0.3.1: Context Clues

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Another important strategy when reading in another language is to look for context clues.

Here are a few things you can do whenever you encounter a new reading:

• Look at any images near the text. What do they show you?
• Are there any titles, headings, bolded, or italicized text? If so, what are they trying to emphasize?

Is there a word you don't understand? Here are a few strategies you can use to determine the meaning:

• Look at the text around the words. The definition might be close by.
• Look for an example close to the word.
• Look for antonyms (words with the opposite meaning).
• Look for synonyms (words with a similar meaning).
• What other words in the sentence do you understand? What can you infer about the meaning?

Note

It's OK to not understand ALL of the words in the sentence. You can still understand the main idea!

Exercise A

El leon le dio un golpe tan fuerte que necesitó ir al hospital.

What does golpe mean?

1. A kiss 💋
2. A strike / blow 🥊
3. A shoe 👞
4. A hug 🫂

Answer

2. A strike / blow 🥊

Exercise B

How did you know? What other words in the sentence helped you understand the meaning of golpe?

Answer

Did you see the cognate ¨hospital¨? This world lets you know that a ¨golpe¨ might hurt!

 

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