Main content
Course: 6th grade reading and vocabulary (improved and expanded) > Unit 3
Lesson 2: Interpreting words in contextInterpreting unfamiliar words
A guide to accessing the ludicrous language that authors sometimes use
Have you ever come across a new word and been completely bumfuzzled by it?
Even if you’ve never seen the word “bumfuzzled” in your life (and yes, it’s a real word), you may have already guessed that it means “confused or perplexed.” But how? How could you know what a word means even if you’ve never seen or heard it before? ARE YOU PSYCHIC?!
If you are psychic, congratulations. That has to come in handy sometimes. But, for all us non-psychics, there are still some pretty handy ways to tackle unfamiliar words, like by using context clues (which you might have done to figure out the meaning of “bumfuzzled”) or root words. In this article, we’ll discuss why it’s useful to be able to handle unfamiliar words and how you can go about doing so.
Why not just google it?
Don’t get us wrong–it can be helpful to look things up, but it will slow down your reading and break your mental flow. Plus, you might not always have a dictionary handy when you encounter a new word. Research estimates that the average student learns between 3000 and 5000 words a year. There’s no way you’re learning all that from a dictionary or your teacher’s instruction–your teacher would have to assign about 80 vocab words a week! So, you’re going to have to learn some of those words on your own.
How can I figure out the meaning of new words?
Here are a few strategies you can use to decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words:
- Use context clues: Look for clues to a word’s meaning in the surrounding sentences or paragraphs. For example, let’s pretend you came across the sentence, “She believed it was going to rain, so she packed a raincoat and her bumbershoot.” Based on this sentence, do you think a bumbershoot is a raincoat, sunshine, or an umbrella?
- Break the word down into its parts: Knowing the meaning of common root words, prefixes, and suffixes can help you make an educated guess about the word's meaning. If you know that the prefix “un-” means “not,” it’s easy to figure that something that’s “uncut” hasn’t been cut.
- Create connections: Relate the word to your own experiences or knowledge. This can help you create a mental image or association that makes the word's meaning clearer. Research has shown that when you create a memorable story or image with new vocabulary words, you're much more likely to remember them.
Try it!
Remember!
By practicing these strategies and becoming familiar with them, you'll become ready to tackle new words and expand your vocabulary. So, the next time you come across an unfamiliar word, don't be bumfuzzled–use these strategies to figure out its meaning and keep on reading!
Happy reading! 📖
Want to join the conversation?
Chickity China, The Chinese Chicken?(3 votes)
this text was useless!(1 vote)
This was easy and very useful(0 votes)
From the author:Glad you enjoyed it!(2 votes)
- what is bumfuzzled is that real(0 votes)
- From the author:It's a real word!(2 votes)
I'm a phycologist noy a psychic(0 votes)- no, dur, really?(1 vote)