Dictionary Tutorial

For this tour, you will be using three different dictionaries: Webster’s New World Dictionary, The Random House College Dictionary, and The American Heritage Dictionary. Make sure you have these dictionaries with you to complete this activity.

We’ll start with the layout. Most dictionaries are arranged alphabetically. That means they’re in alphabetical order. So if you’re looking for a word that begins with an “a,” you’ll look in the front of the dictionary; likewise, if you’re looking for a word that begins with a “z,” you’ll look in the back of the dictionary.Answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper:1.) In The American Heritage Dictionary, what page is the word “solipsism” on?2.) In The Random House College Dictionary, what page is the word “veracity” on?3.) In Webster’s New World Dictionary, what page is the word “potable” on?

Most people think of dictionaries as places to look up definitions of words. That’s true, but most dictionaries contain a lot of other information as well.Dictionaries can be used to figure out the spelling of a word, as long as you know the first few letters of the word.

Answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper:

4.) Is the correct spelling “rennaisance” or “renaissance”?

5.) Is the correct spelling “ambivalence” or “ambivalance”?

Dictionaries also give the pronunciation of words, but first you have to understand what the symbols mean. Use The American Heritage Dictionary for this exercise.

A half circle over a vowel—such as in these examples, ăĕĭŏŭ—shows that it is a short vowel sound. A line over a vowel—such as in these examples, āēīōū—shows that it is a long vowel sound. Compare the difference in the short and long vowel sounds in the following words:Short vowel Long vowelHat (ă—short a) Cake (ā—long a)Wet (ĕ—short e) Feet (ē—long e)Tin (ĭ—short i) Sign (ī—long i)Hot (ŏ—short o) Comb (ō—long o)Tub (ŭ—short u) Cube (ū—long u), Tune (ū—long u)

Using The American Heritage Dictionary or your own skills, determine whether each has a long or short vowel sound. Please answer each question on a separate sheet of paper.

6.) Is the “u” in the word “lumber” a short “u” sound or a long “u” sound?7.) Is the “i” in the word “pi” a short “i” sound or

a long “i” sound?8.) Is the “a” in the word “crash” a short “a”

sound or a long “a” sound?9.) Is the “e” in the word “net” a short “e” sound

or a long “e” sound?10.) Is the “o” in the word “phone” a short “o”

sound or a long “o” sound?

Another common symbol you will see in the dictionary is the upside down e ( ), which is called the schwa. The schwa basically makes the sound “uh.”

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

11.) In the word “cinnamon,” what vowels make the schwa sound?

12.) In the word “exegesis,” which “e” makes the schwa sound?

e

Many dictionaries also show what syllable in a word should be accented—that’s the part of the word that is emphasized. They will use an accent mark (´) immediately after the syllable that is emphasized.

Look up the following in any of the dictionaries and answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper.

13.) Which syllable is accented in the word “exist”?

14.) Which syllable is accented in the word “exit”?

15.) Which syllable is accented in the word “malignant”?

Most dictionaries also give you information about the part of speech of a word, in other words, whether the word is a noun, adjective, verb, etc. These will be abbreviated. Here are the most common abbreviations:n. = noun pl. = plural adj. = adjectivev. = verb

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:16.) What part of speech is the word “apothecary”?17.) Considering the part of speech of the word “apothecary,” in which sentence would the word make more sense: a.) The apothecary gave the knight a vial of powder. b.) Do you like to apothecary at the pharmacy?

Questions continue on the next page…

18.) What part of speech is the word “irascible”?

19.) Considering the part of speech of the word “irascible,” in which sentence would the word make more sense: a.) The irascible bit my nose off! b.) The irascible hermit bit my nose off.

20.) What part of speech is the word “transcend”?

21.) Considering the part of speech of the word “transcend,” in which sentence would the word make more sense: a.) She will transcend our expectations. b.) The transcend book is enlightening.

Dictionaries sometimes include information about the origin of a word, that is where the word comes from. Webster’s New World Dictionary includes this information. Here are some of the abbreviations used in the book:ME. = Middle English OFr. = Old FrenchOE. = Old English Fr. = FrenchL. = Latin Gr. = GreekSp. = Spanish

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.22.) What is the Middle English version of the word “destiny”?23.) What is the Old English version of the word “dog”?24.) What is the Spanish version of the word “corral”?

The main reason people use a dictionary is to find the definitions of words.Look up the following underlined words and then, answer each question.25.) The child is a prodigy at the violin. Is the child good at playing the violin?26.) It is imperative that you arrive on time. Is it okay if the person is a little late?27.) The idea of cleaning this mess is repellant. Is the speaker excited about cleaning up the mess?28.) The movie is a little trite. Is the movie profound and uplifting?29.) Percy is extremely credulous. Is it easy to trick Percy?30.) The statue’s visage filled them with fright. Were they frightened by the statue’s face?