Read college texts
Using Context Clues
Use this page when you meet a new word in a reading and want to understand it without stopping to look it up.
What context clues are
College readings have many new words. You do not need to look up every one. Often, the words around a new word, called the context, give you enough information to understand it. These hints are called context clues.
Using context clues saves time, and it keeps you reading. Stopping for every word makes it hard to follow the main idea.
When to stop and look a word up
- The word appears many times.
- The word is in the title, a heading, or the assignment directions.
- You cannot understand the sentence without it, even after you use the clues.
Otherwise, make a guess, mark the word, and keep reading. You can check your guess later.
- Context:
- the words and sentences around a word.
- Clue:
- a piece of information that helps you find an answer.
- Prefix:
- a word part at the beginning of a word, such as re- in rewrite.
- Suffix:
- a word part at the end of a word, such as -tion in information.
Four kinds of clues
| Kind of clue | Signal words | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Definition: the writer explains the word | is, means, is called, refers to, commas, parentheses | A stipend, or a small fixed payment, helps students pay for books. |
| Example: the writer gives examples | such as, for example, including | Many perishable foods, such as milk, fish, and fresh fruit, must stay cold. |
| Contrast: the writer gives an opposite | but, however, unlike, instead of | Unlike her reticent brother, Maria talks to everyone. |
| Word parts: the word itself | a prefix, a root, or a suffix you know | The plan was unworkable. (un- = not, -able = can be: it could not work.) |
Example: clues in a reading
This paragraph comes from a business textbook. A student did not know the four highlighted words. Each number matches a note below.
Small businesses often face high turnover,1 which means that many employees leave and must be replaced. To keep workers, some owners offer incentives,2 such as bonuses, flexible schedules, and paid training. However, these benefits are not always feasible;3 a new business may not have enough money to pay for them. Owners who reconsider4 their budget each year can often find money for one or two.
- A definition clue. Which means that introduces the meaning: workers leaving and being replaced.
- An example clue. Such as introduces examples: bonuses, flexible schedules, training. All are rewards that make people want to stay. That is what incentives are.
- A clue in the next part. The words after the semicolon explain why the benefits are not always feasible: there is not enough money. So feasible means possible to do.
- A word-part clue. Re- means again. Reconsider means to think about again.
Language focus: word parts
Prefixes and suffixes in college words
Many academic words are built from parts. If you know a part, you can often guess a new word. A prefix often changes the meaning. A suffix often changes the kind of word: a noun, a verb, or an adjective.
| Part | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| un-, in-, im-, dis- | not | unclear, incomplete, impossible, disagree |
| re- | again | revise, rewrite, reconsider |
| pre- | before | prerequisite, preview |
| -tion, -ment, -ness | makes a noun | information, assignment, awareness |
| -ize, -ify | makes a verb | summarize, clarify |
| -able, -ive, -al | makes an adjective | reliable, effective, personal |
Word families
One root can make several words. Knowing the family helps you read and write: analyze (verb), analysis (noun), analytical (adjective).
Word parts give you a guess, not a promise. In- means “not” in incomplete, but it means “in” in include. Check the guess against the sentence.
Notes you can write
When you guess a word, write a short note in the margin or in your notebook. Fill in each blank with your own words.
- Your guessI think means .
- Your reasonThe clue is .The word part means .
- To check laterLook up . It appears times.
Practice
Guess the meaning of each bold word. Name the kind of clue.
- The nurse checked the patient’s vital signs, including heart rate, breathing, and temperature.
- The first draft was verbose, but the final draft was short and clear.
- The company plans to relocate its office to a larger building.
- Erosion, the slow loss of soil to wind and water, is a problem on many farms.
Show suggested answers
- Basic body measurements that show health. An example clue: including introduces heart rate, breathing, and temperature.
- Using too many words. A contrast clue: but introduces the opposite, short and clear.
- To move to a new place. A word-part clue: re- (again) + locate (place). The sentence also says where: a larger building.
- The slow loss of soil. A definition clue: the commas surround the meaning.
Next step
Try this with your next reading
- Read one page without stopping to look up words.
- Mark each new word, and write your guess next to it.
- After the page, look up only the words that appear often or that you still need.
- Check your guesses. How many were close?