Getting Meaning From Context in Fiction

1. Getting Meaning From Context in Fiction

2. Getting Meaning from Context Copy the following in your notebook: Context: the words or sentences that surround words. To figure out unfamiliar words, substitute words you know in their place. If the substituted words make sense within the context, you know you made a good guess at the definition. To figure out what is happening in a complex excerpt, try to ignore the descriptive words and phrases and focus on the action words (verbs) instead. These words can point out what the character is actually doing.

3. Read the following passage and answer the questions: Mark went over the engine room slowly, double-checking everything. He washed the dishes in the galley, placing them carefully behind the little racks that held them tight in a gale. He checked the log, put away the charts, made up the berths, cleaned the refrigerator, and closed the portholes. When he was done, the sun was high in the sky, and he went out on deck to await the canoes. • Where is Mark? • What context clues did you use to figure out where he is? • What words did you not know the meaning of that you could figure out using context clues?

4. Mark is on a boat. Words such as portholes, on deck, and canoes should tell you he is on a boat. Context clues like refrigerator, and washing dishes should tell you a galley is a kitchen. Mark is cleaning up, when he “made up” the berth, you should think, “When I clean up, what do I make up?” You make up your bed. A berth is a bed on a ship. Complete pages 393 – 394 in your G.E.D. workbook.