CONTEXT CLUES How to be a Reading Detective

What Are Context Clues? ■ One way to figure out new words is to use context clues. ■ Context means “the parts of something written or spoken that immediately precede (come before) and/or follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning. ” ■ Context clues are hints that an author gives to help define a difficult or unusual words. ■ They are usually nearby the difficult or confusing word.

Context Clues: Punctuation Marks ■ Punctuation marks, like commas ( , ) or dashes ( - ) can help you understand how the word is being used. ■ Example: A ceiling fan uses the same energy as a 40 watt incandescent light bulb, the normal screw-in type light bulb. – Incandescent is a big word, but if we look at the words after the comma, we can get a hint of what it means. It says “normal screw-in type light bulb, ” so we can probably guess that incandescent might mean the same thing as a normal light bulb. ■ Example: During the song's crescendo, the part where the music gets louder, the trumpets can be heard over the singer's voice. – Crescendo is another big word, but if we look at the words after the comma, we can guess that it might mean when the music gets louder.

Context Clues: Key Words ■ Key words, like “and, ” “or, ” and “that is” can also give you a hint that a definition is nearby. ■ Example: Good ventilation or air flow can help the people in the room feel cooler. Ceiling fans give better indoor ventilation. – Since it says “ventilation OR air flow, ” we can assume that ventilation and air flow probably mean the same thing. – If we replace the word “ventilation” in the second sentence with “air flow, ” it still makes sense: Ceiling fans give better indoor air flow. ■ Replacing the word in the sentence with what you think it might mean helps you determine if your definition makes sense. ■ Example: Blake studied every facet of the statue, and every part of it impressed him. – Looking at the words that follow “and, ” we can guess that “facet” might mean “part. ” – If we replace “facet” with “part, ” the sentence still makes sense.

Tip: Read the entire paragraph! Sometimes a word’s definition may become clearer by reading the entire paragraph where it appears.