Context Clues: Definitions, Examples or Restatements

Koko and Pip are riding on a bus on their way to a camping excursion in the Outback. “I am so excited about this camping trip! I’ve always wanted to go to the Outback!” “Yes, this is going to be quite the adventure. Let’s do more research so we know what to expect.” Koko and Pip are reading about a topic they don't know a lot about and are coming across unfamiliar words. We can help them determine the meaning of these words by using context clues: definitions, examples or restatements. Readers use strategies to help them understand difficult texts. When reading texts and coming across unfamiliar words, we use context clues to help determine the meaning. Context clues are hints found within a sentence, paragraph or passage that help the reader with understanding new words. One type of context clue is when the author gives the definition of the word inside the sentence or in one of the following sentences. They can also give an example of an unfamiliar word to give the reader a connection to it, or they can restate the challenging word and say it in a different way. Using context clues makes us stronger readers by helping us learn new vocabulary. Let's read some of the information Koko found about the Outback. The Australian Outback is a vast and desolate region. Although it covers a large portion of the continent, very few people actually call this area home. The author uses the words ‘vast’ and ‘desolate’ to describe the Outback. To determine the meaning of these unfamiliar words, we can look to the next sentence for context clues. In this sentence, the author restates the meaning of the word ‘vast’ by saying it covers a large portion of the continent. This tells us that vast also means covering a large area. The sentence also says that very few people live there. This restates the meaning of ‘desolate’ as an area that is deserted of people. Uluru is a natural landmark and the world's largest monolith. A monolith is a very large, upright piece of stone. The unfamiliar word is ‘monolith’. The author uses the definition context clue by telling the exact meaning of monolith in the next sentence. A monolith is a very large, upright piece of stone. The Outback is home to many snakes and lizards that make themselves inconspicuous by blending in with their surroundings. The author describes the snakes and lizards as inconspicuous. How do we determine the meaning of this word? The author gives an example of what it means by saying they blend in with their surroundings. This tells us that inconspicuous means to hide yourself from being noticed. Let's practise using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Nitmiluk Gorge is a deep gorge by the Katherine River. A gorge is a narrow valley between mountains with steep rocky walls and a running stream. What does gorge mean? It's a narrow valley between mountains with steep rocky walls and a running stream. The Outback is an arid, or dry region of Australia. What does arid mean? It's an area with a dry climate. The Outback has many types of vegetation such as trees, wildflowers and grasses. What is vegetation? Vegetation means the types of plants that grow in an area. Koko and Pip look like they might be lost. While they stop for directions, let's review. Remember, when reading texts and coming across unfamiliar words, we use context clues to help determine the meaning. An author can give the definition of the word inside the sentence or in one of the following ones. They can give an example of an unfamiliar word to give the reader a connection to it, or they can restate the challenging word and say it in a different way. "May I help you?" "Why does that always happen? I just wanted to tell them to go that way."