Using a Dictionary Skill

Dictionary Skills

Multiple Choice

A dictionary is a book that contains all the words in a language and their definitions. Words in a dictionary are organized alphabetically: A to Z. You would find the word "abacus" near the beginning of a dictionary. You would find the word "zucchini" close to the end.

Which of these words would you find closest to the first page in a dictionary?

• unruly

• terrain

• designate

• ingenious

Multiple Choice

Dictionaries are reference books. That means they are sources that provide facts and information. You can use a dictionary when you don't know what a word means or how to spell it. You can also use it to find the word's pronunciation and part of speech. The part of speech is usually abbreviated. For example, the abbreviation for adjective is "adj." Some dictionaries include the origin of a word, which is where the word came from. Some show how the word can be used in a sentence or phrase. You might also see synonyms given for some words in the dictionary. Even when you know what a word means, a dictionary can help you learn more about it.

Which of these is most likely the title of a reference book?

• The Cat and the Mouse: A Bedtime Story

• The Encyclopedia of Chemistry

• A Very Long Journey: A Play

• The Adventures of Owl Man

Multiple Choice

Dictionaries can have a lot of pages. When you want to find a word in the dictionary, don't start from page one and read until you find it. That could take a very long time. Instead, open the dictionary where you think the word will be based on the alphabet. If it starts with an L, it's probably near the middle of the dictionary. If it starts with an X, it's going to be closer to the back. From there, use the guide words. Those are words at the top of a page that tell you the first and last words you can find on that page. Keep flipping until the word you're looking for comes between the guide words on the page. Then, use what you know about alphabetizing to find the entry for the word you want. Remember: if you're looking for a plural noun or a verb, look up the "base word." You might not find "juggled" in the dictionary, but you'll find "juggle."

Which of these could be the guide words on the page where you would find an entry for the word "indicate"?

• incident - inoculate

• ingratiate - inhibit

• initial - innkeeper

• inbound - inch

incident - inoculate

According to the passage, to find an entry in the dictionary, "Keep flipping until the word you're looking for comes between the guide words on the page." Alphabetically, the word "indicate" (which begins i-n-d) comes between "incident" (i-n-c) and "inoculate" (i-n-o).

Multiple Choice

A dictionary entry has many parts. The main word or entry word is the word that you're looking up. You might find it in bold. You will probably see the word written with dots in the middle of it. Those dots separate the word into syllables. For example, the word "heroic" could be written like this: he·ro·ic. This shows that it has three syllables. You'll usually find the word written with symbols between slashes or parentheses. That's the word's pronunciation, or how to say it. There will be a key somewhere in the dictionary that shows you what the symbols mean. The pronunciation for heroic looks like this: həroihk. You can see from the formatting that the second syllable is emphasized. That means you stress that syllable when you say it: he-RO-ic.

Which of these words has four syllables?

• bra·vo

• be·wil·der

• ex·fo·li·ate

• ex·hil·a·ra·tion

ex·fo·li·ate

According to the passage, "Dots in the middle" of a word...separate the word into syllables." The word "ex·fo·li·ate" has three dots, separating the word into its four parts: ex-fo-li-ate.

Along with the main word, syllables and pronunciation, a dictionary entry will show you the word's part of speech. A word can be used as more than one part of speech. For example, the word "solo" can be a noun, a verb, an adjective and an adverb! The entry will also include the word's definitions, or meanings. A word can have more than one definition, too. For example, the word "mouse" may refer to a rodent or to a computer device. If you're looking up the meaning of a word that you read in a book, you'll need to use context to figure out which of these definitions is being used.

Multiple Choice

Read the following passage.

Backstage, Hatim felt tense. He had been practicing for weeks, but he was still nervous. "Just breathe," he told himself. "You've got this." Still, he felt a flutter in his chest. He tried to quiet his worried mind as the music started. There was his cue. It was time to go on stage.

Which definition of the word "tense" is used in this passage?

• (adjective) unable to relax

• (verb) to make rigid or tight

• (adjective) stretched tight, rigid

• (noun) a group of verbs that indicates time

(adjective) unable to relax

In this passage, "tense" is being used as an adjective to describe how Hatim felt. The words "nervous" and "worried" provide context clues that the definition of "tense" is "unable to relax."

Some entries in the dictionary will include a sentence or phrase that shows how to use the word correctly. This is helpful when a word has particularly strange usage. You might also see information about irregular forms of the word. Some entries can also include synonyms for the word, which may be abbreviated "syn." Lastly, you might find information about a word's origins or etymology. That means the language the word came from. Some entries will also have labels that tell you if a definition can be used in a way that is not standard English. For example, the word "dough" to mean money will be labeled as "slang."

Multiple Choice

Read the following dictionary entry.

pitch (pIch) verb

He pitched the ball gently to his little boy, who tried vainly to catch it.

syn: cast, hurl, throw

2: to establish, set up or anchor solidly.

The hikers pitched their camp near the river.

syn: elect, establish, place, set

3: in baseball or softball, to be the pitcher during a game.

She pitched seven innings before the manager took her out.

4: to establish the degree, angle, level or position of.

He didn't pitch his ambitions very high.

This dictionary entry

• specifies that "pitch" can be used as a noun.

• does not include any synonyms for the word "pitch."

• includes four different pronunciations for the word "pitch."

• includes a sentence for each definition given for the word "pitch."

Includes a sentence for each definition given for the word "pitch."

This dictionary entry includes four definitions for the word "pitch." Each is numbered. Below each, in italics, is a sentence that gives an example of how that definition of the word can be used.