Mastering the Use of a Dictionary
Explore the comprehensive guide on leveraging a dictionary effectively, focusing on the nuanced aspects of English language use, the importance of a strategic learning approach, and the necessity to delve beyond mere translations. Learn how to enhance your vocabulary acquisition by understanding the "full package" of word meanings and applications, transcending basic linguistic interpretations.
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THE FULL PACKAGE HOW TO *REALLY* USE A DICTIONARY
USE OF ENGLISH We re going to have a look at the USE OF ENGLISH part of MATURA ROZSZERZONA, so that means exercises 7, 8 and 9 in the exam paper. In other words, the part of your exam where you have to: o choose one of the options: A, B, C, or D o fill the gap with one word that fits best o change the form of some words to complete a sentence.
ALL THE ENGLISH Very often the only advice you hear about these exercises is that you just need to learn English to do them correctly. No method, no strategy, no nothing. Not very helpful, right? Well, you can t learn all of English, so we need a better plan. It involves learning howto learn English
FORGET POLISH (JUST FOR A TINY MOMENT) Let s say you want to translate wiadomy wyb r into English: o wiadomy in a dictionary will be translated as aware and conscious o there you, go conscious choice o however, *aware choice is wrong What kind of sorcery is this??
LETS COMPARE This is what you see when you check both adjectives in the dictionary. Pay attention to the patterns. He is conscious/aware of the choice he has made. BUT He made a conscious/awarechoice. Consider also these sentences.
SMART, NOT HARD When you learn a new word or revise vocabulary, go for the full package, not just the Polish translation.
WHAT IS THE FULL PACKAGE AND WHERE DO I GET IT FROM?
BACK TO BASICS This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
SO MUCH CHOICE But I don t mean only print dictionaries! Below there s a list of some of my favourite online ones available for free: ohttps://dictionary.cambridge.org/ ohttps://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ ohttps://www.dictionary.com/ ohttps://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ ohttps://www.thefreedictionary.com/
HOW DOES THIS WORK? All examples: past and sample MATURA papers All screenshots: Cambridge Dictionary Online
EX. 1 Pliny the Elder, an ancient Roman philosopher, once wrote that the ostrich, being profoundly stupid, sticks its head into the sand at the first sign of danger and considers _____________ invisible. (matura 2018) Look at what should follow the verb consider . Then see how this works in the example. The ostrich considers [object of the sentence] invisible. The ostrich considers itself invisible.
EX. 2 During the last lesson, our chemistry teacher explained how (avoid/spill) _____________________________________ the chemicals in the lab. (matura 2019) The actress didn t want anybody to recognize her, so she decided to wear a wig. AVOID The actress decided to wear a wig to _______________________. (matura 2017)
EX. 2 Look at ending of the verb after avoid . During the last lesson, our chemistry teacher explained how to avoid spilling the chemicals in the lab. The actress decided to wear a wig to avoid being seen. This one is a bit different because of the passive.
EX. 3 It is surprising that we think of them _____________ timid or fearful. (matura 2018) Notice the word that comes after think of him . It is surprising that we think of them as timid or fearful.
EX. 4 Parting from his parents was not easy for my nephew. HARD My nephew found ______________________________ from his parents. (matura 2018) Easy or hard, this doesn t matter here. Look at what comes after the verb find . My nephew found it hard to part from his parents.
EX. 5 After a community group in Shropshire, England, decided to have a donated piano tuned, the tuner made an incredible discovery. Inside the piano, first sold in 1906, there was a hidden pile of gold. The group immediately _____ the find to the authorities, and the gold was taken to the British Museum. A. conveyed B. reported C. notified D. informed (matura 2019)
EX. 5 English A. conveyed B. reported C. notified D. informed Polish A. przekaza B. zg osi C. powiadomi D. poinformowa The Polish definitions don t help. We can t decide what fits in the sentence just using them The group immediately _____ the find to the authorities, and the gold was taken to the British Museum.
EX. 5 We are looking for two things: 1) MEANING they gave it to the authorities or told the authorities about it 2) PATTERN verb + noun + to infinitive Let s test each of the four options one by one. We ll look at patterns and meaning.
EX. 5 CONVEY? The pattern fits: convey sth to sb The meaning, however, doesn t because it only works for ideas, not objects. Option A has been eliminated.
EX. 5 REPORT? The pattern fits: report sth to sb The meaning fits. Option B it is! The group immediately reported the find to the authorities But let s check out the other two options just to be sure.
EX. 5 NOTIFY? The patterndoesn t fit. But the meaning would fit! Option C has been eliminated. But we could paraphrase the sentence: The group immediately reported the find to the authorities The group immediately notified the authorities of/about the find
EX. 5 INFORM? The patterndoesn t fit. But the meaning would fit! Option D has been eliminated.
EX. 5 The group immediately reported the find to the authorities The group immediately notified the authorities of/about the find The group immediately informed the authorities of/about the find Three sentences, two different patterns, one meaning!
EX. 6 It will be a day for great celebration if these storks manage to breed successfully in the traditional way because earlier attempts to encourage stork breeding _______________ out to be a failure. (matura 2019) However, in 1908 the Olympic officials _____ a blind eye to another enhancement product. A. made C. had B. kept D. turned (sample matura paper)
EX. 6 If you study the dictionary entry for the word turn in detail, you will find both the phrasal verbs and idioms this verb is a part of.
EX. 6 It will be a day for great celebration if these storks manage to breed successfully in the traditional way because earlier attempts to encourage stork breeding turned out to be a failure. However, in 1908 the Olympic officials turned a blind eye to another enhancement product.
EX. 7 The demolition company has destroyed the bridge. PULLED The bridge __________________________________ by the demolition company. (matura 2018) We re looking for any words or phrases that mean to destroy and use the verb pull .
EX. 7 These are synonyms of to destroy listed in the dictionary. The bridge was pulled down by the demolition company.
CHECK THE DICTIONARY EX.1 & 2 patterns EX.3 & 4 sample sentences (examples of use) EX. 5 detailed English definitions EX. 6 idioms, fixed phrases, and phrasal verbs EX. 7 synonyms and related expressions See how much information you can find in a dictionary!
THE FULL PACKAGE patterns sample sentences English definitions idioms, fixed phrases, and phrasal verbs synonyms and related expressions and more!
THE FULL PACKAGE IN PRACTICE Let s look at what we can learn about the verb to inspire from the dictionary. INSPIRE PATTERNS SAMPLE SENTENCES
THE FULL PACKAGE IN PRACTICE DEFINITIONS SYNONYMS, COLLOCATIONS, AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
THE FULL PACKAGE IN PRACTICE FIXED PHRASES, COLLOCATIONS, AND IDIOMS WORD FAMILY Look at all this inspiration! Do you feel inspired?
BONUS: TRICKS OF THE TRADE All screenshots: Cambridge Dictionary Online
CRACK THE CODE Now you know that using the dictionary wisely is crucial in preparing for your exams. In fact, I bet that if you continue learning English in the future, you will surely find this method helpful! But there is still more to learn about using the dictionary to your advantage. For example, STH means something, and SB means somebody. Let me show you some other special symbols and tricks of the trade!
NOUNS: C&U This one has the symbol U, which stands for uncountable. This word has the symbol C next to it. It means that the noun is countable. A lot in English depends on this difference. For example, see how we use articles with countable and uncountable nouns: Jane Eyre is a great novel and a classic of [no article] literature.
VERBS: I&T This word has the symbol T next to it. It means that the verb is transitive. This verb is marked with I, which means that it is intransitive. Transitive verbs have a direct object, and intransitive verbs don t. I don t believe ghosts exist. VERSUS I sent 10 messages.
ADJECTIVES: GRADABILITY The symbols next to this word show what the comparative and superlative forms are. This label means that the adjective doesn t have other forms. It s nice nicer the nicest, but not *alive aliver the alivest!
THE SECRET LANGUAGE And those guys? Pretty weird, don t you think? Pretty helpful too. That s the phonetic alphabet, which tells you how to pronounce a word. Can you read the words above?
GENIUS IS TEN PERCENT INSPIRATION AND NINETY PERCENT PERSPIRATION GOOD LUCK!
