B. Foundations of Language · Foundations of Language: Listening, Speaking, Words, Fluency and Conventions

Analyzing New Words in Context: Clues, Word Parts, References and Word-Part Traps

B2.2 B2.1About 60 minutes

Learning goals

I can use context clues, word parts and a reference together to figure out what a new word means.
I can check that a meaning I worked out fits the sentence.
I can recognize word-part traps, such as inflammable and invaluable, where a part doesn't mean what it seems to.
I can tell apart easily confused pairs such as disinterested and uninterested.

Words to know

context clue
Information in the sentence or nearby sentences that helps you figure out a word: a definition, synonym, contrast, example or cause.

triangulate
To use three different sources of information and see where they agree.

inflammable
Easily set on fire; means the same as flammable.

invaluable
So valuable that its worth can't be measured; extremely useful.

disinterested
Impartial; not taking sides because you have nothing to gain.

biennial
Happening every two years. (Biannual means twice a year.)

Remember from Grade 8

In Grade 7 you were a word detective, using context clues and word parts. In Grade 8 you added the dictionary: choosing the right sense of a word, reading the etymology, and noticing connotation. In Grade 9 you'll read more demanding texts, including older literature and science articles, so you'll combine all three tools quickly, and learn the traps where word parts lead you astray.

Let's start with a paragraph

Read this original passage:

"When heavy rain falls on paved city streets, the water cannot soak in, because asphalt is impermeable. In some neighbourhoods, basements are inundated within an hour. Wetlands help mitigate this problem: they act like sponges, holding water and releasing it slowly. In dry months, that stored water also replenishes nearby streams."

There are four challenging words: impermeable, inundated, mitigate and replenishes. You can work out all four without leaving the page.

Three tools, one meaning

Context clues. Look for a definition ("which means..."), a synonym, a contrast (but, however, unlike), an example, or a cause and effect. Read the sentences before and after.
Word parts. Peel the prefix, find the base, check the suffix. Even part of a word can help.
Reference. When the word matters (for a test, an essay, or understanding a key idea) confirm with a dictionary or the textbook's glossary. Choose the sense that fits.

When two or three of these point to the same meaning, you can be confident. This is called triangulating.

Triangulating a word's meaning. When context, word parts and a reference agree, you can be confident.

Word	Word parts	Context clue	Meaning
impermeable	im (not) + per (through) + mea (pass) + able	water cannot soak in	not letting liquid pass through
inundated	in (into, on) + und (wave) + ate	within an hour, after heavy rain	flooded
mitigate	(the parts don't help much)	wetlands help, act like sponges	make less severe
replenishes	re (again) + plen (full) + ish	stored water, in dry months, streams	fills up again

Working out the four words. Notice that for mitigate, context does all the work; for impermeable, the parts and context agree.

Word-part traps

Word parts are powerful, but some words are traps:

inflammable looks like not flammable, but here in- means into, not not. Inflammable and flammable mean the same thing: catches fire easily. The opposite is non-flammable.
invaluable doesn't mean not valuable. It means so valuable you can't put a value on it: "Her help was invaluable."
inhabitable means a place people can live in, the same as habitable. (The opposite is uninhabitable.)
infamous doesn't mean not famous. It means famous for something bad.
disinterested means impartial (a disinterested referee doesn't care who wins). Uninterested means not interested, bored.
biannual means twice a year; biennial means every two years.

Also watch for letters that only look like a prefix: the re in reason, the un in uncle and the pre in pretty are not prefixes. A real morpheme must carry meaning in that word.

A classic trap: in inflammable, the prefix in- means "into", not "not". Getting this one wrong could be dangerous, which is why many labels now just say flammable.

Worked example

Let's work out a word from an older text

In a 19th-century letter, you read: "The voyage was arduous; for three weeks we battled ice and wind, and many of the crew fell ill." What does arduous mean?

Word parts: ardu isn't a root you know, and -ous means full of. So: full of something, but parts alone aren't enough.
Context clues: the semicolon introduces an explanation: three weeks, battled ice and wind, crew fell ill. These details describe something very difficult.
Make a guess: very difficult and tiring.
Test it in the sentence: "The voyage was very difficult and tiring; for three weeks we battled ice and wind..." It fits.
Confirm with a reference if it matters: a dictionary gives involving a lot of effort; difficult and tiring. ✓

Arduous means very difficult and requiring a lot of effort. Context did most of the work; the dictionary confirmed it.

Always test your meaning in the sentence

After you work out a meaning, swap it into the sentence. If the sentence still makes sense and fits the details around it, you're probably right. If it sounds odd, try another sense or check a reference.

Hands-on activity

Word detective notebook

You need: a novel, newspaper or textbook, sticky notes, and a dictionary (print or online).

As you read for 20 minutes, flag 5 words you don't know with sticky notes. Don't stop to look them up yet.
After reading, go back to each. On the sticky note write: context clue, word parts (if any help), and your guess.
Test each guess in its sentence.
Now check the dictionary. Give yourself a point for each guess that was close.
Write the hardest word in your Word Bank with its sentence.

Just for fun

Worker 1: "This barrel says INFLAMMABLE."

Worker 2: "Great, so it won't burn!"

Worker 1: "Please step away from the barrel and go read the vocabulary lesson."

Your turn

Use word parts and context: "The old bridge was deemed unsafe and was demolished; within a week, nothing was left but a pile of rubble." What does demolished mean?

What does impermeable mean, and which part tells you not?

Is an inflammable liquid safe near a flame?

Choose: a judge should be (disinterested / uninterested).

The music festival is biennial. How often does it happen?

Use context to define replenish: "After the long hike, we stopped at the lake to replenish our water bottles."

Is the re in reason a prefix? How do you know?

More practice: warm-up

Name three types of context clues.

What does invaluable mean?

What does biannual mean?

What does infamous mean?

What is the last step after guessing a word's meaning?

More practice: on your own

Use the contrast clue: "Unlike his gregarious sister, who chatted with everyone at the party, Jonah stayed quietly in the corner." What does gregarious mean?

Work out inaudible using parts and test it: "Her answer was inaudible over the noise of the snow blower."

Explain why "The coach gave invaluable advice" is a compliment.

A newspaper says a planet is "not inhabitable." Does that mean people could live there?

Use context to define mitigate in a new sentence: "Planting trees along the highway can mitigate traffic noise for nearby homes."

Challenge

Write a sentence that gives a definition context clue for the word sediment, as a textbook would.

Explain why word parts alone can mislead you with inflammable, and what reading strategy prevents the mistake.

Use all three tools to work out circumnavigate in: "In 1906, the ship's crew circumnavigated the island, returning to the same harbour after six weeks."

Check your understanding

Quiz

Inflammable means:

Triangulating a word's meaning means using:

A disinterested referee is:

A biennial event happens:

In "After the hike we replenished our water," replenished means:

Which word's beginning is NOT a real prefix?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: B2.2 includes using consolidated morphological knowledge to analyze and understand new words in context. In Grade 9 that means combining context clues, word parts and references, and knowing when parts can mislead.

How to help at home: When your teen asks what a word means, ask back: "What does the sentence suggest? Do you see any parts you know?" Then look it up together to confirm.

Common difficulties:

Stopping at the first tool (parts alone, or a dictionary's first sense) instead of checking the context.
Word-part traps like inflammable, invaluable and infamous.
Not testing the meaning in the sentence. The swap-in test catches most errors.