Tag Archives: context clues

Pithy (adj)

If you teach English, you might find this context clues worksheet on the adjective pithy helpful in assisting student in developing an understanding of why much of the best writing is concise (a synonym for pithy, and vice versa).

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Antecedent (n)

I just whipped up this context clues worksheet on the noun antecedent in an attempt to help students understand pronoun-antecedent agreement. It’s some distance from perfect, and I expect I’ll need to take another look at it down the road. If you can use it, it’s yours. If you modify it, I would be interested in hearing what you did with it.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Ostracize (vt)

Teenagers can be awfully cruel to one another, which is why I always keep a context clues worksheet on the verb ostracize handy. After all, even if a student is suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous friends, why squander a teachable moment?

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, August 3, 2017: Two Context Clues Worksheets on the Verb Descend and the Noun Descendant

Here are two context clues worksheets on the verb descend and the noun descendant. As you will infer from the choice of the noun, these are the definitions of these words that relate to origins rather than moving in a downward direction. I like to use these early in the year in global studies classes.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Reverberate (vt/vi)

Here is a context clues worksheet on the verb reverberate. It can be used both transitively and intransitively, but this worksheet uses it intransitively.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Populous (adj)

If you teach any topic in social studies, you might find this context clues on the adjective populous useful.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, May 5, 2017: A Worksheet on the Greek Word Root Pro- with Three Context Clues Worksheets

This week’s Text is a series of worksheets related to the the Greek word root pro. I’d originally planned to post these about a month ago, but I became embroiled in a controversy of my own invention over this root, which I had always understood as Latin in origin, as it forms the basis of so many Latin words. The word root dictionary I use for this kind of work, Roger S. Crutchfield’s English Vocabulary Quick Reference: A Comprehensive Dictionary Arranged by Word Roots (Leesburg, VA: Lexadyne Publishing, 2009) lists pro as a Greek root, even though it forms the basis of so many Latin words.

Because I’m not a linguist, but rather a special education teacher in a high school, I struggled with this. In the final analysis, I’ve decided, pro is a Greek root that found its way into Latin–and means essentially the same thing in both languages, which is before, forward, forth, in place of, and in addition to. Crutchfield’s dictionary breaks down some of these words in their Greek and Latin parts. One word on the worksheet below, pro bono, is Latin, but, again, proceeds (proceeds, as Crutchfield breaks it down, is all Greek) from the Greek root pro.

So, that said, here is a word root worksheet on the Greek word root pro for this week’s Text. In addition, to complement the word root worksheet, here are three context clues worksheets on the verb proceed, the noun procedure, and the noun protagonist.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Prose (n)

By high school, students should understand the difference between poetry and prose. Here is a context clues on the noun prose that might guide your students toward understanding the distinction.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Pursue (vt/vi)

Maybe you can use this context clue on the verb pursue which is used mostly transitively, but also has a relatively narrow intransitive use–i.e. “to go in pursuit.”

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Realize (vt)

Here is a context clues worksheet on the verb realize, which is transitive only; when I saw that in the dictionary, I realized that the direct object that follows this verb must about always be a noun phrase beginning with that (or maybe a pronoun in the nominative case, even though that pronoun is usually preceded by that), so that may be one thing you want to emphasize when you teach this word.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.