Which reading skill involves using context clues?

The reading skill that involves using context clues is literal comprehension. This skill requires readers to understand the explicit meaning of texts by leveraging the words surrounding unfamiliar terms or phrases. Context clues can provide hints or additional information that can help a reader infer meanings, making it easier to grasp the main ideas and details presented in a passage.

For instance, if a reader encounters the word "verdant" in a sentence about a lush landscape, they might look at surrounding words that describe the scenery, thus allowing them to deduce that "verdant" refers to something green and flourishing. This ability to gather meaning from the surrounding context is fundamental to achieving a solid understanding of the text as a whole, which is a key component of literal comprehension.

Other skills, such as fluency, focus on the speed and accuracy of reading without necessarily concentrating on understanding the meaning of contextual words. Decoding involves translating written text into spoken language, but does not necessarily require grasping the overall meaning or context. Phonics pertains to the relationship between letters and sounds and is vital in teaching reading, but again does not involve using contextual cues to derive meaning from a text.