Inside Language, Literacy, and Content [Level E]

Focus on Vocabulary: Use Context Clues: Specialized Language and Vocabulary

Many words in English have several meanings, depending on the context, or the place where the word is used. Specialized language and vocabulary includes technical terms, jargon, and special cultural references.

How the Strategy Works

When you come to a specialized word you don’t know, use the language around it to figure out its meaning.

1. Read the entire sentence. Try to understand the main idea.
2. See how the word fits into the sentence. Does the word seem like jargon or a technical term?
3. Think about the topic of the piece and the subject area it covers.
4. Use the information to figure out a meaning that makes sense in the context. Check the word in a dictionary to be sure.

Use the strategy to figure out the meaning of the underlined words.

A key issue in the quest to feed the world is water use. You can’t grow plants without water. Surface water in lakes, rivers, and streams supplies about three-fourths of the fresh water in the United States. Ground water in sand or gravel beneath the earth’s surface supplies much of the nation’s drinking water. Almost all of the drinking water in rural areas comes from such aquifers. However, some areas may be losing their ground water. Many places report that their aquifers are drier than in the past. In other areas, well diggers must bore much deeper to reach water. Protecting water reserves is increasingly important, now and into the future.

Strategy in Action

“ This passage is about water. Since it lies underground and some of it comes from aquifers, they must be underground water sources.”

Illustration of the check icon REMEMBER You can use context to help you figure out the meaning of specialized language.