Words in context

For grown-ups: this lesson in words

Years 3 to 6 · English

Words in context: I can work out what a word means from the sentences around it, and find the word that means something.

1. Here is a short text. Read it with me.

   One word may be new: murky. Don't guess from how it looks.

   Readers are detectives. The words around a new word are the clues.

   Picture: A short text called "The pond" with a picture of a frog: "Sam peered into the murky pond. The water was so dark and muddy that he could not see the bottom." "murky" is underlined.

2. Look at the next sentence. The water was dark and muddy. Sam could not see the bottom.

   So murky must mean dark and dirty, so you cannot see through it.

   We worked it out from the context: the words around the word.

   Picture: A short text called "The pond" with a picture of a frog: "Sam peered into the murky pond. The water was so dark and muddy that he could not see the bottom." "dark and muddy" and "could not see the bottom" are underlined.

3. Your turn: Read the text. What does famished mean here? Use the clues around it.

   Picture: A short text called "No lunch" with a picture of a sandwich: "Tom was famished. He had not eaten since breakfast, and his tummy rumbled loudly."

   Choose one:

   • very hungry
   • very tired
   • very cold

   Answer

   The answer: very hungry

   Famished means very hungry. The clues are: he had not eaten, and his tummy rumbled.

Words to know

clue:

A hint in the text that helps you work something out.

context:

The words and sentences around a word.

closest meaning:

The word that could swap in and keep the sentence the same.