¾ U ¦ ± � ʼ � t�© 1 � � ¾ �ÞÞÞ ɐ ¾ P 1 © U I P ¾Þ�©( ɐ ! �t ɐ ± I

Underlining Contextual Clues with Understanding and Accuracy

Are you lost as to how you should be highlighting your keywords although you know you are

supposed to highlight keywords? Truth is, there are techniques to helping yourself figure out what

clues you ought to highlight when attempting the comprehension cloze. While there are multiple

techniques you can use, here are two key techniques that you can apply to your next practice so

you won’t feel too lost when you’re doing your comprehension cloze!

Technique 1— Infer (to make accurate assumptions)

To make accurate assumptions by guessing words to see if it fits the context

Looking at the meaning of the text using general knowledge

Relating words to the blank or analysing the text before and after the blank to look for relation

Technique 2— Analysing sentence structure

Make use of sentence structure to pick out contrasts, similarities, missing information

The phenomenal success of Finding Dory, the much-awaited sequel to the 2003 film, Finding Nemo,

is being met with mixed feelings by marine experts. That is because though the movie is the perfect

platform to 1) draw attention to the sorry state of our coral reefs, it may 2) instead result in

endangering both the reef and its  inhabitants further. This trend was first observed following the

release of Finding Nemo, when the Clownfish became the pet of 3) choice for every young child.

As a result, the number  of clownfish in the wild 4) plunged/dwindled/declined , disrupting the

natural ecosystem. Fortunately,  before the situation became irreversible, marine experts

5) managed to find a way to breed the fish in captivity.

Q1: Technique — infer that the movie is the best way to get people to notice the problem with coral reefs; notice = draw attention

Q2: Technique 2— sentence structure shows contrast as mixed feelings come from helping reefs yet threatening them; contrast conjunction = instead

Q3: Technique 1— trend tells us something is changing due to popularity of Finding Nemo, answer is part of a fixed expression; popularity tells us it is the best selection = pet of choice (fixed expression)

Q4: Technique 2— sentence structure tells us the word has to do with a number; did it go up or go down? = number of clownfish in the wild plunged/dwindled/declined (fixed expression)

Q5: Technique 1— Using words before and after blank to look for relation -> before it became too late, the scientists were able to find a solution; able to = managed to

Now that you know you can use these two techniques to figure out what contextual clues to

highlight, try it out with this short paragraph!

Practice Paragraph

While marine experts have since been 1) ______________ to successfully breed more than 300

different marine aquarium fish, there are several 2) ______________ that have proven to be

elusive. 3) __________ of them is the Blue Tang or Dory fish, which has failed to breed in captivity

despite various 4) __________ made by scientists. Hence, all the Blue Tangs currently being sold

in pet stores have been 5) __________ directly from the ocean.

Ans Key for Practice Paragraph

While marine experts have since been 1) able to successfully breed more  than 300 different

marine aquarium fish, there are several 2) more that have proven to be elusive. 3) One of them is

the Blue Tang or Dory fish, which has failed to breed in captivity despite various 4) attempts made

by scientists. Hence, all the Blue Tangs currently being sold in pet stores have been 5) captured/

caught directly from the ocean.

Want to find out more about how you can ace the Comprehension Cloze section? Contact us at info@therightword.com.sg to find out more about our holiday workshops on Comprehension Cloze.

Alternatively, click here to visit our Downloads page to download our Comprehension Cloze resource on Environment Fixed Expressions.

Q1: Technique 1— infer from meaning of text that experts have managed to breed the marine aquarium fish

Q2: Technique 1— refer to text before and after to arrive at conclusion that there are others that cannot be easily bredQ3: Technique 1— general knowledge that of all these fish, one of them is the Dory

Q4: Technique 2— the contrast shows that there were tries to breed the fish but it was not successful

Q5: Technique 1— general knowledge that they cannot be bred so all the Blue Tangs have to be found from the ocean

Adeline YeoA graduate in Mass Communications and a former Food and Wine Journalist for several publications, Adeline was searching for an endeavour to sate the need for fulfilment. That’s when she started to teach. Shortly after, she authored the local bestseller “Score the A* You Deserve in PSLE Writing”. It was then that Adeline realised her inherent flair for writing and love for teaching helped change the lives of the many students who sought after her classes. A hunger to lead a team of professional and passionate teachers led to the founding of  The Right Word. With  the completion of her Masters in Teaching English to Young Learners, Adeline has refined both theory and practice to conceive The Right Word’s pedagogy – The SAIL Approach

The Right Word is an English Specialist centre that has coached more than a thousand students since 2013. With our proprietary Sail to Success techniques and TRW ethos, students have chosen to go on their language acquisition journey with us through primary school to JC. 

The SAIL Approach:

An Enriching Journey Towards Academic Success

The SAIL Approach is conceived through research workshops and research projects by the team of teachers at TRW. Through the journey of our Masters education, journalism/writing expertise and the many years of experience we have collected teaching students, we have put together an approach proven to inculcate inquisitive, motivated students who have a zest for success in academic endeavours and in life. The dynamic SAIL approach constantly innovates and adapts to the seas of change that students are subjected to in this highly-globalised and competitive society.

If you’ve enjoyed this resource, you might be glad to know this is only one small part out of the many strategies we use to tackle EVERY section of the English paper.

Why Students and Parents Love TRW

Celeste Woon (CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School)

Before I joined the classes, I could not write a decent composition and had really bad grammar. Having lessons at The Right Word helped me improve 10 marks in my Paper 1. I’m really glad that my writing is finally decent! I managed to improve with the FARTD strategy. For some reason, it reminds me to use techniques I have learnt. What I really enjoy about the lessons is that it is fun and engaging.

Emmanuel Tan (St Joseph’s Institution Junior) [Graduated from PSLE with A*]

I improved about 5 marks in my composition, consistently scoring more than 30 marks each time. With the FARTD strategy, I can describe my characters in composition much better!

Tay Yu Cheng (West Grove Primary School)

I used to fail my compositions as I had a lot of difficulties with my composition. My vocabulary was also very weak. After I was taught strategies such as FLR and DOP, I improved close to 10 marks. I also found compositions a lot easier to do. At The Right Word, I learn a lot of phrases and also news stories that I do not know about that I can apply to writing my stories.

Radiance Tan (Ai Tong Primary School)

I used to dislike English and I found it difficult to spell words. But with the fun and engaging classes, I have improved 5 marks in my writing. Spelling does not seem that difficult now that I have improved. Teachers at The Right Word really make sure we understand what is taught. Other than that, there is also a “Reward Board” that allows us to aim to fill up areas like Strategy Application, Excellence and Potential. Filling up the board gives us the chance to win money or other prizes and it motivates me to push myself to do better!

Elizabeth Ong (Raffles Girls’ Primary School) [Score A* in the PSLE]

I found it challenging to think of original good phrases. My plots were also very clichéd. After attending classes and applying strategies such as ICRCCRR under the Power Planning technique, I have improved by about 7 marks to score 35 marks or more in my compositions. When I write my compositions now, my ideas just flow and I do not find it much of a chore to write. The Right Word’s lessons are enjoyable because the teachers are friendly and I know that I can ask for help any time.

Joslyn Tan (Ai Tong Primary School)

I was facing challenges with writing compositions as I had trouble thinking of plot ideas. Grammar was also difficult to me. After taking classes, I am happy to have improved in my composition by more than 5 marks! I think I found the FART strategy really useful as it helped me think of more ideas and phrases. The lessons at The Right Word are enjoyable because we get to play Kahoot and learn in a fun way. The prizes awarded to us are also very encouraging.

Chong Dong Shyang (Qifa Primary School)

I improved a lot in my composition as the challenges I had in composition were made easier with strategies to help me write better. Some of the techniques I learnt that were useful is the FARTD for composition. I can strategise how to write better sentences. The lessons are also fun and thrilling as the teachers often use jokes to educate and encourage us.

Jasper Tan (Pei Chun Public School)

I was quite weak in my oral examination and English Paper 2 but after applying TRW’s strategies, I saw improvement in both my papers. I improved from 21 to 26 marks for my oral examination. The comprehensive grammar notes I was given was very useful too! Also, I enjoy the lessons because it is fun and engaging. There is Kahoot, which helps us improve in both English and general knowledge. I am very thankful to Mr Kelvin. He would always help me when I ask him questions. He even stayed back for 2 hours after lessons for several weeks in preparation for the PSLE. I am grateful to have such a wonderful teacher like Mr Kelvin!

Jodie Tan (Marymount Convent School)

I used to be too quick to answer my MCQ questions without a thought and often gave incomplete answers in my comprehension open-ended. Applying strategies like ACE in comprehension OE really made me understand the question better and motivated me to look through the passage for clues. I’ve improved in my Visual Text and Booklet B a lot. I’m glad that I see more ticks than crosses and Os! Overall, I’ve improved at least 5 marks in my English. What I love best about TRW is that the teachers are friendly and the environment is welcoming!

Matthias Wong (Maris Stella High School)

I could not do comprehension and had a lot of difficulty in both cloze and open-ended but having lessons with Ms Dorothy helped me to think further to elaborate my answers, and better understand the meaning of words in the passage. The strategies I found most useful were SPUMUE and SKIs. They helped me attempt my visual text and comprehension better such that I improved 12 marks in my preliminary examinations. The part of the lessons I enjoy most is Kahoot as it helps me learn English in a fun and engaging manner.

Rachel Lau (CHIJ)

I struggled a lot of comprehension cloze as I had difficulties filling in the blanks. However, acquiring the strategy for comprehension cloze helped me improve as I learnt to summarise the paragraphs and understand the questions better. I enjoy lessons at TRW because it’s not only fun but also enriching!

Chen Le Yuan (Ai Tong School)

I could not pass English at first because I made a lot of spelling and grammar errors. I also could not understand the passage. But applying the ACE comprehension strategy helped me improve in my comprehension. I finally improved by almost 10 marks and passed my English! I enjoy the lessons at TRW because they share with us videos and there are quizzes that are fun. I’m so very happy that I improved a lot.

Elizabeth Tang (Marymount Convent School)

I’ve improved 8 marks in my English as I scored better in comprehension cloze, open-ended and synthesis and transformation. The strategies taught at TRW really help me in identifying clue words and with those hints, I knew how to do my work better. What I like most about TRW is that the teachers are very nice and go out of the way to help us.

Bryan Koh (Fairfield Methodist Primary School)

I used to be bad in synthesis and comprehension. In my preliminary examinations, I improved in my MCQ, synthesis and comprehension to score 30 more marks. I’m glad that I applied the TRW strategies to see improvement! Ms Dorothy taught me to understand questions better by paying attention to key words and underlining them. I also like playing Kahoot quizzes as it is fun and helps me improve.

Reagan Goh (Pei Chun Public School)

I was weak in my grammar and comprehension but I’ve improved in those two sections and other components. Applying the strategies taught helped me improve from 48 marks to 66 marks. Learning how to identify questions types made it easier for me to answer the questions. I enjoy going to classes at TRW because the environment is conducive and fun.

Jamie Koh (Gongshang Primary School)

I used to have difficulties scoring in synthesis and transformation and comprehension. However, applying strategies taught in TRW helped me improve in listening comprehension, oral examination and English Paper 2. From 79%, I improved to 86% in the preliminary examinations. I enjoy the fun atmosphere and the teachers at TRW really help students pay attention and apply strategies through all sorts of methods such as Kahoot quizzes and more.

Owein Wong (Yew Tee Primary School)

I had a lot of challenges with spelling and comprehension open-ended. However, I was taught strategies on how to identify common spelling errors in editing. There were many strategies to help me learn grammar rules too. I’ve improved close to 10 marks, from 63 to 71 marks. The best thing about the lessons at TRW is that the lessons are fun but also very useful!

For enquiries, contact us at:

9150 1560info@therightword.com.sg