Consider Word Meaning in Context

This activity is all about the meaning of words.

When reading a story or non-fiction text, we may come across an unfamiliar word.

This is a fantastic opportunity to broaden our vocabulary.

We can use the context of the story or text to help us make a clever guess about the word's meaning.

Read the beginning of the story below.

A Triathlon to Remember

Jay stood on the edge of the saltwater lagoon; its surface was glistening like a sheet of liquid silver under the relentless Lanzarote sun. He had spent the past six months stubbornly training for this triathlon and finally, the moment had arrived. The water whispered promises of victory and invited him in. The soothing sea sloshed around his wetsuit as he took his starting position. As the starting horn echoed through the air, Jay dived in, slicing through the water like a knife through soft butter. His powerful arms pulled him forwards with every stroke. With each breath, he could taste the tang of salt on his lips. Whenever he heard the splashes of other competitors approaching him, his salty surroundings seemed to whisper words of encouragement, urging him forward. Reaching the finishing line within seconds, Jay emerged from the water to see that he was ahead of the others. He could really win this. Catching his breath before the next section of the race, he saw the lagoon’s surface shimmering, applauding him for his efforts.

Find a word from the text which is a synonym for cutting.

In find and copy questions, we have to scan the whole text and find the best option.

Sometimes we're asked to find one word (like in this question) or a whole phrase.

Here, the word we were looking for is slicing as it means the same as cutting.

Remember that synonyms are words with the same, or very similar, meanings.

In this activity, you'll be identifying the meaning of words in a story.