Page 3 Inferring from Context and Tone

Context


Context means the situation in which the message is used.
Context can also be a statement or word that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.

One helpful mnemonic device to keep in mind when looking at unfamiliar words is IF IT FITS.

Read more about this strategy here.



Knowing context can help you understand unfamiliar words.
  • Jeremy's friend, Raj, texts "I am experiencing a moment of vertigo."
  • Jeremy knows verte means green in French.


Jeremy pictures...

...and texts... "I am glad you are having a green moment."
When Raj texts his friend this photo
...Jeremy knows vertigo has something to do with heights.
Vertigo comes from a Latin word that means whirling and spinning. Therefore, vertigo means dizzy.



Context can refer to the entire text or the situation in which the story was created.

In the "Hockey Sweater" everybody in the community likes the same hockey team. This is not unusual for a small town where people know each other very well. They see each other at the grocery store, at school, at church, and at community events. They may even be related to each other. They know each others' parents and grandparents. They may be very suspicious of outsiders, or those different than themselves. Therefore, the boy faces a great deal of pressure to fit in and to wear the same sweater as everybody else. "The Hockey Sweater" would not make sense if it were set in a city where people have many different perspectives.
Learning about context can deepen your appreciation of the text.



Self-Assessment 

Click here to view a "Mr. Bean" video clip and answer the context and character-trait questions that follow. 


Tone


What a text means and what it says are not always the same. Compare the two situations below.


"That was just great!" a teenager tells her friend who has just snowboarded off rails and a jump.
Image source: Pixabay

A mom, knowing her daughter's least favourite subject is French, asks how her test went. Her daughter answers, "Great. Just great."
Image source: Pixabay

Although "great" is used in both samples, it has a different meaning in each situation.
  • In the first situation, the girl probably means her friend did well.

  • In the second, the repetition of "great" suggests that the girl is being sarcastic because she did poorly on the test.


Sometimes your background knowledge is needed to interpret a message. Consider how the tone of voice changes the meaning of these words.

Oh, really? sarcastic, disgusted, bored or irritated

Oh, really? excited or surprised

Meaning depends, not just on the words, but on tone of voice, and the situation.



  Please contact your teacher if you have questions.