Inferred Context Clues
Objectives
Student will be able to:
use context clues to infer the meaning of a word.
Introduction
What can you do when you read a word that you do not know?
You can use the other words around it to figure out what it means. These other words are called
context clues
.
You can also use what you already know.
Let's look at an example.
Examples
Read the sentence.
Mom ate the
entire
sandwich. She was full.
How can we figure out what the word
entire
means?
Let's look at the context clues.
What clues do you see?
S
andwich
,
ate
, and
ful
l are context clues. They tell us that the mom ate a sandwich and was full afterward.
Would she be full if she ate only one bite of a sandwich?
Probably not. You know this because you know what it feels like to eat only one bite of a sandwich. If you eat a whole sandwich, how do you feel?
You feel full.
So the mom probably ate the whole sandwich. Do you know what
entire
means now?
Entire
means "whole."
The mom ate the whole sandwich so she was full.
Let's look at another example. Read the sentence.
My coat is soft and warm. I am
comfortable
.
How can we figure out the meaning of the word
comfortable
?
We can look for context clues. We can also use what we already know.
What words give us clues to the meaning of
comfortable
?
The words
warm
and
soft
tell us a lot about the word
comfortable
.
When you wear something warm and soft, how do you feel?
You know that something that is warm and soft feels good.
We've looked at the context clues. We've also thought about what we already know. So what does
comfortable
mean?
Comfortable
means "feeling good."
Try Together
Let's try some problems together. Read each sentence. Find the meaning of the underlined word.
Remember to:
Use context clues.
Use what you already know.
1.
Jim was sick. He had to stay home. He was
absent
from school.
What does
absent
mean? Circle the right answer.
not there
late
not there
2.
The spider
constructed
a web.
What does
constructed
mean? Circle the right answer.
ate
made
made
3.
The children like to
frolic
at the beach. They chase each other in the small waves.
What does
frolic
mean? Write the answer below.
play or have fun
4.
The
gale
blew down a tree last night.
What does
gale
mean? Write the answer below.
strong wind
Please evaluate the student's answers:
Excellent
Good
Okay