This lesson contains 18 slides, with interactive quizzes and text slides.
Lesson duration is: 20 min
Items in this lesson
How to use a dictionary
Slide 1 - Slide
Lesson objectives:
- To learn the first steps on how to use a dictionary properly.
- To develop your dictionary skills
- To raise your awareness of the information you can find in a dictionary
- To develop your skills of prediction when you come across new vocabulary words
- To encourage group collaboration in project work
- To promote creativity.
Slide 2 - Slide
Steps on how to use a dictionary (finding words):
Step #1 - Find the word you want to look up.
Step #2 - Find the letter that the word begins with.
Step #3 - Open the dictionary to the page with the relevant letter.
Step #4 - Look for the second letter in the word you are looking for.
Slide 3 - Slide
Understanding better how to use the dictionary:
Slide 4 - Slide
1. Read the introduction of the dictionary.
Examples:
- information such as the abbreviations, pronunciation symbols;
-what part of speech the word is;
- pronunciation of the word;
- definition;
- check the pronunciation of words with similar spellings (example not - knot )
2. Learn the abbreviations.
Tip: check the context of the word when you are looking it up.
Examples:
- "adj." stands for "adjective" and will tell you what kind of word the word you're looking up is.
- "Adv." or "advb." can stand for "adverb; adverbially."
- "n" can stand for "noun", but "can also stand for "neuter" or "north" as in direction, depending on the context.
Slide 5 - Slide
3. Learn the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book.
- Stressed and unstressed syllables
Slide 6 - Slide
4. Find the section of the dictionary with the first letter of your word.
-Beware of spelling for trickier words
(Example: "gnome" begins with a "g", or "psychology" begins with a "p", or "knock" begins with a "k", etc.)
- Beware that certain words sound alike that are spelled very differently. (Example: throne -thrown, read -red)
Slide 7 - Slide
5. Read the guide words.
-The two words at the top of the page that tell you what types of words are on the page.
6. Scan down the page for your word.
- Look for the root word (Example: fertility - fertile)
Slide 8 - Slide
7. Read the definition of the word.
- If a word has more than one meaning, it will tell you the most common one first.
Examples:
-Synonyms (words that mean the same thing / (fruitless- unsuccessful)
-Antonyms (words that mean the opposite / night-day).
Slide 9 - Slide
8. Make use of the audio content provided with online dictionaries.
-Free services such as Google may not be as comprehensive as a subscription or book dictionary.
Slide 10 - Slide
Dictionary exercises:
Slide 11 - Slide
Put the words in each row in alphabetical order:
handy
hard
hand
heat
heart
history
headache
highlights
hyperbolic
habitual
Slide 12 - Drag question
All of these words are parts of the body (nouns). Which of the words are also verbs?
arm-head-leg-eye-stomach-hand-toe-thumb
Slide 13 - Open question
Which one is the odd one out in each row? Why? Write your explanation. 1. elm - daffodil - pine - beech 2. cod - sardine - hake - fern 3. steak - beak- freak- geek
Slide 14 - Open question
Are these words American English or British English? Write AE or BE biscuit vacation lorry holiday