Vocabulary: context clues, word parts, and figurative language (grade 7) · lesson

Context and multiple meanings

💡 Clues in nearby words reveal a word's meaning, even for a familiar word used in a new way.

Look for a clue in the next sentence. Writers often explain a hard word right after using it.

Some words have more than one meaning. "Bark" can be a dog's sound or a tree's skin. Use the rest of the sentence to choose.

Try each answer in place of the word. The right meaning fits the whole passage.

🧠 Let's work it out

"The class will tackle the project next week."

"Tackle" usually means knocking a player down. That doesn't fit here.
The rest of the sentence is about a project.
So "tackle" means start working on.

What do you think comes next?

context clue: a hint in nearby words about a word's meaning
multiple-meaning word: a word with more than one meaning

🔗 Khan Academy: Vocabulary (grade 7) · Khan Academy ↗

Greek and Latin roots

💡 A root carries the core meaning of a word, so knowing it unlocks a whole family of words.

Many English words are built from Greek and Latin roots. "Bio" means life. "Scrib" means write. "Vis" means see.

Find the root, then think about what the rest of the word adds. Biology is the study of life. A visitor is someone who comes to see you.

If the question gives you a root, use its meaning to rule out choices.

🧠 How to think about it

The root "vis" means see. Which word means "able to be seen"? "Visible": vis (see) + -ible (able to be). In this app, if a question asks you to type the word, type the whole word.

root: the main part of a word that carries its meaning

Positive and negative words

💡 Words with similar meanings can paint a person in a good light or a bad one.

Connotation is the feeling a word carries. "Confident" and "cocky" both describe someone sure of themselves. One is praise and one is not.

To rank words, ask which you would want someone to call you.

🧠 Let's work it out

Someone plans every detail.

"Detailed" is neutral.
"Organized" is positive.
"Fussy" is negative.
Each describes the same habit, but the feeling changes.

What do you think comes next?

connotation: the feeling a word gives

Metaphors and allusions

💡 Metaphors and allusions borrow the meaning of one thing to describe another.

A metaphor says one thing is another. "Her smile was sunshine" means her smile was warm and bright.

An allusion points to a well-known story, myth, or event. If you know the story, you get the meaning. "An Achilles' heel" is a weak spot, from the myth of a hero who could only be hurt on his heel.

Ask what the borrowed thing is known for. That is the meaning.

🧠 Let's work it out

"Opening that closet was opening Pandora's box."

In the myth, Pandora opens a box and lets out all kinds of trouble.
So the closet caused a lot of problems once it was opened.

What do you think comes next?

metaphor: a comparison that says one thing is another
allusion: a short reference to a famous story, person, or event

Analogies

💡 Name the link in the first pair, then find a second pair with the same link.

In an analogy, both pairs are related the same way. Common links are opposites, part to whole, and kind of thing.

Say the link as a sentence: "Hot is the opposite of cold." Then fill in the second pair with the same sentence.

🧠 Let's work it out

"Early is to late as noisy is to ___."

Early is the opposite of late.
So the answer is the opposite of noisy: quiet.

What do you think comes next?

analogy: two word pairs related in the same way