Guessing the Meaning of Words from Context

Students should be encouraged to try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words using clues in the context. These clues may be in the surrounding words. The text may provide a definition that explains the unfamiliar word, or it may give examples to illustrate the unfamiliar word. There may be connecting words used after the familiar word that indicate similarity or contrast. If the student is familiar with the item that is being compared or contrasted, this should provide a clue to the unknown word. Another strategy is to break the word down into syllables. Sometimes knowledge of common roots and affixes or similarity to words in the students’ own language can help them guess the meaning of a particular word.