Context Clues: Definitions
Text Version

Let’s review the text example for the strategy “definitions.”

During the late 1800s, many Americans came to believe that trusts, or combinations of companies, had too much control over the economy and government.

How is the strategy of “definitions” used to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases in the text?

The meaning of trusts is provided in the sentence. Notice the comma after the word trust, followed by “or,” a signal word and then the definition, “combination of companies.”

(Visual description: the word “trust” and the comma following it are underlined. Then, the term “combination of companies” is highlighted.)