Context Clues & Vocab
In an Alberta PAT question, if you are asked to define a word "in context," it means you must do this rather than relying on a dictionary definition you already know.
Read the sentences before and after the word to see how it is used.
This device is used when an author writes that an object or an animal is acting with human-like traits, such as: "The wind howled through the night, rattling the windows with angry fists."
personification
While "mood" is the emotional atmosphere felt by the reader, this term describes the author’s underlying attitude toward their subject matter.
tone
This is the reading strategy you are using when you combine clues from the text with your own background knowledge to figure out something the author didn't explicitly say.
making an inference (inferring)
While stories are broken down into paragraphs, poems are structured using lines grouped into these units.
stanzas
Read this sentence: "Despite the team's best efforts to salvage the project, their late-night attempts proved futile when the server crashed completely." Based on context, this is what "futile" means.
useless, pointless, or unsuccessful
If a poem states that a character has a "heart of stone," the author is using this specific type of figurative language to describe their emotional state.
metaphor
Read this passage: "Great. Another rainy Saturday. I just love staring at the walls while my weekend slips away into a puddle of absolute nothingness." This word best describes the speaker’s tone.
sarcastic, cynical, or pessimistic
Read this passage: "Marcus looked at his watch for the fourth time, tapped his foot rhythmically against the floor, and kept his eyes locked on the clinic door." You can infer Marcus is feeling this way.
impatient, anxious, or nervous
Found in brackets or italics throughout a script or play, these text features tell the actors how to move or express emotion, and give the reader crucial context about the setting.
stage directions
Read this sentence: "She didn't explicitly say she was angry, but her curt responses and crossed arms spoke volumes." What is the tone or meaning implied by the word "curt"?
abrupt, rudely brief, or short
Read this line: "The news hit him like a physical blow, knocking the wind right out of his sails." This phrase uses these two types of figurative language simultaneously.
simile and idiom/metaphor
Long sentences, complex punctuation, and advanced vocabulary like subsequent, methodology, and consequently are used by an author to establish this kind of tone.
formal, academic, or sophisticated
A non-fiction text states: "The implementation of the new recycling initiative saw a 40% drop in local landfill waste within three months." From this data, a reader can infer this about the town's residents.
they actively participated in/supported the recycling program
In a poem, if the end of a line runs right into the next line without any punctuation (forcing the reader to keep going without pausing), this structural technique is being used.
emjambment
Read this sentence: "The politician’s speech was filled with platitudes—empty, overused phrases that failed to offer any real solutions to the economic crisis." The text directly provides clues to show that platitudes means this.
clichés, dull/stale remarks, or overused statements
On a reading test, when an author uses an extreme exaggeration like "I've told you a million times to double-check your text evidence," they are using this device.
hyperbole
Read this passage: "The shadows stretched long across the abandoned floorboards, and every creak of the old house sounded like a low whisper from the dark." This is the mood the author is creating for the reader.
eerie, tense, suspenseful, or frightening
In a dramatic script, if a stage direction says: "Player 1 turns away abruptly, pocketing the letter before Player 2 can look up", the reader can infer this about Player 1's intentions.
that they are hiding a secret or keeping information from Player 2
When a character in a play delivers a long speech alone on stage to reveal their innermost thoughts directly to the audience, it is called this.
soliloquy
Read this sentence: "While some people love the hustle of the city, Caleb preferred the placid atmosphere of the lakeside cabin." The contrast with "hustle" indicates that "placid" means this.
calm, peaceful, or quiet
When a poet references a famous historical event, a biblical story, or a piece of classical mythology (like mentioning a character's "Achilles' heel"), they are using this literary device.
allusion
If an article about climate change uses words like catastrophic, irreversible, ticking clock, and peril, the author's primary purpose in selecting these words is to create this specific tone.
urgent or alarming
If a story reveals a character gave up their own hard-earned savings to secretly pay for their neighbor’s broken window, the author is using indirect characterization to show that the character possesses this trait.
altruism, generosity, or selflessness
Read these lines: "The waves crash loud against the shore / The engine roars, a steady drone / The silence settles at the door." The sound device primarily used across these lines to emphasize sensory imagery is this.
onomatopoeia