What is context?
Con- This prefix means “with” or “together”Text You might know that “text” means “reading material,” but did you know that the Latin root of this word, texere means “to weave?”
When you put them together, con and text make a pretty important and powerful word that could be defined like this:
Context = the surrounding circumstances, ideas and words woven together to form the setting or background for an event, statement, or idea.
Context – the words or ideas expressed before and after – provides us with the information we need to fully understand, evaluate or interpret the ideas in the passage.
Example: “You misinterpreted my words because you took them out of context. I did say that I was hesitant to bake cookies for the fundraiser, but it’s not because I don’t want to participate, as you claim. I also told you I ran out of butter, and the last time I made cookies, nobody bought them.”
Read with Purpose
As you encounter unfamiliar words or phrases, practice using context clues to determine their meaning, and then look them up to check if you were right!
Many students create word notebooks to keep track of all the new words they’re learning.
Here are a few examples to show you how words can change depending on their context:
Example: “restrain”
Depending on context, restrain can mean several things:
To hold back physically: “His classmates had to restrain him from eating the last cupcake.”
To control emotions: “I wasn’t able to restrain my excitement upon winning the tournament – I threw my ping-pong paddle into the crowd and hit my poor brother on the forehead, knocking him out.”
To limit: “The embargoes and tariffs were designed to restrain trade.”
Example: “discriminate”
Discriminate is often used in a negative way, but it also can be positive:
To judge, or make an unfair distinction about people based on their race, age or gender: “Widespread racial discrimination led to the disenfranchisement of thousands.”
To tell apart: “Death doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints.”
To note subtle differences: “The dolphin’s electroreception enables it to better discriminate between shrimp and crayfish on the muddy river bottom.”
Example: “compromise”
As a verb, compromise has three distinct meanings:
To settle a dispute by mutual agreement and concession: “My sister wanted to listen to hip-hop and my brother wanted to listen to bebop, so we compromised and put on some R&B.”
To accept a standard that is below what is desirable: “I am willing to accept another motel room, but I’m not prepared to compromise on hygiene.”
To endanger by foolish behavior: “When Skywalker went along, he compromised the entire mission because Vader could sense his proximity.”
Here are a few examples to show you how words can change depending on their context:
Example: “restrain”
Depending on context, restrain can mean several things:
To hold back physically: “His classmates had to restrain him from eating the last cupcake.”
To control emotions: “I wasn’t able to restrain my excitement upon winning the tournament – I threw my ping-pong paddle into the crowd and hit my poor brother on the forehead, knocking him out.”
To limit: “The embargoes and tariffs were designed to restrain trade.”
Example: “discriminate”
Discriminate is often used in a negative way, but it also can be positive:
To judge, or make an unfair distinction about people based on their race, age or gender: “Widespread racial discrimination led to the disenfranchisement of thousands.”
To tell apart: “Death doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints.”
To note subtle differences: “The dolphin’s electroreception enables it to better discriminate between shrimp and crayfish on the muddy river bottom.”
Example: “compromise”
As a verb, compromise has three distinct meanings:
To settle a dispute by mutual agreement and concession: “My sister wanted to listen to hip-hop and my brother wanted to listen to bebop, so we compromised and put on some R&B.”
To accept a standard that is below what is desirable: “I am willing to accept another motel room, but I’m not prepared to compromise on hygiene.”
To endanger by foolish behavior: “When Skywalker went along, he compromised the entire mission because Vader could sense his proximity.”