One of the main reasons college students dislike reading is because the difficulty in understanding what it is they read—primarily because of unfamiliar vocabulary. If we can’t understand what we read, then we can’t engage with the reading. The result is that we simply read the words on the page without understanding what it is we are reading.
This chapter present two strategies you can use to study vocabulary: context clues and word parts.
Context Clues
How do you usually find out what a word means? Context refers to the words surrounding the unfamiliar vocabulary word, which provide clues to the words meaning.
A context clue is the information that surrounds a new word. Authors will use signal words to help the reader identify the context clue being used. There are four basic types of context clues:
|
Context Clue |
Signal Words |
|
Synonyms |
or, that is punctuation clues (commas. semicolons Example: I am famished, that is starving, because I haven’t eaten all day. |
|
Antonyms |
but, not, unlike, although however, in contrast, yet on the one hand, on the other hand Example: Although I just ate, I am still famished. |
|
General Context |
There are no signal words, just use the clues from the sentence and your general knowledge of the sentence’s topic Example: After running a marathon, I am feeling quite sluggish. The word sluggish means tired or lazy. |
|
Examples |
For example, such as Example: Many people experience phobias in their everyday lives. For example, arachnophobia is an extreme fear of spiders. |
Rather than looking in a dictionary, a reader can save the time searching for a word, simply by using contextual clues to determine what a word means.
S-A-G-E is an acronym for the four most common contextual clues
S-YNONYM
The meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words may be understood by other similar words in the sentences around it.
Example:
-
If we access ourselves favorable, our self-esteem will be high, but if we judge ourselves negatively, it will suffer.
A – NTONYM
The meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words may be understood by other dissimilar words in the sentence or sentences around it.
Example:
-
Religions in America are not static, but changing, especially in this period of shifting values.
G – ENERAL Sense of the Word
The meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words may be understood by the general sense of the word and the sentence containing it.
Example:
-
A former employee, irate over having been fired, broke into the plant and deliberately wrecked several machines.
E – XAMPLE
The meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words may be understood by an example given by the author, either in the sentence containing the vocabulary word or in a sentence near it.
Many textbook authors make use of this context clue.
Example:
-
Nocturnal creatures, such as bats and owls, have highly developed senses that enable them to function in the dark.
Example of Signal Words:
- Consist of
- Including for
- Example
- Such as
- For instance
Watch this video to see some examples of using context clues to understand complex vocabulary:
Word Parts
Word parts can help you learn vocabulary more easily. Knowing the meaning of the parts of words help you understand a new word when seen in context.
Many words are divided into the following three parts: roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
|
Word Part |
Meaning |
Example |
|
Prefix |
A group of letters with a specific meaning added to the beginning of a word (root) to make a new word |
Example: the hypo in hypodermic means “under.” |
|
Root |
The basic or main part of a word. Prefixes and suffixes are added to roots to make a new word |
Example: derm means “skin.” |
|
Suffix |
A group of letters with a specific meaning added to the end of a word (root) to make a new word |
Example: the ic in hypodermic means “of, like, related to, being.” |
|
|
|
Hypodermic means under the skin. Example: In order to inject the medication properly, the doctor had to use a hypodermic needle. |
CC Licensed Content, Shared Previously
Content adapted from an open course from Broward, licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Video Content
“Using context clues to guess unknown words (1/2) – synonyms and antonyms” by Snap Language