Word KnowledgeLesson 5 of 8
Context Clues
Reading the sentence around a word for definition, contrast and example signals.
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A good number of Word Knowledge questions hand you a sentence rather than a word on its own. The sentence is not there to make the question harder; it is there because reading meaning from context is part of what the subtest measures, and it is the most reliable tool you have for a word you do not know.
The four signals
Sentences give away meaning in a small number of recognizable ways.
Definition
The sentence just tells you, usually set off by commas, dashes or a phrase like "which means" or "that is".
The sergeant's acumen, his sharpness of judgment, made him the obvious choice.
The definition is sitting right there. Nothing needs inferring.
Watch for appositive commas. Whatever sits between them frequently restates the word.
Contrast
A signal word says the next part opposes the first.
Although the colonel was usually taciturn, he spoke at length that evening.
Although sets up a contrast, and the contrast is with "spoke at length". So taciturn means the opposite of talkative: reserved, saying little.
This is the most valuable signal, because it converts a word you do not know into the opposite of a phrase you do.
The contrast words worth recognizing on sight:
| Signal | What follows |
|---|---|
| but, yet, however, nevertheless | the opposite of what came before |
| although, though, even though, while | a contrast with the main clause |
| unlike, in contrast to, rather than | a direct opposition |
| on the other hand, conversely | a reversal |
| despite, in spite of | an expected result that did not follow |
Example
The sentence gives instances of the thing.
The unit's provisions - rations, fuel and ammunition - would last a week.
The examples define the category. Provisions are supplies.
Signals: "such as", "including", "for instance", "like", and a list set off by dashes or a colon.
Cause and effect, or general sense
No explicit signal, but the situation constrains the meaning.
After three days without sleep the airman was too lethargic to complete the course.
Three days without sleep, and the result prevents completing a course. Whatever lethargic means, it is something like exhausted or sluggish. That is enough to pick from four choices.
The method
- Read the whole sentence, not just the clause containing the word.
- Find the signal, if there is one.
- Predict, in your own words. One word is fine.
- Substitute your prediction back into the sentence and check it reads sensibly.
- Match against the choices.
Step 4 is the one people skip and it is the check that catches an almost-right prediction.
Substitution as a test
When you have narrowed to two choices, put each one into the sentence and read it.
His response was uncharacteristically brusque.
(A) lengthy (B) curt (C) cheerful (D) confused
Try them. "His response was uncharacteristically lengthy" is grammatical but the word uncharacteristically implies something notable, and any of the four fits that. "Curt" and "cheerful" both read fine on their own.
Where substitution pays is on a sentence with more constraint:
Despite his brusque manner, the instructor was well liked.
Despite signals contrast with "well liked", so the word must be something that would normally make a person less liked. Cheerful is out. Confused does not fit "manner" in that way. Lengthy does not oppose being liked.
(B) curt.
Context tells you what the word means here, which is usually what you want. But a word can have a common meaning and a less common one, and the sentence may be using the second. If your prediction from context does not match any choice, the sentence may be using a secondary sense - so widen, rather than forcing the nearest choice.
Combining context with word parts
They check each other, and agreement between them is close to certainty.
The evidence was irrefutable, and the board reached its decision within the hour.
Word parts: ir- is not, refut relates to disproving, -able is capable of. Not capable of being disproved.
Context: the board decided quickly, which fits evidence nobody could argue with.
Both point the same way: impossible to disprove. When the two tools agree, stop and answer.
When they disagree, trust context, because context is about this sentence while word parts are a generalization that has exceptions.
What you can skip
- Naming the clue type. No question asks whether a clue is a definition, contrast or example. The labels are there to help you look; the question only wants the meaning.
Where people lose points
Reading only the clause with the word in it, and missing the signal in the other half of the sentence.
Missing a contrast word, and predicting the same meaning as the phrase it opposes rather than the opposite.
Predicting from the topic rather than from the sentence. A sentence about a storm does not make every unfamiliar word weather-related.
Not substituting the final answer back.
Forcing a choice when the prediction matched nothing, instead of considering a second meaning of the word.
Work one in under a minute
Unlike his garrulous brother, Marcus rarely spoke unless asked.
(A) talkative (B) generous (C) angry (D) shy
Unlike is a contrast signal, and the contrast is with "rarely spoke unless asked". So garrulous means the opposite of quiet.
(A) talkative.
Note that (D) shy is what you get by reading the sentence without the contrast signal, taking the description of Marcus as a description of the brother. That is the usual error on a contrast sentence, and it is why the signal word is the first thing to look for.
Where this leads
Context reading is the same skill Paragraph Comprehension tests at greater length, and it is the tool that rescues words the roots do not cover.
Related lessonsReference
- Vocabulary in Context - the same idea over a paragraph rather than a sentence
- Greek and Latin Roots - the tool context checks against
- Antonyms and Opposites - why a contrast signal so often points at the opposite choice
- How Word Knowledge Is Asked - the two question forms and when context is available
Practice this topic
Check that this lesson stuck. Answer questions on context clues only, and see the right answer and why after each one.
Practice Context Clues questions