Context Clues

1. Write Now: In your writer’s notebook, please write what you predict context clues might be. Context Clues

2. You can be a definition detective! Have you ever read a sentence that had an unfamiliar word in it? Sometimes, when we see words that we don’t know, we don’t bother trying to figure it out. However, there are steps we can follow that can help us determine the definition of an unfamiliar word. Those steps are called context clues.

3. Context Clues • Context clues are hints within a text that suggest the meaning of an unfamiliar word or phrase. • Context clues may be found in words surrounding the unfamiliar word, parts within the unfamiliar word, or in pictures relating to the unfamiliar word. • Why do we need to learn about context clues?

4. Being a Detective • Follow these steps: • 1. Identify Unfamiliar Word • 2. Find Clues • 3. Break it Down • 4. Identify Part of Speech • 5. Replace with Synonyms

5. Step 1: Identify the Unfamiliar Word “Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a sonorous clang.” (page 97) Which word is unfamiliar? “Sonorous” is unfamiliar

6. Step 2: BOLO!!!! Be On the Look- Out ….For clues around the word! “Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a sonorous clang.” Which words might give us clues about the meaning of “sonorous?” Follow along by circling the clue words on your worksheet. • “rang” • “clear” • “echoing” • “clang”

7. Step 3: Break It Down • Look at prefixes, suffixes & bases to see if there are any clues that lead to the word’s definition. • (Cough, ROOTS, cough!!) Are there any prefixes, suffixes or bases in “sonorous”? Son = root word meaning sound “Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a sonorous clang.” -ous= suffix meaning “full of” What could sonorous mean???

8. Step 4: Identify the Part of Speech • Look at the suffixes to see which part of speech the word might be. Noun (person, place, thing, or idea): -age, -er, -or, -ist, -ship, -ness, -ity, -ure, -ment, -ism, -ion, -hood, -ance, -ence Write down examples of nouns with these suffixes in your notes. Verb (action): -ed, -es, -ing, -ize Write down examples of verbs with these suffixes in your notes. Adjective (description): -able, -less, -ent, -est, -ful, -ish, -ist Write down examples of adjectives with these suffixes in your notes. Adverb (describing a verb): -ly Write down examples of adverbs with these suffixes in your notes. Sonorous -ous = ? Adjective!!! A describing word

9. Step 5: Match with Synonyms “Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a ______________clang.” What is a synonym? Synonyms are two or more different words that share the same meaning. When using context clues, think of (or look up) synonyms for the unfamiliar word and replace them in the sentence. Then, see if the sentence still makes sense. Synonyms for sonorous: • Loud • Booming • Noisy

10. Step 6: Put It All Together “Mrs. Which’s voice rang out clear and strong, echoing against the walls of the cavern, and the words fell with a sonorous clang.” Match with Synonyms: -loud, booming, noisy All of those words fit into the sentence Identify the word. Break it Down: son (sound) + -ous (full of) = “full of sound” Part of Speech: -Ous = adjective Sonorous is describing something BOLO: -rang -clear -echoing -clang

11. Sonorous