charge, or initiative. A Second Type of Context Clue: Synonyms
A synonym is a word that means
the same—or almost the same— as another word. What do you think the word terminate means in the cartoon? Which word in the cartoon is a synonym for terminate?
In the cartoon, the word end is a synonym that helps you understand that terminate means “end.”
“My doctor said that smoking could terminate
my life. But I told him, ‘Everybody’s life has to end sometime.’ ” A Third Type of Context Clue: Antonyms
Another context clue is an antonym—
a word that means the opposite of another word. Antonyms are often signaled by words and phrases such as however, but, yet, on the other hand, and in contrast. What do you think amplifies means in the cartoon? Which word in the cartoon is an antonym for amplifies? Copyright 2001 by Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com In the cartoon, the antonym lowers helps you figure out that amplifies must mean “increases.”
“It’s a special hearing aid. It lowers criticism
and amplifies compliments.” A Fourth Type of Context Clue: General Sense of the Sentence
Sometimes you need to look carefully
at the entire sentence in which an unfamiliar word appears. There may be clues within the sentence that help you figure out the word. Based on the context clues in the cartoon caption, what do you think alleviate means? Copyright 2006 by Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com If the patient wants to look and feel better, what would he want the prescription to do to his aches and pains?
The patient’s words strongly suggest that
alleviate means “lessen.”
“I’d like a prescription that will alleviate my aches
and pains and also make me younger and thinner.” Chapter Review In this chapter, you learned the following: To save time when reading, you should try to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words. You can do so by looking at their context—the words surrounding them. There are four kinds of context clues: examples (marked by words like for example, for instance, including, and such as); synonyms (words that mean the same as unknown words); antonyms (words that mean the opposite of unknown words); and general sense of the sentence (clues in the sentence or surrounding sentences about what words might mean). Textbook authors typically set off important words in italic or boldface and define those words for you, often providing examples as well.
The next chapter—Chapter 2—will introduce you to the most important of all comprehension skills, finding the main idea.