Four Types of Context Clues

SUPPLEMENTAL HANDOUT: Studying Vocabulary through Context Clues

English 1 (2012-2013) / Knight

Four Types of Context Clues [1]
When you're working on the reading section of a standardized test, you're going to have to employ some serious reading prowess to get you through.
Knowing the various types of context clues can help you understand difficult vocabulary words in context, which is a must on a long reading section. You'll also need to know how to determine the main idea and make inferences, and context clues can help you out there, too.
Context Clue #1: Definition or Restatement
The meaning of the vocabulary word is in the sentence itself, usually following the vocabulary word.
Jack's duplicity – crafty dishonesty – caused him to steal his coworker's pensions by funneling their money into an offshore account.
Context Clue #2: Synonym
The sentence uses a similar word to help explain the meaning of the vocabulary word.
The baseball coach punished the team's duplicity or deceitfulness after they admitted to using steroids to boost their batting averages.
Context Clue #3: Antonym /Opposite/Contrast
The sentence uses a word with an opposite definition to give the meaning of the vocabulary word.
It was your duplicity that caused me to break up with you! Had you been honest, I wouldn't have felt the need.
Unlike my last employee who had integrity to spare, you have nothing more than duplicity and will not receive a recommendation from me for another job.
Context Clue #4: Example or Explanation
This type of context clue uses examples to help the reader infer the meaning of the vocabulary word.
His duplicity involved lowering his employee's salaries, increasing their stock options, and then stealing the money he saved by doing so.
I was aghast at her duplicity when she stole my diamond earrings, sold them on eBay and lied to me about it the whole time.
[1] http://testprep.about.com/od/readingtesttips/a/Con_Clue_Types.htm
Understanding Vocabulary Words in Context [2]
Reading comprehension is one of the most difficult things to master on a standardized test, especially if English is your second language. The test-makers evaluate whether you can find the main idea, make inferences, find the author's purpose, and understand vocabulary words, some of which you may have never been introduced to before.
The good news? You can understand vocabulary words based on the context of the passage - the words, clauses and phrases around the unknown vocabulary word. You don’t have to memorize all the vocabulary words in the dictionary!
For example, you might not understand the word, acerbity, by itself, but this sentence, “The acerbity of the lemon caused the little girl to spit out the bite she had just taken. ” makes you understand that the general meaning of acerbity must be “bitter or sour”. The context clues "lemon" and "spitting out the bite", which provide more information in the sentence, help you understand what the vocabulary word means.
A question on a standardized test may look something like this:
“After the first day on the job, the bank’s new manager realized he would be busier than he had been led to believe. Not only was he assisting the bank tellers with their work, but his new boss had decided to inundate him with other tasks like creating security systems, managing the bank’s deposits and refunds, securing loans, and maintaining the daily operations. The new manager was exhausted as he locked the bank up for the night.”
The word “inundate” from the passage is closest in meaning to
1. overload
2. provide
3. assault
4. underwhelm
Hint: A way to figure out if your choice is correct is by putting the answer choice in the sentence in place of the vocabulary word. Which one fits the intended meaning the best?
[2] http://testprep.about.com/od/readingtesttips/a/Vocab_Context.htm