Which approach best describes using context clues and word parts to determine a difficult word's meaning?

Which approach best describes using context clues and word parts to determine a difficult word's meaning?

• A. Guess the meaning from memory alone.
• B. Only study the suffix without considering context.
• C. Use surrounding words to infer meaning, then analyze roots, prefixes, and suffixes to verify.
• D. Skip unknown words.

Answer: (C)

Using context clues and word parts to determine a difficult word's meaning lets you make informed guesses and check them against the sentence. Context clues are hints in the surrounding words that point to what the word means, such as describing a feeling, a place, or an action. Word parts include the base word and any prefixes or suffixes. When you encounter a tough word, start by reading the sentence or paragraph to get the overall idea. Then look at the surrounding words to infer a possible meaning. Next, examine the word's parts: identify the root, prefixes, and suffixes and recall what each part means. Put the pieces together to form a likely definition, then re-check by reading the sentence again to see if this meaning fits. For example, in a sentence like "Her unhappiness showed on her face," the context makes clear it's a state of not being happy. Break the word into "un-" (not) + "happy" + "-ness" (state of) to confirm the meaning. This approach is more reliable than guessing from memory alone, or focusing only on a suffix, and it’s certainly better than skipping unknown words.

Using context clues and word parts to determine a difficult word's meaning lets you make informed guesses and check them against the sentence. Context clues are hints in the surrounding words that point to what the word means, such as describing a feeling, a place, or an action. Word parts include the base word and any prefixes or suffixes. When you encounter a tough word, start by reading the sentence or paragraph to get the overall idea. Then look at the surrounding words to infer a possible meaning. Next, examine the word's parts: identify the root, prefixes, and suffixes and recall what each part means. Put the pieces together to form a likely definition, then re-check by reading the sentence again to see if this meaning fits. For example, in a sentence like "Her unhappiness showed on her face," the context makes clear it's a state of not being happy. Break the word into "un-" (not) + "happy" + "-ness" (state of) to confirm the meaning. This approach is more reliable than guessing from memory alone, or focusing only on a suffix, and it’s certainly better than skipping unknown words.