We'll use the puzzle called Crostic Instructions, shown
below, to illustrate how to solve an acrostic. A hint: The quote
contains instructions for acrostics!
First, we read the clues, and answer the ones we think
we know. Below is how the screen might look after filling
in four of the answers.
As we type in the answers, each letter appears somewhere in the
grid to the right, which will ultimately contain the
quotation we are trying to solve. In the example, you can see
how the letters from the four answers show up in the grid.
Though it might look similar, the grid is not a crossword
puzzle. Reading vertically down the columns would give you
gibberish. Instead, read the quote as you would a
book, one line at a time, horizontally.
|
The end of each word is marked with a dark square. Words
can wrap onto the next line. Only a dark square will show
you where a word ends. In the example, the first three words
of the quote have seven letters, while the next word has only
two, and the next only one.
Looking again at the answers on the left, you see that the
first column of the answers is shaded. This column will
contain the name of the author and the work from which the
quote is taken. In the example, it looks like the name of the
author of the quote starts with an M.
Answering clues isn't the only way we can fill in letters.
In looking at the grid, there are already letter combinations
which suggest words. Have any ideas?
Continue
|