Unit 1

Context Clues

Read the sentence below and try to guess the

meaning of the word, “loafer” without using a
dictionary.

“The people in the neighborhood called

Tom a loafer because he always wasted his
time by not working when he should.”

“loafer “ means
_________________________________________
________

You can guess the meaning of the word

“loafer” because it appears in a context.

CONTEXT helps you get the meaning of the

unknown word. We often come across some
unfamiliar words when we are reading, but
quite often we don’t have to look up the
meaning of the words in a dictionary. We can
GUESS the meaning by using CONTEXT CLUES.
In order to understand what you are reading
from an English text, you need to guess the
meaning of unfamiliar words (words you do not
know) from the context. This will help you
read faster and easier. Do Exercise 1 before
studying how you can guess the meaning of
vocabulary from context.

Exercise 1 Find the meaning of the underlined

word in each sentence. Choose the best
answer for each question.

1. She had often come into conflict with her

mother-in-law.

a) b) c)
announcem attainme argumen
ent nt t

2. The old woman’s blunt questions

embarrassed her, making her momentarily
tongue-tied.

a) emit b) ashamed c) loathe

3. We just need a couple more chairs so

everyone can sit down.
a) one b) two c) three

4. Please, Uncle Jack, give me a piggyback!

a) a ride on someone back or shoulder
b) a small bag
c) people who arrived to settle in Bangkok
2000

5. Ladda does not like to eat papaya or

carrots, which is high in vitamin A, so she lacks
it. Her mother keeps telling her that an
inadequate supply of vitamin A can lead to
blindness.

a) too big b) not enough c) full

How many did you get right from Exercise 1?
_________

Now you will learn how to guess the meaning

of unfamiliar words or new words by looking
around the words to find clues. These clues
will help you to find their meanings; then you
will better understand what you are reading.
There are many ways to help you guess the
meaning of unfamiliar words from the context.
Read the explanation below and study the
examples.

1.Definition
A definition gives the meaning of words. The
writer may use words, phrases, or statements
to define something. The writer will use key
words, or signal words to identify a definition
so you need to look for them. See examples of
key wordsbelow .

Key words
is/are means/mean
what this
is/are called
means is
is/are known as consist of
is/are defined
refer to
as
is/are may be seen
described as as
e.g.

1. Inflation is a rise in the general level of

prices you pay for things you buy.

an unfamiliar word = inflation

signal word = is
the definition = a rise in the general level of
prices you pay for everything you buy.

2. Someone who explores and studies caves is

known as a spelunker.

an unfamiliar word = spelunker

signal words = is known as
definition = someone who explores and studies
caves

Exercise 2 Use signal words as your clues to

find the meaning of the underlined words.
Circle signal words and write their meaning in
the space provided.

1. The encyclopedia defines astrology as the

ancient art or science of divining the fate and
future of human beings from indications given
by the positions of stars and other heavenly
bodies.
astrology
means___________________________________
___

2. Sales literature means printed matters that

contain information on the goods.
Sales literature
means_________________________________

3. The part at the back of the car used for

holding luggage is called the car boot in United
Kingdom, whereas Americans would refer to
this as the car as trunk.
car boot
means___________________________________
___

2.Restatement
The writer may use other words, phrases, or
sentences to provide the meaning of difficult
words. We call this restatement; the writer
describes it again or in a different way. Signal
words for restatement are in the Key words
box below.

Key words
or
that is to say
in other words
i.e. or that is
e.g.
The surface of Africa consists mainly of
plateaus, or large flat areas, although these
occur at different levels.

an unfamiliar word = plateaus

signal word = or
meaning = large flat areas

Exercise 3 Use signal words as your clues to

find the meaning of the underlined words.
Circle signal words and write the meaning in
the space provided.

1. According to Indian custom, a great dowry of

money and objects is given to the bridegroom,
in other words, it is a dot.
dot =
_________________________________________
________________________

2. There are several types of aerosol cans.

Simple ones contain a liquefied gas, called the
propellant, in which material is dissolved, i.e.,
melt.
dissolved
=_______________________________________
______________________

3. Our youth nowadays should not engage in

intoxicating things such as alcohol, cigarettes,
and tranquilizers, that is to say, they should
not ingest them.
engage=_________________________________
_______________________________

3. Punctuation marks
Punctuation is used to describe the meaning of
unfamiliar words. The writer will write
unfamiliar words and then use punctuation,
words, phrases, or sentences to explain the
meaning of the new words. Such punctuation is
in the Key words box below.

Key words
, commas
, , appositive
( ) parentheses
-…..-dashes
; semicolon
: colon
e.g.
Full-color pictures are printed using only black
and three colors: yellow, cyan (a light blue)
and magenta (a light purple).

an unfamiliar word = cyan and magenta

signal punctuation = ( )
meaning : cyan = a light blue and magenta = a
light purple

The use of computers to handle text, or word

processing, was foreseen in the 1950s.

an unfamiliar word = handle text

signal punctuation = , ,
meaning : handle text = word processing
Exercise 4 Use signal words as your clues to
find the meaning of the underlined words.
Circle signal words and write the meaning in
the space provided.

1. Both facsimile (known as fax) and electronic

mail (email) are ways of sending documents.
Facsimile
=_______________________________________
______________________

Electronic mail
=_______________________________________
_________________

2. An FM radio DJ (disk jockey) broadcasts over

the airwaves.
DJ
=_______________________________________
____________________________

3. Infection is becoming ill through contact with

bacteria of the respiratory system such as the
nose, the throat, and the chest is among the
most common of all diseases.
Infection
=_______________________________________
_______________________

4. Examples
Examples help us to understand the meaning
of new words. See key words or signal words
used for showing examples in the Key words
box.

Key word
such as
like
 for example,
for instance
is / are
e.g.

Exercise 5 Use signal words as your clues to

find the meaning of the underlined words by
choosing the best answer for each question.
Circle signal words.

1. Some people in the North of Thailand do

wickerwork, for example, they make elephants,
turtles, plates, beds, and chairs, from teak trees
for earning money.

a) silver b) bronze
handicraft handicraft
c) niello d) wood
handicraft handicraft

2. The Savanna grasslands are the home of

grazing animals such as elephants, giraffes,
antelopes and zebras. Lions, leopards and
hyenas also live there.

a) non- b) meat-
backbone eating
animals animals
d) grass-
c) invertebrate
eating
animals
animals

3. A tourist guide advised them to see the

elephant round up. There was racing, colorful
war procession, marching, kicking a ball and
tug-of-war between men and elephants.

a) show b) breed
c) sleep d) born

5.Contrast
You can guess the meaning of new words by
using signal words of contrast. They will show
the opposite meaning of the new words. See
key words or signal words of contrast in the
Key words box.

Key words
But, instead of, even
though, in contrast to,
Yet, in spite of, although,
 as opposed to,
Unlike, despite, howeve,r
on the other hand,
Whereas, fond of, still,
provided that
e.g.

Althrough Dara and Vipa are very close friends

but they are very different. Suda spends a lot
of money to buy things while Vipa loves to
economize.

a) spend more
b) save money
money
c) buy things
d) keep things
more than
in a safe place
before

Exercise 6 Use signal words as your clues to

find the meaning of the underlined words by
choosing the best answer for each question.
Circle signal words.

1. Ladda was promoted to be the chief

secretary of the manager of the company,
whereas her colleague, Somechai, was
penalized.

a) promoted b) punished
c) exiled d) rewarded

2. Although small pox has almost been

eradicated. Malaria is prevalent in
Kanchanaburee, Thailand. A policeman just
died from the PF (Plasmodium Falsiparum)
malaria last month.

a) destroyed b) common
completely found
c) fear of disease d) furbish

3. The plane is scheduled to leave for Phuket

at 7:00 am but the plane departure has been
postponed for two hours. That is to say, it will
leave at 9:00 am instead.

a) retard b) stop
c) extend d) went back

6.Similarity
You can guess the meaning of new words by
using signal words of similarity. They will
display the same meaning of the new words.
See key words or signal words of similarity in
the Key words box.

Key words
Like, similarly, in the same
way,
as the same as, just as
e.g.

Indonesia is producing Ford cars and trucks.

Soon, Thailand and Vietnam will be producing
the same products with, no doubt, the same
quality.

What does the words “the same products”

mean?________________________
What is your clue?
_________________________________________
__________

Exercise 7 Use signal words as your clue to

find the meaning of the underlined words.
Circle signal words and write the meaning in
the space provided.

1. Learning should not be limited to the

classroom or with teachers. We can learn by
ourselves about things that are not taught by
teachers. Similarly, “self-learning” is
encouraged for our education system.
What does the words “self-learning” mean?
_________________________________________
____________________________

2. Thailand and South Korea have made a

break-through in developing a new technology
that enables high-speed Internet connections,
just as phone service links are made efficiently
through electric power lines. Both countries
have joined hands to do business.
What do the words “high-speed Internet
connections” mean?
_________________________________________
____________________________

7.Surroundingwords
If you cannot find any signal words or key
words as stated before, you may look around
new words or unfamiliar words and try to guess
them. The surrounding words may help you to
understand the new words. See examples
below.
e.g.

Children are too young to understand that

swallowing gum can cause medical problems
and so they shouldn't be allowed to chew it,
doctors say.

unfamiliar words: swallowing and chew

What do these words mean?
_________________________________________
___
How do you guess their meaning?
_______________________________________

Exercise 8 Find the meaning of the underlined

word by choosing the best answer for each
question.

1. Professor Boonmee of the Thai Business

Commerce School (TBC), Bangkok, had to do a
presentation in Khonkaen and Bangkok on the
same day, to be sure that he would be back to
Bangkok on time, he bought a round trip ticket.

a) one way b) two way

ticket ticket
2. In Bangkok on Monday morning, most
streets are very crowded, so Penporn came to
school late because she was trapped in traffic.

a) blocked b) caught

3. The accountant clerks are responsible to

check for false signatures, thus they needed to
verify all cheques with the original signature
before paying the money.

a) fake b) true

8. Pictures
“A picture is worth more than a thousand
words” (an old Chinese saying) so a picture can
help you to guess the meaning of a new word.
Look at the pictures below and choose the
best answer to explain the pictures.

1.
Which is the best description for the above
picture?
c) a
a) computer b) computer
microcomputer
devices hardware
system

2.
Which is the best description for the above
picture?
a) Holiday on b) Beautiful c) Activity of
beach beach people

Which is the best description for the above

picture?
a) For b) Equipment used in c) Instruments
Sale an office for you

9. Experience and background knowledge

Reading researchers confirmed that experience
and background knowledge play an important
role in reading comprehension. As EFL (English
as a Foreign Language) students, you may read
related Thai texts to gain knowledge before
reading the English text. See example.
e.g.

Termites, ant-like insects, found in warm

countries like Thailand, love to bite and eat
most wood and paper. Once they start, they
never stop until everything is gone or you stop
them.

Look at the pictures below, which one is the

termite? __________________________

Exercise 10 Find the meaning of the

underlined word by choosing the best answer
for each question.

1. Most Thais are Buddhists and they usually

make merit by giving donations, listening to
sermons, giving food, and meditating on
religious days.

a) do good b) work
things hard

2. Thailand has never been under the yoke of

any other country. We are proud to have our
own language, culture and tradition.

a) dependable b) ruled by

10.Imagination
You may try to use many strategies as stated
previously to understand new words, but
sometimes you still can’t understand. You can
use your imagination in that case. Read the
following passage and try to imagine how a
father felt when his child got D or F grades.

Exercise 11 Read the passage below. Answer

the questions that follow.
A father examined his son’s report card and
suffered mild cardiac tremors as he saw a solid
column of D and F grades. Outraged that a
product of his genes could so disgrace the
family, he confronted his son and said, “Dave,
this just won’t do. I can’t tolerate these grades,
and if you don’t show me an immediate turn-
around, you’re going to be grounded!”

Do you think Dave got good grades or bad

grades?
_________________________________________
____________________________

Was Dave’s father happy or angry at his school

result?
_________________________________________
____________________________

What is his father going to do with him?

_________________________________________
____________________________

Now, find the meaning of words below.

1) What does the words “suffering mild cardiac
tremors” mean?
a) very b) about to die of a heart c) very
angry attack sad

2) What does the words “disgrace” mean?

a) please b) shame c) disappoint

3) What does the words “tolerate” mean?

a) give b) borrow c) admit

4) What does the words “turn-around” mean?

a) complete change from a very bad situation
to a good one
b) convert attitude from a positive one to a
negative one
c) run around when you are unhappy

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