Using Context Clues to Build Your English Vocabulary

You may already know that the best way to increase your vocabulary in English is to read and listen a lot. The best way to consistently read and listen to a lot of English is to find things you can enjoy reading about or listening to.

But there’s a problem if you have to constantly break your focus to look up the meanings of words you don’t know.

That’s one reason language teachers recommend looking for reading and listening materials at or just a bit above your current level of understanding—so you won’t get too frustrated (and maybe stop trying!)  

It’s also why it’s worth learning to recognize context clues. They help you understand what you’re reading (or hearing) without having to stop frequently to look up the meaning of a word. (Frequent interruptions make it harder to follow a plot or an explanation and can take all the pleasure out of reading!)

If a word isn’t essential to understanding the author or speaker’s point, make a guess based on the context and go on. (You can also make a quick note of any words you especially want to know and look them up later.)

You probably already use context clues. But in case it’s not obvious, context clues are word hints in the surrounding words or page information. They can help you figure out the meaning of words you don’t know.

You can get such clues from:

•       titles or headings

•       illustrations, charts, or other visuals

•       nearby words

•       words defined or explained in the text, directly or indirectly– using dashes like this– (or parentheses like this.)

Here Are Some Examples of Context Clues

Here’s a demonstration from the beginning of a short text I wrote about scientists studying yellow fever. It’s written for middle school students, so you may not need the clues, but it shows how context clues can help.

In 1899, the U.S. had just won the Spanish-American war, with a loss of far more men from yellow fever than from battle. Yellow fever had caused havoc in the U.S. as well: in 1793 in Philadelphia 2,000 died and most of the population fled; New Orleans and the southern U.S. had frequent epidemics. No one knew why it struck when it did or how to stop it when an epidemic started.

Could people find a way to conquer yellow fever before it took the lives of thousands more?

U.S. Army doctor Walter Reed and a team of researchers headed to Cuba to find out. There they talked to Carlos Finley, a Cuban doctor who was convinced that yellow fever was transmitted (passed on) by mosquitoes. He had started investigating mosquitoes after an earlier commission had concluded that somehow the disease was spread through the air. He did further research that showed that the yellow fever infection had to get into the blood. How could it get there? Mosquitoes had direct access.

For years no one had taken his arguments seriously, in spite of all his research. The general belief of the time was that yellow fever, like scarlet fever, could be transmitted person-to-person or by fomites-- clothing or other articles that can carry the infection.

In the first paragraph, if you don’t know the words ‘havoc’ or ‘struck,’ you can guess that havoc means death or destruction since yellow fever had caused those in the war and “had caused havoc in the U.S. as well.” Struck is used as a past tense verb there. You could guess it might mean ‘happened’—maybe a verb that includes the feeling of something bad happening.   

In the third paragraph,

(Finley) “did further research that showed that the yellow fever infection had to get into the blood. How could it get there? Mosquitoes had direct access.”

Which of these is the most likely meaning of access?

A. the ability to suck blood

B. a way to reach the blood

C. the ability to carry the yellow fever virus

D. a reason to suck blood

The paragraph discussed how yellow fever could get into the blood, so 'B' makes the most sense here.         

Using the information in the last paragraph of the selection, which of these is NOT a fomite?

A. a shirt

B. a rat

C. a stuffed toy like a teddy bear

D. a blanket

In this case, the reading selection gave examples and a simple definition. The question just requires thinking about which of these are clothing and similar articles. A rat doesn’t fit those categories at all, so 'B' is the right answer.

What About You?

Do you already use context clues? How much of a difference have they made to your vocabulary? What about making a difference in how much you have understood (and enjoyed) the English you read and listened to? Please comment (or DM me if you're shy), as it could help me teach more effectively—and might encourage others.