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Department of Arts and Social Sciences

Degree in English Language Teaching
Study Skills

Using a Dictionary Effectively

Teacher։ Jamal Nhamuave

Student Name։ Ronaldo Sebastião Coana

Manhiça, 05 May, 2024

 Ronaldo Sebastião Coana

Using a Dictionary Effectively

The present research work arises

within the scope of Study Skills
chair and will be delivered to
Teacher ։ Jamal Nhamuave

Manhiça, 05 May, 2024

Index
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1
Dictionary ............................................................................................................................. 2
Finding words quickly........................................................................................................... 3
Finding the right English translation of a word in your language……………………………..4
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 5
Bibliographic References: ..................................................................................................... 6
Introduction
A dictionary is an essential tool for anyone engaged in reading, writing, or learning a
language. It provides definitions, pronunciations, etymologies, and other useful information
about words. However, the full potential of a dictionary is often underutilized. This paper
aims to explore the various strategies and techniques for using a dictionary effectively to
enhance comprehension, vocabulary, and language skills.

1
Dictionary
A dictionary is a very important tool for anyone who is learning a new language. With a good
dictionary you can do the following:

 look up the meaning of an English word you see or hear

 find the English translation of a word in your language
 check the spelling of a word
 check the plural of a noun or past tense of a verb
 find out other grammatical information about a word
 find the synonym or antonym of a word
 look up the collocations of a word
 check the part of speech of a word
 find out how to say a word
 find out about the register of a word
 find examples of the use of a word in natural language

To be a good dictionary user, however, it is not enough to know what to use the dictionary
for. You must also decide which is the best dictionary for any of the purposes listed above.
As well as this, you need to be able to find what you are looking for quickly; you need to be
sure that you have found what you were looking for; and, most importantly, you need to
know when to use your dictionary.

Knowing which dictionary to use

Electronic dictionaries are the best choice for ESL students. Most of them contain native-
language equivalents and explanations, as well as definitions and example sentences in
English. They can speak the English word to you, and they are easy to carry around.
However, they are expensive and easy to lose, so put your name on yours!

A cheaper possibility, if you are going to work at the computer, is to use an online
dictionary. A very good one for ESL students is the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary
English. Alternatively, if you open Google and type, for example, define: superstitious, you
will get a long list of different definitions of superstitious.

A good monolingual dictionary is recommended for students who already have a high
standard of English and want to learn about word use.

2
Finding words quickly
This is a skill that you need to practice. Ask someone to write down 5 words and see how
long it takes you to find them. Of course, you will need to know the English alphabet
perfectly, so practice this too. Use the guide words at the top of each dictionary page; and
keep practicing until you can find any word within 10 seconds. You should also practice
finding words in your own language in your bilingual dictionary. If you use an electronic
dictionary, take some time at home to learn how it works and, again, practice finding words
quickly.

Finding the right meaning of an English word

Very often when you look up a new English word, you find that it has more than one
meaning. If you are not sure which one is correct, here’s what you can do:

First, check through all the meanings and find the one that makes most sense in the context
where you found the word. (Very often, many of the different meanings are similar and this
should be enough to give you a good idea what the word means.)

Second, if you really want to make sure, think what the word is in your own language and
look it up in a bilingual dictionary. If one of the English translations is the original word you
looked up, then you can be satisfied that you have found the right meaning.

Finding the right spelling

Another problem you may have is when you want to check your spelling but you can’t find
the word you’re looking for. What can you do?

If you are sure of the first few letters, just look down the page until you find the right
spelling. (Again, it is helpful to check the meaning is the one you expect.)

If you are not sure of the first few letters, try some other possibilities. You know for example
that some words that start with an -n sound have k as their first letter; e.g. knife, knight. So if
you can't find the word under N, try looking in the K pages.

If you still can’t find the word, think what it is in your language and look it up in your
bilingual dictionary.

3
Finding the right English translation of a word in your language
When you look up a word in your own language in a bilingual dictionary, you will probably
find that there is more than one English translation. If you are not sure which to use, you
could try a back translation. This means that you look up the English translations one by one
in a monolingual dictionary. If a word has a definition that matches the word in your
language, you are safe to use it.

Knowing when to use the dictionary

If you look up every new word you see or hear, you will spend your whole day with the
dictionary in your hand. That’s no good! You have to be clever and choose the right words to
check and the right time to do it. Try to follow the advice below and you will become a much
more efficient language learner:

When you find a new word while reading, finish the sentence (better: the paragraph). If you
haven’t guessed the meaning and it still seems important, then you can look it up. To avoid
interrupting your reading for too long, you should find its meaning in your own language
using a bilingual dictionary.

When you hear a new word in class (or the teacher has written it on the board), wait and
continue listening. What the teacher says next may help you to understand the word. If you
look in your dictionary, you will not hear what comes next, and this will make understanding
the lesson more and more difficult.

If you think the word is very important, you could copy it from the board or write how you
think it is spelled. Then later you could ask the teacher or another student what it means.

4
Conclusion
Using a dictionary effectively requires more than just looking up definitions. It involves
understanding the structure of dictionary entries, choosing the right type of dictionary for
one's needs, and employing strategies to fully grasp and utilize the information provided. By
mastering these techniques, individuals can significantly enhance their language proficiency
and comprehension skills.

5
Bibliographic References:
- "How to Use a Dictionary Effectively." Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Oxford University
Press. [https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/wordlists/oxford3000-
5000](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/wordlists/oxford3000-5000)

- "Using the Dictionary." Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press.

[https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/)

- "Guide to Dictionary Entries." Collins Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers.

[https://www.collinsdictionary.com/](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/)