Definition and Examples of Context Clues

In reading  and listening, a context clue is a form of information (such as a definition, synonym, antonym, or example) that appears near a word or phrase and offers direct or indirect suggestions about its meaning. Context clues are more commonly found in nonfiction texts than in fiction, although they are sometimes found in childrens literature, often with the goal of building readers vocabulary. Words can have multiple meanings, so being able to infer the correct definition from context is a valuable reading comprehension skill. Types of Context Clues One way to learn new words is through the context of the words around them. We infer the meaning of these words from whats going on or what has already been established in the text. Clues for deciphering a words meaning can be rendered in the form of anything from a subtle hint to a straight-out explanation, definition, or illustration.  Context clues can also take the form of synonyms, antonyms, word-structure clues, comparisons (such as metaphors and similes), and contrasts. For example: Synonym context clues offer words nearby with the same meaning: Synonym: The annual bazaar is scheduled for the last day of school. Its always a fun festival.Synonym:  That charlatan! he cried. That absolute fake! Antonym context clues offer nearby words with opposite meanings. Antonym: You look pretty content about it, not like youre all bent out of shape at all, he noted.Antonym:  No, no, that didnt literally happen, she said. I was  speaking figuratively. Definition context clues just spell out the meaning in a straightforward manner: Definition: In Britain, they call the trunk of a car the boot.Definition: The lingerie department, she directed the confused customer, is where youll find the bras and panties.   An explanation or illustration can also show the context of the word: Explanation:  She looked at the  random collection  that had been thrown in the packing box at the last minute—from toothpaste and razors to spatulas and sticky notes. Well, thats quite a  melange, isnt it? she remarked.Explanation:  No, no, thats just a  crane fly, not a  gigantic mosquito, he explained. Word-structure clues are understood in two ways: a reader or listener understands a base word and a prefix (or suffix) and infers the meaning from the combination of the two, or the reader knows a word origin and upon hearing a word of similar origin, infers its meaning. For instance, if you know that anti- means against, its easy to infer the meaning of the word anti-establishment. Word-structure: The anti-establishment protesters picketed the town hall. Likewise, if youre aware that a memorial is something in remembrance for a person who has died, you might readily intuit the meaning of the following sentence, even if youd never previously heard the term in memoriam. Word-structure: The book was dedicated in memoriam of his father. Comparison context clues show the meaning of a word through similarities to other items or elements, similies or metaphors: Comparison: He looked absolutely  flummoxed, like a toddler staring down at his feet on the floor who just isnt sure about this whole walking thing.Comparison:  No, she said, Im as carefree about it as a bird floating among the clouds. Contrast context clues show meaning through dissimilar elements: Contrast:  It isnt exactly the melee that I expected from your description, he said. The kids are just roughhousing a little. I expected them to be bruised and bleeding.Contrast: I know she said she could  reconstitute  the dried fruit, but a soggy raisin just isnt a grape. Limitations of Context Clues In The Vocabulary Book: Learning and Instruction, author Michael Graves writes: All in all, the descriptive research on learning from context shows that context can produce learning of word meanings and that although the probability of learning a word from a single occurrence is low, the probability of learning a word from context increases substantially with additional occurrences of the word. That is how we typically learn from context. We learn a little from the first encounter with a word and then more and more about a words meaning as we meet it in new and different contexts. Learning new words from context alone does have its limitations, as this method is not always definitive. Often, context may give a reader a general idea of a word, but not a full meaning. If the sentences in which an unknown word appears dont clearly spell out its meaning, that meaning may be lost. For long-term retention, readers need to see a word multiple times. The more often an inferred definition is included, the more likely the reader will retain and understand a new word. Sources Graves, Michael F. The Vocabulary Book: Learning and Instruction. Teachers College Press, 2006