USING A DICTIONARY ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE PRE INTERMEDIATE

 

ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE PRE INTERMEDIATE UNIT 3 USING A DICTIONARY

 

A What dictionaries do I need? A bilingual dictionary [using two languages] is easy for you to understand, and quick and easy to use. A dictionary in English will give you reading practice in English and many more examples of how words are used. If possible, use both. These are good dictionaries in English for your level, and most of them are available online: Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary            Oxford Wordpower Dictionary Longman Active Study Dictionary         Macmillan Essential Dictionary B If you look up a word [find a word in a dictionary] using the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary, the information is shown like this: 3.1 Correct the spelling mistakes. Use a dictionary to check your answers. 1 allways __always__ 6 confortable ______________ 2 realy ______________ 7 accomodation ______________ 3 unfortunatly ______________ 8 beautifull ______________ 4 expecially ______________ 9 unbeleievable ______________ 5 cloths ______________ 10 neccesary ______________ 3.2 In the word island /ˈaɪlənd/, the letter ‘s’ is silent (not pronounced). Use your dictionary to find the silent letters in these words. 1. knee 2. comb 3. castle 4. salmon 5. receipt C Defining words ‘Defining words’ are words that dictionaries use when they define [explain] the words in the dictionary. Some of these are quite common. emphasise [give something more attention and importance], e.g. My teacher has always emphasised the importance of writing down new words in a notebook. relating to or connected to/with [having a relationship with someone or something], e.g. musical is connected with / related to music amount [how much there is of something], e.g. £5 million is a large amount of money. official [done by the government or someone in authority], e.g. A passport is an official document. behave [do or say things in a particular way], e.g. People can behave strangely when they’re nervous.   EXERCISES 3.3 Complete the dictionary definitions using words from the box. connected with emphasise relating to behave official amount 1 industrial / ɪnˈdʌstriəl/ 1 adjective ____connected with ______industry 2 sum /sʌm/ noun [C] an ____________of money 3 pretend /prɪˈtend/ verb [I,T] to _______________as if something is true when it is not D Using a dictionary √ When you use a dictionary to check the meaning of a word, put a tick (✓) next to it. Each time you return to a page with a tick, see [find out] if you remember the word. √ When you meet a new word or phrase in a text, first try to guess the meaning [try to think of the meaning when you don’t know it]. Then, use a dictionary to see if your guess was correct. 3.4 Answer the questions, and use an English dictionary to check the answers. 1 What does puppy mean? __It’s a very young dog._ 2 Is the correct spelling organize or organise? ________________________________ 3 What part of speech is extremely? ________________________________ 3.5 Match the sentences on the right with the different meanings of post on the left. 1 He’s applied for a post overseas. 2 Did you send the cheque by post? 3 I tied the flag to a post. 4 We haven’t had any post yet.

ANSWER KEY