🎧 What are Context Clues?
Context clues are hints within spoken or written text that help you understand unfamiliar vocabulary without stopping to look up words. This technique is essential for continuous listening and natural conversation flow.
🎯 Why Use Context Clues?
- Maintain listening flow without interruption
- Develop natural language intuition
- Build confidence in real conversations
- Improve comprehension speed
📝 How to Apply Context Clues:
- Listen for definitions: "X means..." or "X is a type of..."
- Notice examples: "such as," "for instance," "like"
- Pay attention to opposites: "unlike," "however," "but"
- Use surrounding words: The overall topic gives clues
Listening Example 1: Definition Context
Audio: "The doctor said I need to improve my diet - that means eating healthier foods and avoiding junk food."
Context clue: Direct definition follows the unknown word
Listening Example 2: Example Context
Audio: "Bad habits like smoking, not exercising, and eating too much sugar can cause health problems."
Context clue: Examples show what "habits" means
Listening Example 3: Opposite Context
Audio: "Unlike healthy people, those with chronic disease need regular medical care."
Context clue: Contrast with "healthy" reveals meaning
💡 Speaking Application:
When you don't know a word while speaking, use these same techniques! Say "It's like..." or "It's the opposite of..." to help your listener understand.
🔧 What is Word Formation Strategy?
Word formation involves recognizing word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots) to understand meaning and create related words in speaking. This technique helps you decode unfamiliar words and expand your active vocabulary.
🎯 Why Use Word Formation?
- Understand words you've never heard before
- Create variations of words you know
- Sound more natural and fluent
- Express ideas when you don't know exact words
📝 How to Apply Word Formation:
- Identify prefixes: re-, un-, pre-, de-
- Recognize suffixes: -tion, -ly, -ness, -able
- Find word families: Connect related words
- Use patterns: Apply rules to create new forms
Word Family 1: RESEARCH
Root: research (verb/noun) - to investigate
Forms: researcher (person), researching (ongoing), researched (past)
Speaking use: "I'm researching healthy diets. The researcher found interesting results."
Word Family 2: PREVENT
Root: prevent (verb) - to stop something happening
Forms: prevention (noun), preventable (adjective), preventive (adjective)
Speaking use: "Good hygiene helps prevent disease. Prevention is better than cure."
Word Family 3: RESPOND
Root: respond (verb) - to answer or react
Forms: response (noun), responsive (adjective), responsibility (related noun)
Speaking use: "How did you respond? His response was very helpful."
💡 Speaking Application:
When you know one form of a word, try using different forms: "I need to attach this" → "This attachment is important" → "I'm attaching the file."
🎯 Strategy Practice
Test your ability to apply listening and speaking strategies!
Question 1: Context Clues Strategy
You hear: "Doctors say stress - you know, worry, pressure, and anxiety - can cause many health problems."
Which context clue strategy helps you understand "stress"?
Question 2: Word Formation Strategy
You want to talk about someone who does research, but you only know the word "research".
Which word formation strategy should you use?
Question 3: Applied Strategy
You hear: "Unlike junk food, a healthy diet consists of - that means it's made up of - fruits, vegetables, and whole grains."
How many context clue strategies are used here?
Question 4: Speaking Application
You want to say that something "causes problems" but you forgot the word "cause".
Which context strategy can help you communicate this idea?