Dictionary

Why use a dictionary? to learn meanings of unfamiliar words  to find correct spellings  to find out how to correctly use a word – as what part of speech  to find the pronunciation for a word  to find the derivation of a word (the origins of the word )  to find the correct spellings of derivatives (root words with suffixes or other regular endings )

WORDS TO KNOW GUIDE WORDS two words listed at the   top of each dictionary page that signal the words alphabetically  listed on the page  ENTRY WORDS in boldface type,  gives the spelling (and is sometimes divided to show syllables)

WORDS TO KNOW PRONUNCIATION the symbols used to  show how to pronounce the word properly (the sounds the symbols  represent is shown in the pronunciation key ) ( when pronunciations are  labeled "for 1"  or  "for 2" that pronunciation should only be used for the  definition with that number) ( when two pronunciations for one word have an "or"  between them the pronunciations can be used interchangeably )

WORDS TO KNOW DEFINITION gives the meanings of the word. They are stated briefly and are numbered to separate each one. ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCE ( or phrase ) sentence used to demonstrate how a word is used

WORDS TO KNOW LABEL a descriptive word used to show how a  word is used  ( example ‑ OLD USE or ARCHAIC tells the reader the word is not commonly used in today's speech but a definition may be necessary because the word may be used in literature ) SLANG a label used to tell the reader that  the definition is for a nonstandard use of the entry word

WORDS TO KNOW IDIOM a phrase or saying in which a special use is made of a word example - raining cats and dogs DERIVATION the origin of the entry word – where the word comes from (usually written at the end of the definition in brackets ) ABBREVIATIONS ( of parts of speech) ‑ identify each use of a word by its function in a sentence

ABBREVIATIONS ADJ. adjective ‑ helps describe a noun –   gives a more exact meaning ADV. adverb ‑ helps describe a verb by  giving a more exact meaning CONJ. conjunction ‑ connects words,  phrases or clauses INTERJ. interjection ‑ independent word which expresses strong feeling

ABBREVIATIONS N. noun ‑ name of a person, place or thing PREP. preposition ‑ shows relationship between noun and some other word in the sentence PRON. pronoun ‑ used in place of noun VB. verb‑ indicates action or tells something about the subject

ABBREVIATIONS PL. plural ‑ form of a noun, adjective, or verb which indicates that more than one person, place, or thing is being spoken about in the sentence

PRACTICE WITH A DICTIONARY Now think of 4 words you would like to look up in a dictionary. List the guide words at the top of the page for each word, the definition, an illustrative sentence, any slang, idiom, labels, or derivations for the word and what part of speech it is.