Vocabulary in Context

TSI ELAR Study Guide

Vocabulary in Context

You may encounter a word you don’t know, or a familiar word used in an unfamiliar way. You usually don’t need to know the definition ahead of time — the surrounding text tells you what the word means in that passage.

Context clues — information in the surrounding text that reveals a word’s meaning. The goal is the meaning that fits the context, not simply a definition you recognize.

Using context clues

Read the entire sentence, and the sentences before and after it if needed. Then look for one of these four kinds of clues.

Definitions and explanations

The region has an arid climate, receiving so little rainfall that few crops can grow without irrigation.
Clue“so little rainfall”
Meaningvery dry

Examples

Unlike most nocturnal animals, such as bats and owls, this species is most active during daylight hours.
Clue“such as bats and owls”
Meaningactive at night

Contrasts

Signal words:

buthoweveralthoughunlikeinstead
Although her brother was outgoing and talkative, Lena was reserved around people she did not know.
Clue“although” + unlike her outgoing brother
Meaningquiet or restrained

Cause and effect

The hikers were famished after walking for ten hours, so they quickly finished every bit of food they had packed.
Cluethey eagerly ate all their food
Meaningextremely hungry

Not every passage gives an obvious clue. Sometimes you combine several details to find the most reasonable meaning.

Familiar words with unfamiliar meanings

A common challenge is a word you already know being used a different way. Consider address:

The mayor gave an address at the ceremony.

Meaning: a speech

The committee must address the problem before it becomes worse.

Meaning: deal with

⚠ Watch out

Many English words have several definitions. Don’t automatically choose the meaning most familiar to you — the correct meaning depends entirely on the sentence.

Pay attention to connotation

Connotation — the feeling or association a word carries in addition to its literal meaning.

Positive

The child was curious about everything in the laboratory.

Negative

The child was nosy about everything happening next door.

Both words describe someone who wants to know more, but nosy carries a negative connotation. An author’s choice between similar words communicates attitude and tone.

Use the substitution strategy

Replace the unfamiliar word with your own simple definition and see if the sentence still works.

The coach’s criticism was constructive; rather than simply pointing out the team’s mistakes, she explained how the players could improve.
Predicthelpful
The coach’s criticism was helpful; rather than simply pointing out the team’s mistakes, she explained how the players could improve.

The sentence still makes sense, so the prediction fits.

Test-day habit

Decide the word’s approximate meaning before looking closely at the answer choices. This keeps an attractive but wrong choice from influencing you.

TSI strategy: read around the word

Don’t stare at the word trying to recall a dictionary definition. The information you need is nearby.

1Read the entire sentence.
2Read before and after it if necessary.
3Look for definitions, examples, contrasts, or results.
4Predict a simple meaning in your own words.
5Substitute your meaning into the sentence.
6Choose the answer closest to your prediction.

The correct answer doesn’t have to be a perfect synonym in every situation. It needs to match what the word means in this particular context.

🔑 Key tip

When a question asks what a word means as used in the passage, context takes priority. Even if you know another definition, choose the meaning that makes the most sense in that specific sentence.

Vocabulary in Context Review Quiz

Next: Inferences and Evidence

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