Context clues aren't about understanding the words, it is about how you use the words to understand the point of the text.

When authors write, they often give context clues to readers to suggest the meanings of new or difficult words.

Context clues usually give you a sense of a word’s meaning, so you can continue reading without referring to a dictionary.

The author directly defines the new word within the sentence.

The author uses a word or phrase with a similar meaning to suggest the meaning of the new word.

The author uses a word or phrase with an opposite meaning to suggest the meaning of the new word.

The author provides illustrations of the new word to suggest its meaning.

The author provides enough information in a sentence that the word’s meaning can be inferred.

“When people contravene – break or violate – a law in Canada, they can expect to face legal consequences.”

“Following his death by accidental drug overdose, actor Heath Ledger posthumously received an Oscar for best supporting actor for his portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight.”

“I really don’t appreciate your duplicity. I expect you to give me an honest response from now on.”

“Bats, owls, raccoons, and crickets are chiefly nocturnal creatures.”

“It would be an egregious mistake to wear a dirty t-shirt and shabby blue jeans to a funeral.”

Main ideas can be found at the beginning, in the middle or in the concluding paragraphs.

It is more difficult to identify a main idea when it is inferred or implied.

If you are able to summarize the information in the passage in your own words, you have absorbed the correct main idea.

The main idea does not requires the reader to identify the topic of a piece of writing.

For students to identify whether the main idea is expressed directly or merely implied, they have to fully comprehend what they are reading.

To efficiently identify the main idea in a piece of writing, students should first determine what the topic of the text is.