentences before or after a certain word that help explain what the
word means. There are several types of clues you can look for including: definition and
restatement, example, comparison, contrast, cause and effect and association.

1. Definition and Restatement

a. directly defining a word
1) ex: The new music was dissonant, that is, it sounded harsh and
incomplete.

Dissonant means ________________________________________

b. restate in less precise form

1) ex: John sat at the periphery of the audience, as far away from
the stage as possible.

Periphery means _______________________________________

c. Clues
1) signaled by punctuation (usually a comma)
2) key words or phrases
a) which is d) that is
b) or e) in other words
c) also known as f) also called

2. Example
a. unfamiliar words appear in a series of more familiar items
1) ex: Writers use many literary genres, such as poetry, the short
story, and the novel, to express their ideas.

A genre is _________________________________________

2) ex: The dulcimer, fiddle, and banjo are all popular among the
rural musicians of Appalachia.

A dulcimer is _________________________________________

b. Key word clues

1) like 6) including
2) such as 7) for example
 3) for instance 8) especially
4) other 9) this
5) these 10) these include
c. key punctuation clues
1) commas separating like items (nouns, verbs, adjectives)

3. Comparison/similes
a. writer compares the word in question with another more familiar word
1) ex: This bike route seems as arduous as the one in the Rocky
Mountains that’s called Agony Trail.

Arduous means ____________________________________________

b. Key Word Clues

1) like 6) as
2) in the same way 7) similar to; similarly
3) resembling 8) likewise
4) also 9) identical
5) related to

4. Contrast
a. writer uses an opposite idea to make the meaning clear
1) ex: Maria was lethargic in school, but she was a bundle of energy
at cheerleading practice.

Lethargic means __________________________________________

b. Key clues
1) punctuation
a) typically a comma
2) Words
a) but c) however
b) on the other hand d) in opposition

5. Cause and Effect

a. writer presents supporting details in the sentence or subsequent
paragraphs which help the reader to draw conclusions about the
meaning based on what happens/happened
1) ex: Since nobody came to the first voluntary work session, attendance for the
second one is mandatory for all the members.

Mandatory means _______________________________________

2) ex: When the hurricane struck, it dumped several inches of water on

New Orleans causing the levies to break and flood the city.

Levies are _____________________________________________

6. Association
a. look at other topics in sentences
 b. get a sense of the tone or setting
1) ex: The streets filled instantly with bellicose protesters, who
pushed and shoved their way through the confused bystanders. The
scene was no longer peaceful and calm and the marchers promised it
would be.

Bellicose means ____________________________________________________

2) ex: Selena is one of the most talented students at school. She has won
many awards in art, music and theater. She also writes short stories
and poems for the literary magazine. In addition, she is the captain
of the girls volleyball team and runs track. In short, her talents are
innumerable.

Innumerable means ______________________________________________

Part B – Word Part Analysis

1. Prefixes - found at the beginnings of words (“pre” means before)
a. some of the things prefixes can tell you
i. can change a word from a positive to a negative
ii. can change a word from a negative to a positive
iii. the numbers of things
iv. where things are located/found

2. Suffixes – found at the end of words

a. often tells what part of speech a word is
i. noun
ii. verb
iii. adjective
iv. adverb
b. how it should be used in a sentence

3. Root Words
a. word part
b. many come from other languages, particularly Latin and Greek
c. cannot stand alone
d. must have a prefix or suffix

4. Base Word
a. complete word
b. can stand alone
c. may have prefix and/or suffix