Using clues: a matter of context.

Writing!, February, 2008

Whether you are reading for pleasure or homework, you will occasionally come across an unfamiliar word or phrase in a text. Before running for a dictionary, try using context clues to figure out the meaning. Context clues are bits of information surrounding the word that can throw light on its meaning.

Directions: Read the passage below, and then answer the questions. After each question, write the clue that helped you figure out the meaning of that word or phrase.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were distinguished folklorists and philologists. The scholarly brothers were born in Hanau and educated at the University of Marburg, later serving as professors at the universities of G6ttingen and Berlin. While Jacob concentrated on scientific philology, Wilhelm...

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