OK, first of all, we already know that the best tool for learning vocabulary does NOT include learning a list of words that have nothing to do with each other by heart and with no context. Honestly, the mere thought of trying to memorize something unrelated and abstract is already very unappealing to me. More about why this is not a good idea here.
You can’t fool your brain and you know it – the words have to mean something to it and to you personally. You have to be able to connect them and, poetically speaking, bring them to life! This means that you have to create some context, which is ”the situation within which something happens”. Not only is this useful when learning vocabulary but when you’re learning anything really. Let’s say you have to teach/learn the present perfect tense. You can’t just say – OK, we use it to describe something that started in the past but is still true today, that makes perfect sense. Umm, what does? It doesn’t make any sense at all! It’s as abstract as it gets. We have to see how it is used and in what situations exactly.
Same goes for vocabulary – you may be able to remember 20 words in a day- I’m pretty sure your brain is quite capable of that, but you’ll forget them the next day and you’ll end up realizing you’ve wasted your precious time (ouch).
OK, so what is this amazing tool already?
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the best tool for learning vocabulary I’ve come across – Context Clues Anchor Chart! So, what are context clues? Essentially, they are hints that will help you remember or guess a word from context.
Oh, how I wish I’d discovered this chart sooner. Every since I found it (thanks, Pinterest), I’ve been sharing it with students and using it in class.
Not only is it a great tool for teaching vocabulary, but you can use it for self-study as well (as I do). I’m sharing a free printable that contains my favorite context clues:
So, for example, let’s say you’re trying to learn the word talkative. You’d write:
Definition: Anna is such a talkative person. She always talks a lot.
Synonym (similar word): Anna is such a talkative person. She’s so chatty that she’ll talk the whole day without getting tired.
Antonym(word that means the opposite): Anna is very talkative, unlike Jack, who’s quiet and barely says anything.
Cause and effect (use so, since, therefore, thus etc.) : Since Anna is so talkative, I didn’t have to say much – I just listened.
How do I use this free printable?
Just copy what I did in the examples above and write your own information about the words you’re studying. You can also use context clues when reading, Besides, reading is such an awesome way to learn vocabulary because you see the real context, too.
Some other types of context clues are:
Example clues (including, such as, for example):
Celestial objects, including the sun, stars and moon have long been fascinating to humankind.
- thanks to the example, you’ll figure out that celestial means ”belonging to the sky”
Inference clue (sufficient clues to make a guess):
He told me: ”I’m never going on a trip alone ever again. I had no one to share my thoughts with and the time went by very slowly. I was so bored. The experience was absolutely monotonous.
- Monotonous means ”boring”
Mood clue (the mood is set by the author and the word is in harmony with it)
Lucy’s exuberant personality never went unnoticed – she inspired many and she loved life so much that it seemed to love her back.
Enjoy!!! 😍
