Working out meaning from context

When you meet a word you don't know, the words around it (its context) often tell you what it means. Read the whole sentence, look for a clue, and try a meaning in place of the word: if the sentence still makes sense, you have probably got it. ⟦After the long walk, Leo was so exhausted that he fell asleep.⟧: ⟦exhausted⟧ must mean very tired.

Key facts

  • Explanation clue: the sentence explains the word, often after a colon or a dash: ⟦The desert is arid: it hardly ever rains there.⟧
  • Opposite clue: ⟦not⟧, ⟦unlike⟧, ⟦instead of⟧, ⟦although⟧ point to an opposite: ⟦Instead of being sad, she was elated.⟧
  • Same-meaning clue: a nearby word means the same: ⟦The cars collided, crashing into each other.⟧
  • Example clue: examples show the kind of thing: ⟦tropical fruits such as mangoes and papayas⟧.
  • General sense: what would make sense here? ⟦Mia was famished, so she ate three sandwiches.⟧ Then check: replace the word with your meaning and reread.

Worked examples

Example 1

What does ⟦fragile⟧ mean? ⟦Be careful with that glass. It is fragile and breaks easily.⟧

  1. The sentence explains it: ⟦breaks easily⟧.
  2. So ⟦fragile⟧ means easy to break.

Answer: easy to break

Example 2

What does ⟦reserved⟧ mean? ⟦Unlike his noisy brother, Omar is quite reserved.⟧

  1. ⟦Unlike⟧ tells us Omar is the opposite of his brother.
  2. His brother is noisy, so ⟦reserved⟧ means quiet and shy.

Answer: quiet and shy

Example 3

What does ⟦scarce⟧ mean? ⟦Water is scarce in the dry season, so people must use it carefully.⟧

  1. People must be careful with the water.
  2. That makes sense if there isn't much of it: ⟦scarce⟧ means hard to find.

Answer: hard to find; not enough