What You Need to Know

Explore strategies to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words.

We use picture clues to help understand new words

Reading the words around an unknown word gives hints

A dictionary tells us what words mean

Learning new words helps us read and write better

Key Vocabulary

what a word tells us

the words around an unknown word that give clues

a book or tool that explains what words mean

all the words a person knows and uses

Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.

Question 1

You see the word "enormous" in a sentence: "The enormous elephant filled the whole room." What does enormous mean?

Very small Very large Very fast Very quiet

Question 2

Which is the best strategy when you find a word you do not know?

Skip it and keep reading without thinking Guess randomly Read the words around it for clues Stop reading altogether

Question 3

Where would you look to find the exact meaning of a word?

In a storybook In a maths textbook On a number line In a dictionary