Photo

Do you know how to use dictionary?!!!!!

How to use a dictionary effectively

Reasons for using a dictionary

A dictionary is a very important tool for anyone who is learning a new language. With a good dictionary you can do the following:

• look up the meaning of an English word you see or hear
• find the English translation of a word in your language
• check the spelling of a word
• check the plural of a noun or past tense of a verb
• find out other grammatical information about a word
• find the synonym or antonym of a word
• look up the collocations of a word
• check the part of speech of a word
• find out how to say a word
• find out about the register of a word
• find examples of the use of a word in natural language

To be a good dictionary user, however, it is not enough to know what to use the dictionary for. You must also decide which is the best dictionary for any of the purposes listed above. As well as this, you need to be able to find what you are looking for quickly; you need to be sure that you have found what you were looking for; and, most importantly, you need to know when to use your dictionary.

Knowing which dictionary to use

Electronic dictionaries are the best choice for ESL students. Most of them contain native-language equivalents and explanations, as well as definitions and example sentences in English. They can speak the English word to you, and they are easy to carry around. However, they are expensive and easy to lose, so put your name on yours!A cheaper possibility, if you are going to work at the computer, is to use an online dictionary. A very good one for ESL students is the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Alternatively, if you open Google and type, for example, define: superstitious, you will get a long list of different definitions of superstitious.
A good monolingual dictionary is recommended for students who already have a high standard of English and want to learn about word use.

Finding words quickly

This is a skill that you need to practise. Ask someone to write down 5 words and see how long it takes you to find them. Of course, you will need to know the English alphabet perfectly, so practise this too. Use the guide words at the top of each dictionary page; and keep practising until you can find any word within 10 seconds. You should also practise finding words in your own language in your bilingual dictionary. If you use an electronic dictionary, take some time at home to learn how it works and, again, practise finding words quickly.

Finding the right meaning of an English word

Very often when you look up a new English word, you find that it has more than one meaning. If you are not sure which one is correct, here’s what you can do:

• First, check through all the meanings and find the one that makes most sense in the context where you found the word. (Very often, many of the different meanings are similar and this should be enough to give you a good idea what the word means.)
• Second, if you really want to make sure, think what the word is in your own language and look it up in a bilingual dictionary. If one of the English translations is the original word you looked up, then you can be satisfied that you have found the right meaning.

Reading improves your language

http://www.arab4load.info/download310722.html

English speaks about itself ..

To learn more about English Language and to be a fluent speaker just like  native speakers this blogger will help you.....

English

 

     Hello everyone, my name is English. I was born during the 5^th century AD. My history started with the arrival of the Germanic tribes. I am considered to be the daughter of Latin Language. My name was derived from “Englaland “the place of the Germanic tribes and their language which was called “Englisc”, because of that I was named by “English”.

     By time, I spread all over the world and I entered every place. I became the language of science, technology, tourism, economy, and communications. Now, I am the king language of the developed world. I became the language of etiquette and development and I am spoken everywhere by everyone.

     Learning me is very necessary, because that will help you to respond to all the challenges of the world. Also, being a fluent speaker will help you raising good citizenship and you will be that person who defends the valued and ideals of his nation and religion.