Page 1 · Introduction
Clues all around the word
When you meet a word you don’t know, you don’t need a dictionary — the other words in the sentence give you clues. Being a word detective is a brilliant reading skill.
The big ideaThe words around a tricky word are clues to its meaning. Read the whole sentence, look for hints, and work out what would make sense there.
💡We practise using clues to work out new words. There’s always a hint nearby if you look for it.
On the real testWhere this appearsWorking out new words is an important part of the Reading section of the OC test (sat in Year 4). The clues are always in the sentence.
Page 2 · Clues nearby
Use the whole sentence
Read the whole sentence, not just the word. The other words tell you what it must mean.
“The enormous elephant was the biggest animal at the zoo.” What does ‘enormous’ mean?
The clue is ‘biggest animal’. So ‘enormous’ means very big.
Very big
Page 3 · Swap it out
Try another word
Try swapping the tricky word for one you know. If the sentence still makes sense, you’ve found the meaning.
“She felt weary after the long walk and wanted to sleep.” What does ‘weary’ mean?
‘Wanted to sleep’ is the clue. Swap in ‘tired’ — it fits.
Tired
Page 4 · Opposite clues
Sometimes it’s the opposite
Words like ‘but’ and ‘instead’ can signal an opposite meaning nearby.
“The room was usually tidy, but today it was messy.” What does ‘messy’ mean?
‘But’ signals the opposite of ‘tidy’. So ‘messy’ means not tidy.
Not tidy / untidy
Level 1 · Easy
Warm up
Use the clues. Tap to check.
1. “The tiny mouse was so small it fit in her hand.” What does ‘tiny’ mean?
A Very big
B Very small
C Very fast
D Very loud
The clue ‘so small’ tells us tiny means very small.
2. “He was thrilled and jumped for joy when he won.” What does ‘thrilled’ mean?
A Very happy
B Very sad
C Very tired
D Very hungry
‘Jumped for joy’ is the clue — thrilled means very happy.
3. “The soup was scalding, so she blew on it to cool it down.” What does ‘scalding’ mean?
A Cold
B Sweet
C Very hot
D Empty
‘Blew on it to cool it down’ tells us scalding means very hot.
Level 2 · Medium
Building up
Work out the meaning.
1. “The path was so narrow that only one person could walk on it at a time.” What does ‘narrow’ mean?
A Wide
B Thin / not wide
C Long
D Muddy
‘Only one person at a time’ tells us narrow means thin, not wide.
2. “The children were delighted with their presents and couldn’t stop smiling.” What does ‘delighted’ mean?
A Very pleased
B Very angry
C Very bored
D Very scared
‘Couldn’t stop smiling’ tells us delighted means very pleased.
3. “After days with no rain, the ground was parched and cracked.” What does ‘parched’ mean?
A Wet
B Very dry
C Green
D Soft
‘No rain’ and ‘cracked’ tell us parched means very dry.
Level 3 · Hard
Getting tougher
Trickier words and opposite clues.
1. “Most days he was calm, but that day he was furious.” What does ‘furious’ mean?
A Very calm
B Very angry
C Very sleepy
D Very kind
‘But’ signals the opposite of calm — furious means very angry.
2. “The instructions were simple, so everyone finished quickly.” What does ‘simple’ mean?
A Hard
B Easy
C Long
D Wrong
‘Everyone finished quickly’ tells us simple means easy.
3. “The cave was gloomy, with hardly any light.” What does ‘gloomy’ mean?
A Bright
B Dark
C Warm
D Noisy
‘Hardly any light’ tells us gloomy means dark.
Level 4 · Challenge
Challenge
Work out the word from the whole sentence.
1. “The explorer was courageous, facing the wild animals without any fear.” What does ‘courageous’ mean?
A Brave
B Frightened
C Silly
D Slow
‘Without any fear’ tells us courageous means brave.
2. “She spoke so softly that no one at the back could hear her.” What does ‘softly’ mean?
A Loudly
B Quietly
C Quickly
D Angrily
‘No one could hear’ tells us softly means quietly.
3. “The old bridge was fragile, so they crossed it very carefully.” What does ‘fragile’ mean?
A Strong
B Easily broken
C Wide
D New
‘Crossed it very carefully’ tells us fragile means easily broken.
Page 9 · Well done
You’ve finished Understanding New Words
You can now be a word detective — using clues in the sentence to work out what a new word means, even trying to swap it for a word you know. This helps you understand anything you read.
RememberRead the whole sentence and look for clues. Try swapping the tricky word for one you know, and watch for ‘but’ which can signal an opposite.
🎉Great work! Try another module next — every one helps you get ready.
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