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unknown word. An author will often give descriptions that can help you figure
out the meaning of an unknown word.
• For example, take the sentence, “It was a very sultry day in the
middle of summer.” It could be followed by the sentence, “The
heat and humidity made it appealing to sit in the shade and
drink lemonade.”
• You can now more confidently define “sultry.” The descriptive
words such as “heat” and “humidity” are further clues that it is a
description of the weather.
• Sometimes, the descriptive examples will be right in the original
sentence. For example, it could say, “Sultry days are so damp
and hot.”
4. Think logically. Sometimes, the context clues will not be as clear. You will have
to use logic to figure out the word. You can also use experience, or prior
knowledge, of the topic.
• For example, maybe a sentence says, “In the antebellum South,
many plantation owners kept slaves.” It is likely that
“antebellum” is the unknown word.
• The sentence itself does not offer many clues. However, the
following sentences are, “But after the Civil War, slavery was
outlawed. This was a major change between the two periods.”
• Think about what you know now. You are reading information
about two different time periods, right? Before the Civil War and
after the Civil War.
• You can now make a pretty logical assumption about the word
“antebellum.” Based on your experience and reading the
following sentences, you know it probably means “before the
war.”
5. Use other context clues. Sometimes an author will offer other types of clues.
Look for restatement. This is where the meaning of the word is restated in other
words.
• Here is an example of “restatement:” “The pig squealed in pain.
The high-pitched cry was very loud.”
• You can also look for “appositives.” This is where an author
highlights a specific word by placing a further description
between two commas.
• This is an example of the use of an appositive: “The Taj Mahal,
which is a massive white marble mausoleum, is one of the most
famous landmarks in India.”
• You may not know the words “Taj Mahal,” but the use of
appositives makes it clear that it is a landmark.