The Five Common Forms of Context Clues

1. Explanation Clues – These types of clues are dead give aways. They basically give you the definition in the same sentence or preceding sentence. Organic food, which are foods that are produced without using common pesticides and chemicals, sells are starting to outpace standard foods in most metropolitan areas. As we can see the definition of "organic foods" is provided in the sentence that it appears.

2. Antonym Clues – This is when an unknown word becomes better understood by presenting the opposite meaning of the word within the frame of the sentence. Mike likes to eat mostly healthy organic foods, but can only afford foods produce through standard methods. The words "healthy" and "standard methods" help us understand that these foods are produced via better than standard practices.

3. Synonym Clues – These are also referred to as restatement clues because the clue is usually restated in the preceding sentence. Sally decided to switch to organic foods because she wanted to start eating healthier. This sentence gives us the idea that organic foods are a healthy alternative to everyday foods.

4. Inference Clues- This is generally what I think of when people mention context clues. Using this relation is not direct; it needs to be inferred from what you are presented with. Readers have to search for and find clues to enable them to take the leap to the clues. Jason started eating only organic foods. He was looking to improve his health. His physician recommended trying to eat more organic foods for this reason.

5. Punctuation- Many times basic punctuation helps give away the meaning of words. This can come in the form of brackets or italics that hold the definition itself. Quotation marks give words a special meaning. Even dashes and parentheses can lead us in the right direction. Tara is trying to increase her consumption of superfoods (foods high in nutrients) to boost her immune system.

How to Locate Context Clues?

You can never understand each and every word and its meaning while you are reading a lengthy text written in the English language. Authors of the texts, especially literary texts, are usually very likely to give away some clues to the difficult ideas and phrases within the same sentence of the same paragraph. These clues are known as context clues and make the process of reading easier and faster.

Being able to locate clues from context for an unknown word or phrase is an art every student must master. Here are some tips to quickly locate context clues for difficult and unknown elements of a text that can help you understand word and phrases without a dictionary:

Break Words and Phrases into Parts

Usually a difficult word is longer in length than other usual words. The best technique to understand such a word is to break it down in parts and look for either familiar roots, prefixes, or suffixes. Sometimes, these parts may rhyme with some other words that have the same meaning. A closer analysis of these parts is sometimes enough to let readers understand the meaning of a new word.

Look for Synonyms and Antonyms

Sometimes, a sentence contains the antonym or synonym for an unknown word within it. Looking for such clues can also make it easier to understand unknown terms and their meanings.

Look for Analogies

Authors are likely to explain a difficult or lesser known term in the sentence by presenting an analogy or simile to it. This makes it easier for readers to understand such unknown terms and phrases from the context.

Look for Definitions and Further Explanations

Reading the whole paragraph with a difficult word or phrase in it might give you a definition or explanation of that word which can help clarify your confusion.

What Is Context and How Is It Helpful?

In simple words, the context of anything in a written piece is the textual information that surrounds it and makes its meaning and understanding possible. The existence of written content is unimaginable without it being surrounded by some meaningful context and this explains why context or a phrase, clause, or word is so important in its understanding.

With proper attention given to the context, one can understand its numerous uses in the text and can shed a lot of light on its importance.

Here are some of the most important aspects of context that show how the context in any written piece is helpful:

Helps in Understanding the Meanings of Words and Phrases

While reading a lengthy piece of writing, it is natural to come across many new words that are unknown to you. The understanding of such words and phrases can get easier if their context is understood. Once you know what the context is trying to say, it is unnatural not to understand the meaning of that particular word at all.

Provides More Information and Description

One single word about an event or person you are describing in your writing is not enough. Context is useful in further description of such things as it can provide more information about that particular person or event in either direct or indirect ways and can contribute to the readers' knowledge and understanding.

Forms a Sense of Relationship between the Author and Readers

Context can be a description of facts or emotions, or can simply be a meaningful idea on its own. No matter what it represents in the text, context is a source of forming a bond of mutual understanding and emotional sharing between the reader and writer. In this way, it can help the readers in staying engaged with the text, ultimately helping the writer too.