Working out what a word or phrase means as it is used in this particular passage: using surrounding clues for unfamiliar words, and answering 'closest in meaning' questions by substituting each option back into the sentence.
Where your child meets this in real life: Understanding new words in library books, news reports and instructions without stopping to ask or look them up
Questions 16 to 28 of the English section are all about one reading passage: 7 multiple-choice questions, then 6 short written answers. That is nearly half the English marks.
SEAGReady breaks words in context into 2 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Use the clues in the surrounding sentences to work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word, then check the meaning makes sense in its place.
Answer 'which word is closest in meaning?' questions by substituting each option into the original sentence - especially when the word has several meanings and the passage uses a less common one.
These two questions come from “The Wrong Shadow”, our free sample reading passage. Each one shows the lines of the story it needs. To practise like the real test, read the whole story and answer all its questions on the full sample page.
- Line 21: The shadow kept quivering although the stage was still.
Refer to: Line 21
- Line 42: An adult placed it at the safe mark Nia indicated, away from the lamp casing.
Refer to: Line 42
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
Read this extract from a story. 'By the time they reached the mountain summit, the walkers were ravenous. They had eaten nothing since seven that morning, and Ben tore into his sandwiches the moment his rucksack hit the ground.'
What does the word 'ravenous' mean in this passage?
In 'the walkers were ravenous', the word 'ravenous' describes how the walkers felt.
Step 1 of 6
Read this extract from a story. 'By the time they reached the mountain summit, the walkers were ravenous. They had eaten nothing since seven that morning, and Ben tore into his sandwiches the moment his rucksack hit the ground.'
What does the word 'ravenous' mean in this passage?
In this passage, 'ravenous' means extremely hungry; the missed food and Ben eating immediately are the supporting clues.
The key insight: A fair meaning-from-context question supplies enough evidence. Use the strongest nearby clues, then substitute your meaning to check that it fits.
Common mix-up: Guessing 'tired' because the walkers had climbed a mountain. Tiredness is possible in this situation, but it does not explain the missed food or Ben eating immediately. This confuses a plausible detail with the target word's evidenced meaning.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in words in context, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with words in context? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.
Sitting the SEAG test this November? Read our last-month revision plan, Paper 1 vs Paper 2 and test day guide.
SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.
Free to start · no card needed