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Hello! I am Studyfin, your tutor. Let's learn how to find the meaning of tricky words using clues in a sentence!
When you read, you will find words you do not know. You can use context clues to find their meaning. These are the words and sentences around the unknown word.
One great clue is contrast. This is when the author shows how two things are opposites. Look for signal words like 'but', 'however', or 'unlike' to find the opposite meaning.
Another clue is cause and effect. This shows why something happened. If you see a result, you can guess the word that caused it. Look for words like 'because', 'so', or 'since'.
Read this sentence and find the meaning of the word 'diligent': 'Unlike his lazy brother who slept all day, Marcus was diligent and finished all his chores early.'
- Identify the unknown word: 'diligent'.
- Look for contrast signal words. The sentence starts with the word 'Unlike'. This means Marcus is the opposite of his brother.
- Identify the brother's trait. The brother is described as 'lazy' because he 'slept all day'.
- Find the opposite of the brother's trait. The opposite of 'lazy' is hard-working or active.
- Check the clue with the rest of the sentence. Marcus 'finished all his chores early', which fits a hard-working person.
- Conclude that 'diligent' means hard-working and careful in your work.
