Context = words surrounding the unfamiliar word

               provides clues to the words meaning

a. will save time when reading

b. will become partof vocabulary if used more than once

c. by reading thoughtfully you can add to your vocabulary

Types of Context Clues = four common types

a. examples

b. synonyms

c. antonyms

e. general sense of the sentence or passage

Examples

a. may sugges the meaning of an unkown word

Synonyms

a. a word that means the same or almost the same as

    the unknown word

b. may appear anywhere in a passage to provide the

    same meaning as the unknown word

Antonyms

a. a word that means the opposite of another word

b. are often signaled by words/phrases such as:

    however, but, yet, on the other hand, and in

   contrast

General Sense of the Sentence or Passage

a. must draw conclusions based on the information

    given with the word

b. asking questions about the passage may help make

    a fairly accurate guess about the meaning of the

    unfamiliar word

Important Point About Textbook Defintions

a. often textbook authors define important terms w/o

    using context clues or the dictionary

b. after giving a definition, authors usually follow it

    with one or more examples to ensure understanding

    of new term

c. they often do more than provide context clues: they

   define a word

d. set it in italic or boldface type and provide

    examples as well

e. when author defines/illustrates a word, it's

    important and should be learned