context clues

context is anything around a word or phrase

context clues are hints in a passage that help you figure out what a word means

a punctuation is a ,commas ,dashes, hints a definition may be nearby

Ex: During the song's crescendo, the part where the music gets louder, the trumpets can be heard over the singer's voice.

Crescendo is a big word! If you don't know what it means, look at the hint after the comma. The hint is "the part where the music gets louder." This shows that crescendo must mean the same thing as "the part where the music gets louder."

Key words: such as "or", and "that is" so may also give you a hint that a definition is nearby.