Using a Dictionary Part 1
Contents

Part 1

WHAT'S IN YOUR DICTIONARY?
DIFFERENT KINDS OF DICTIONARY
FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND YOUR DICTIONARY
WORD MEANINGS
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
INTERNET DICTIONARIES

Part 2

CHECKING SPELLING
PARTS OF SPEECH AND PLURALS
HEAD WORDS
FINDING DIFFICULT WORDS
ORIGIN OF WORDS
GLOSSARY

Part 3

PRACTICE EXERCISES

Many people use dictionaries to find out the meaning of words or to check their spelling.

However, you can find out a lot of other information if you know how to use your dictionary well.

Definitions / word meanings

US (American) spelling

Synonyms

Parts of speech

Pronunciation of words

Plurals of nouns

Origin of words

Capitalisation

Grammatical information

Prepositional rules

English spelling

Word usage (eg slang)

A dictionary may help you to find the following:

words of similar meanings

the population of different countries like Mexico

where expressions like "last straw" were first used

information you felt you needed an encyclopaedia to find!

DIFFERENT KINDS OF DICTIONARIES

You can find many different kinds of dictionaries in your library.

Examples:
The Australian Slang dictionary
Maths dictionaries
Illustrated dictionaries
Non-English language dictionaries
Special subject dictionaries (eg horticulture, biology, etc)
Australian English (eg Macquarie Dictionary)
American English (eg Webster's Dictionary)

There is a variety of different kinds of dictionaries on the Internet. Check out the Reference.com site.

OTHER KINDS OF INFORMATION IN YOUR DICTIONARY

Most dictionaries include special sections at the front or back. These might include:

maps
information about geographical places
famous people
pictures of state or national flags
listings of state capitals
other lists of facts
illustrations (such as how disc brakes work)

You can find out a lot of information if you know how to use your dictionary.

FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND YOUR DICTIONARY

How do I find all this information?

Look in the introduction section of your dictionary.
Make sure your edition is no more than 10 years old.

The introduction section gives:

the explanation of the meanings of any special marks
how to say (pronounce) words
abbreviations and symbols
details on how to use that dictionary

WORD MEANINGS

Many people use a dictionary to find the meaning of words.
Each word that is explained in the dictionary is usually in bold type.
Entry words may be shown divided into syllables. (eg cal-am-ity)
Some words may have only one meaning.
Some have more than one meaning.
It might be necessary to scan all meanings to find the one that suits the context.

See the word "cunning" on Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary for an example of a word with multiple meanings. (NB these meanings show American usage!)

ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES

Sentences that show how a word is used are sometimes included in dictionaries. The following sentence for example, might be used to demonstrate the meaning of "sarcasm"..

"How unselfish you are," said the girl with sarcasm,as her brother took the biggest piece of cake.

INTERNET DICTIONARIES

You can use online dictionaries to look up words. Some of these sites are free.

You might like to search:

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary Online (American)

To find other free Online dictionary sites, follow the links on Weblinks: Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias on this site.

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