Last day of the school holidays. Thought I should get down to Proof of Work and start off the new school term with a game plan. I hope to enhance my students’ ability to decipher the meaning of difficult words from context clues for the second half of this year. Notes like this might help me succeed. Maybe this would be useful to homeschooling parents out there.

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You come across an unfamiliar word when reading something. Do not worry. Sometimes, the author anticipates that you would not know the meaning of difficult words. This is why he or she will leave context clues in the writing to help you work out the meaning of unfamiliar words.

The five type of context clues are:

1. Definition/Explanation Clues

Sometimes a word’s or phrase’s meaning is explained immediately after its use.

The ingredients, which are the individual foods that come together to create a dish, give mushroom soup its unique flavour.

2. Restatement/Synonym Clues

Sometimes a difficult word is said in a simple way.

Because we wanted to buy the ingredients for mushroom soup. we bought mushrooms, onions, garlic, and chicken broth at the supermarket.

Since the sentence says that we patronised the supermarket to buy the ingredients, then mushrooms, onion, garlic, and chicken broth must be used to make mushroom soup.

3. Contrast/Antonym Clues

Sometimes a word is clarified by the presentation of the opposite meaning somewhere close to its use. Look for signal words when applying context clues.

Dad preferred buying individual ingredients to make the mushroom soup from scratch, but Mom opted for the convenience of pre-made soup.

Tip: Look for words like "but” that indicates a contrast is being presented.

4. Inference/General Context Clues

Sometimes a word is not immediately clarified within the same sentence. Relationships are inferred as they are not directly apparent. You must look for clues before and after the sentence in which the word is used.

Dad’s signature dish is mushroom soup as he enjoys combining mushrooms, onions, garlic, and chicken broth to produce a rich creamy soup. I admire how he uses these ingredients skillfully.

5. Punctuation

You can also use punctuation clues to infer meaning, such as brackets (enclosing a definition).

The ingredients (individual foods that come together to create a dish) give mushroom soup its unique flavour.