clue
part of speech
noun (clue, clues)
meaning for a pupil
1) A clue is a piece of information that helps you solve a mystery, puzzle or problem. tree →
2) A clue is a hint given in a puzzle or crossword. tree →
3) «Not have a clue» means not to know anything about something. tree →
4) An old word for a ball of thread or string, which can be thrown or unwound to find your way. tree →
sense in the lessons
In reading lessons pupils find clues in the text to work out characters' feelings and the meaning of new words (context clues). In maths word problems key words are clues to the operation. In stories detectives look for clues, and in games children go on treasure hunts following clues. Phrases: give a clue, look for clues, a clue to, not have a clue, clueless.
examples
- The detective found a clue under the window. tree →
- Here's a clue: it is yellow and you can eat it. tree →
- Use clues in the picture to guess the word. tree →
- I haven't got a clue where my shoe is. tree →
- We followed the clues on the treasure hunt. tree →
- Muddy footprints were the main clue. tree →
- Read the crossword clue again. tree →
note
Countable noun. Spelling: clue (not «clew»). «I don't have a clue» is informal for «I don't know at all». In maths problems words like «altogether» and «in total» are clues to add, «left» to subtract — but always think, because clue words can trick you.
In the corpora
- One clue plus a guess plus another guess feels like news, but it is not.
- Three clues, one happy answer: a surprise is being planned, and it is kinder not to go looking for it.
- What do all the clues say together?
- Sometimes there are clues, but often you can't tell by looking, so ask who posted it first.
- AI pictures sometimes have clues, like odd hands or nonsense writing, but newer ones may have none.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «clue» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.