Context Clues
When do we use context clues?
When we need to figure out the meaning of an unknown word.
What does the root "graph" mean?
write
Which figurative language compares two unlike things using the words "like" or "as"?
simile
Wind and wind are homographs.
true or false
true
A word that means the same or nearly the same as another word is a ___________________________.
synonym
Use the context clues to figure out which word in parenthesis makes sense.
It was hard work, but the team (failed, managed) to complete the task.
managed
What does the root "chron" mean?
time
Which type of figurative language is the following?
White clouds were ships sailing across the sky.
Metaphor
Homographs are words that are ________________ the same, may or may not ________________ the same, and have different ____________________.
A word that means the opposite of another word is a _________________________.
antonym
Use the context clues to figure out which word in parenthesis makes sense.
It was so (humid, bright) in the room that everyone was sweating.
humid
What is the meaning of the prefix "syn-"?
same
The gate greeted me with open arms is which type of figurative language?
personification
I caught the bass with my new fishing rod.
Which is the correct meaning of bass?
a. a deep voice or tone
b. kind of fish
c. a type of instrument
b - a kind of fish
The encore was the most thrilling part of the exhilarating show.
What is a synonym for exhilarating?
thrilling, exciting
What does the word "thrive" mean in the sentence?
What type of context clue is it?
The flower garden thrives in the summer, but the flowers begin to die in the cool fall weather.
Thrive means to live and grow.
Antonym (or comparison) context clue
What prefix means "against"?
contra-
What does the following sentence mean?
Allie was a sponge, soaking up the landscape's sights and sounds.
Allie looked at and listened to everything.
Every students was present for the test.
Which is the meaning for the present?
a. being, existing, or occurring at this time or now
b. being with one or others in a specific place
c. a gift
b. being with one or others in a specific place
What is an antonym for the underlined word in the sentence?
The new student was acting very peculiar and I thought it seemed very strange.
a. strange
b. ordinary
c. similar
d. different
b. ordinary
Read the following sentence.
Superfoods, or natural foods that may prevent disease, have become popular.
What type of context clue is being used? What does "Superfoods" mean?
Definition context clue
Superfoods = natural foods that may prevent disease
Which suffix means "action, process"?
-sis
What type of figurative language is the following:
The wobbly wheel was a piece of cake to fix.
idiom
Which is the correct meaning for the word bow in the following sentence?
There was a bow in the tree and it would not stand up straight.
a. a flexible strip of wood, bent by a string stretched between its ends, for launching arrows
b. a bend or curve
c. the forward end of a vessel or ship
b. a bend or curve
The teenager squandered his time playing video games instead of using it to study for the big exam.
What does squandered mean in this sentence?