Choosing and Using a Dictionary

Why use a dictionary?

Most students complain when they are asked to use a dictionary. They consider it to be a waste of time since they can simply ask a teacher / classmate or even ignore the word and hope it goes away (trust me-that doesn't work!). Apart fom the obvious (finding a definition), a dictionary has numerous uses . Information such as pronunciation , function , part of speech can be found.

Example: take verb (REMOVE)

/teɪk/ (took, taken) (pronunciation , past forms)

•

[T] to remove something, especially without permission (T : transitive verb) (definiton)

Has anything been taken (= stolen)? (examples)

Here's your pen, I took it by mistake.

All possessions had been taken from her.

•

[T] to subtract a number (= remove it from another number) (second definition)

If you take 4 from 12 you get 8.

take time (phrase)

[L only + noun] If something takes a particular time, that period is needed in order to complete it

The cooking process only takes ten minutes.

[+ to infinitive] How long does this paint take to dry? (function)

[+ object + noun] It took us all day to drive home.

from http://dictionary.cambridge.org

Kinds of Dictionaries

EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students will find these kinds of dictionaries useful:

• Learner's
• Advanced Learner's
• Idioms
• Phrasal Verbs
• American / British English
• Thesaurus (a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms)

There are also bilingual dictionaries e.g. English - Greek