I don''t quite understand what context clues are. Here is what they ask to do:
Circle the words in the bracketed paragraph that are context clues that suggest that askew means "lying in a crooked way".
and here's the paragraph:
Beyond the thirty-three familiar shadows, forty thousand men exhausted by nervous expectation, unable to sleep for romantic dreams of battles yet unfought, lay crazily askew in their uniforms. A mile yet farther on, another army was strewn helter-skelter, turning slow, basting themselves with the thought of what they would do when the time came: a leap, a yell, a blind plunge their strategy, raw youth their protection and benediction.
thank you to anyone who helps :)
Context clues give the reader some idea of the meaning of perhaps unfamiliar words or ideas. I'll underline some of the context clues in your paragraph.
Beyond the thirty-three familiar shadows, forty thousand men exhausted by nervous expectation, unable to sleep for romantic dreams of battles yet unfought, lay crazily askew in their uniforms. A mile yet farther on, another army was strewn helter-skelter, turning slow, basting themselves with the thought of what they would do when the time came: a leap, a yell, a blind plunge their strategy, raw youth their protection and benediction.
Context clues are hints or clues that can be found within a text, which help readers determine the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases. In this case, you are asked to identify the words in the paragraph that provide context clues for the meaning of the word "askew" as "lying in a crooked way."
To find context clues, you need to look for words or phrases in the text that can help you infer the meaning of the unknown word. In the given paragraph, the phrase "lay crazily askew in their uniforms" provides a context clue for the meaning of "askew." The key words are "lay crazily," which suggest that the soldiers were positioned in a crooked or uneven manner.
When identifying context clues, it is important to pay attention to words or phrases that are closely related to the unknown word and provide additional information about it. By using these clues, you can make an educated guess about the meaning of the word "askew" in this context.