Reading the Dictionary

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 26 APPENDIX E Rading th Dictionary Exprts bliv that most English-spaking adults us btwn 25,000 and 50,000 words. That sms lik a larg numbr, yt th English languag has ovr a million words. Effctiv radrs us a dictionary to undrstand nw or difficult words. Most dictionaris provid th following information: Guid words (th words at th top of ach pag) Splling (how th word and its diffrnt forms ar splld) Pronunciation (how to say th word) Part of spch (th function of th word) Dfinition (th maning of th word) Synonyms (words that hav similar manings) Etymology (th history of th word) All dictionaris hav guid words at th top of ach pag. Howvr, dictionaris diffr from ach othr in th way thy giv othr information about words. Som dictionaris giv mor information about th origin of th word; othr dictionaris giv long lists of synonyms. Each dictionary will xplain how to us its rsourcs in th first fw pags. How to Rad a Dictionary Entry Th following ntry from Mrriam-Wbstr s Collgiat Dictionary, 10th dition, will b usd as an xampl for th discussions about th kinds of information a dictionary provids. 26 hr bi cid \'(h) r-b - sīd\ n [L hrba + ISV = cid] (1899) : an ' agnt usd to dstroy or inhibit plant growth hr bi cid al \ (h) r-b -'sī-d l\ adj hr bi cid al ly \-d l-ē\ adv '

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 27 Splling and Syllabls PRACTICE Th splling of th main word is givn first in bold typ. Th word is also dividd into syllabls. Th word hrbicid has thr syllabls: hr-bi-cid.spllings of words basd on this word ar givn at th nd of th ntry. This listing is spcially hlpful whn lttrs ar droppd or addd to crat a nw word. Th word hrbicid changs form and splling to bcom hrbicidal, which has four syllabls, hr-bi-cid-al, and hrbicidally, which has fiv syllabls, hr-bi-cid-al-ly. EXAMPLES Us a dictionary to brak th following words into syllabls. In th spacs providd, rwrit ach word, placing a dot ( ) btwn th syllabls. 1. intrmit 2. pdagogy EXPLANATIONS 1. Intrmit has thr syllabls: in-tr-mit. 2. Pdagogy has four syllabls: pd-a-go-gy. 1 Us a dictionary to brak th following words into syllabls. In th spacs providd, rwrit ach word, placing a dot ( ) btwn th syllabls. 1. scavngr 2. tundra HOW TO READ A DICTIONARY ENTRY 27 Pronunciation symbols indicat th sounds of consonants and vowls. Dictionaris provid pronunciation kys so that you will undrstand th symbols usd in th pronunciation guid to a word. Blow is a sampl pronunciation ky. Copyright 2004 Parson Education, Inc. Pronunciation Ky \ \ abut \ \ kittn, Ftabl \ r\ furthr \a\ ash \ā\ ac \ä\ mop, mar \a u\ out \ch\ chin \\ bt \ē\asy \g\ go \i\ hit \ī\ ic \ j\ job \ \ sing \ō\ go \ȯ\ law \ȯi\ boy \ th\ thin \ th\ th \ü\ loot \ u\ foot \ y\ yt \zh\ vision \ȧ, k, n, œ, œ, u, u, y \ Not that ach lttr and symbol is followd by a sampl word. Th sampl word tlls you how that lttr and symbol sounds. For xampl, th long a

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 28 28 APPENDIX E READING THE DICTIONARY PRACTICE sounds lik a in ac. And th short i has th sound of th i in bit. Th symbol that looks lik an upsid down ( ) is calld a schwa. Th schwa has a sound lik uh, as in about. Diffrnt dictionaris us diffrnt symbols in thir pronunciation kys, so b sur to chck th ky of th dictionary you ar using. EXAMPLES Us th pronunciation ky rprintd in this book to answr qustions about th following words. Writ th lttrs of your answrs in th givn spacs. EXPLANATIONS 1. con sign (k n-'sīn) Th i in consign sounds lik th i in a. sit b. sigh 2. d vi at ('dē-vē-āt) Th a in dviat sounds lik th a in a. mat b. day 1. Th i in consign sounds lik th i in sigh 2. Th a in dviat sounds lik th a in day. 2 Using your dictionary, find and writ in th pronunciation symbols and accnt marks for ach of th following words. 1. oustr 2. papyrus Parts of Spch Parts of spch indicat how a word functions in a sntnc. Dictionary ntris tll you what part of spch a word is noun, vrb, adjctiv, and so on. Th part of spch is abbrviatd and printd in italics. Your dictionary provids a full list of abbrviations. Th following ar th most common abbrviations for th parts of spch:

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 29 HOW TO READ A DICTIONARY ENTRY 29 Parts of Spch adj adjctiv n noun adv advrb prp prposition conj conjunction pron pronoun intrj Intrjction v, vi, vt vrb Rad again th sampl dictionary ntry for hrbicid. hr bi cid \'(h) r-b - sīd\ n [L hrba + ISV =cid] (1899) : an ' agnt usd to dstroy or inhibit plant growth hr bi cid al \ (h) r-b -'sī-d l\ adj hr bi cid al ly \-d l-ē\ adv ' As th ntry shows, th word hrbicid is a noun. Two othr forms of th word ar idntifid as an adjctiv (hrbicidal) and an advrb (hrbicidally). EXAMPLES Us your dictionary to idntify th parts of spch for ach of th following words. A word may b usd as mor than on part of spch. 1. complmnt 2. bfor 3. fly EXPLANATIONS 1. Complmnt can b usd as a noun or a vrb. 2. Bfor can b usd as an adjctiv, an advrb, a conjunction, or a prposition. 3. Fly can b usd as an adjctiv, a noun, or a vrb. Copyright 2004 Parson Education, Inc. PRACTICE 3 Us your dictionary to idntify th parts of spch for ach of th following words. A word may b usd as mor than on part of spch. 1. graph 2. angl 3. dgr

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 30 30 APPENDIX E READING THE DICTIONARY Dfinitions Most words hav mor than on maning. Whn thr is mor than on dfinition, ach maning is numbrd. Many tims th dictionary will also provid xampls of sntncs in which th word is usd. EXAMPLE Thr dfinitions ar givn for th word dgr. In th spacs providd, writ th numbr of th dfinition that bst fits its maning in ach sntnc. 1. A stp or stag in a procss 2. A unit of masurmnt for angls and curvs 3. A titl confrrd on studnts by a collg, univrsity, or profssional school upon compltion of a program of study A. Joann changd hr physical fitnss activitis by dgrs; sh bgan with short 5-minut walks and built up to 30-minut walks vry day of th wk. B. John rcivd his associat of arts dgr from a community collg and his bachlor of arts dgr from a four-yar univrsity. C. If two triangls ar similar, thir corrsponding angls hav th sam numbr of dgrs. EXPLANATION A. Th corrct answr is a stp or stag in a procss (1). B. Th corrct answr is a titl confrrd on studnts by a collg, univrsity, or profssional school upon compltion of a program of study (3). C. Th corrct answr is a unit of masurmnt for angls and curvs (2). PRACTICE 4 Hr ar two words, thir dfinitions, and sntncs using th words basd on thir various dfinitions. In th spacs providd, writ th numbr of th dfinition that bst fits ach sntnc. Not that on dfinition is not usd. A. factor : 1 somthing that brings about a rsult, ingrdint 2 on who acts or transacts th businss of anothr 3 a numbr that will divid into anothr numbr xactly 1. Th manufacturr submits th ordr, along with th trms and conditions, to th factor for approval. 2. Th factors of 10 ar 1, 2, and 5. 3. Th doctor discovrd that polln was a factor in Justin s sinus condition.

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 31 B. plot : 1 n a small ara of plantd ground 2 n th plan or main story of a litrary work 3 v to mark or not on as if on a map or chart 4. Th graph of an quation is a drawing that plots all its solutions. 5. Grandmothr workd in th vgtabl plot all morning. Txtbook Aids for Larning Contnt Words Contnt Words Txtbook Skills TEXTBOOK AIDS FOR LEARNING CONTENT WORDS 31 Many studnts think thy should b abl to pick up a txtbook and simply rad it. Howvr, a txtbook is writtn for a contnt or subjct ara, such as math, history, or English. Each contnt ara has its own vocabulary. For xampl, a history txtbook taks a diffrnt approach from that of a litratur txtbook. Diffrnt courss may us th sam words, but th words oftn tak on a nw or diffrnt maning in th contxt of th contnt ara. Copyright 2004 Parson Education, Inc. EXAMPLE Th following sntncs all us th word paralll. Writ th lttr of th cours that would us th word in th contxt in which it appars. EXPLANATION 1. Th brain appars to b a paralll procssor, in which many diffrnt groups of nuron circuits work on diffrnt tasks at th sam tim. a. mathmatics c. history b. English d. psychology 2. Som writrs us paralll structur of words and phrass for a balancd and smooth flow of idas. a. mathmatics c. history b. English d. psychology 3. Paralll lins nvr intrsct. a. mathmatics c. history b. English d. psychology Us contxt clus to dtrmin your answrs. 1. Th word paralll in this sntnc is usd in th study of th mind. So this trm is usd in a psychology class (d). 2. Th word paralll in this sntnc is usd in an English class (b). 3. Th word paralll in this sntnc is usd in a mathmatics class (a).

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 32 32 APPENDIX E READING THE DICTIONARY Txtbook Dfinitions You do not always nd to us th dictionary to find th maning of a word. In fact, many txtbooks contain words or word groups that you cannot find in a dictionary. Th contnt word is usually typd in bold or italic print. Th dfinition follows, and many tims an xampl is givn. Contxt clus ar hlpful. EXAMPLE Rad th following passag from a psychology txtbook. Thn answr th qustions that follow it. Txtbook Skills Disconfirmation is a communication pattrn in which you ignor a prson s prsnc as wll as that prson s communications. You say, in ffct, that th prson and what sh or h has to say arn t worth srious attntion. Disconfirming rsponss oftn lad to loss of slf-stm. Not that disconfirmation is not th sam as rjction. In rjction, you disagr with th prson; you indicat your unwillingnss to accpt somthing th othr prson says or dos. In disconfirming somon, howvr, you dny that prson s significanc; you claim that what this prson says or dos simply dos not count. D Vito, Th Intrprsonal Communication Book, 10th d., p. 171. 1. A communication pattrn in which you ignor a prson s prsnc as wll as that prson s communications is. 2. An unwillingnss to accpt somthing th othr prson says or dos is. EXPLANATION Th author knows that ths words, or th spcific uss of ths words, may b nw for many studnts, so th words ar st in bold print and dfinitions ar givn. 1. disconfirmation 2. rjction PRACTICE 5 Rad ach of th following txtbook passags. Thn writ th dfinition for ach of th words in bold print. Txtbook Skills 1. To say that x + 4 < (is lss than) 10 and x < (is lss than) 6 ar quivalnt is to say that thy hav th sam solution st. For xampl, th numbr 3 is a solution to x + 4 < 10. It is also a solution for x < 6. Th numbr 2 is a solution

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 33 TEXTBOOK AIDS FOR LEARNING CONTENT WORDS 33 of x < 6. It is also a solution of x + 4 < 10. Any solution of on is a solution of th othr; thy ar quivalnt. quivalnt Bittingr & Bchr, Introductory and Intrmdiat Algbra, 2nd d., p. 143. 2. To borrow th usful trms of th English novlist E. M. Forstr, charactrs may sm flat or round. A flat charactr has only on outstanding trait or fatur: for xampl, th stock charactr of th mad scintist, with his lust for absolut powr and his crazily glaming ys. flat Adaptd from Knndy & Gioia, Litratur, 8th d., p. 78. 3. Codpndnc rfrs to a slf-dfating rlationship pattrn in which a prson is addictd to th addict. Codpndnc Donatll, Accss to Halth, 7th d., p. 321. Glossary Bcaus ach subjct ara has its own spcial vocabulary, many txtbooks provid a spcial sction calld a glossary. A glossary is a list of words and thir manings. Somtims th glossary is placd in th sid margins on a txtbook pag; somtims th glossary is a sparat sction in th back of th book. Th words in a glossary ar placd in alphabtical ordr. Thy giv th word, th splling, and th maning of th word or words only as thy ar usd in that subjct ara or txtbook. Copyright 2004 Parson Education, Inc. EXAMPLE Rad th following sampl glossary from an English composition handbook. In th spacs providd, writ T if th statmnt is tru or F if th statmnt is fals. Glossary of Fallacis Ad hominm attack Attack on a prson s charactr to win an argumnt or point. Th trm mans against th man or against th prson. Bandwagon appal An attmpt to caus a prson to assum a viw or tak action du to pr prssur. Fals caus An rror in thinking that assums on vnt causs anothr. Hasty gnralization Drawing a conclusion about a population basd on a sampl that is not larg nough.

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 34 34 APPENDIX E READING THE DICTIONARY EXPLANATION 1. Jrmy mad a hasty gnralization whn h gav crdit to making a prfct scor on his math tst to th rabbit s foot h carrid for good luck. 2. Elctd public officials oftn fac ad hominm attacks about thir privat livs during lction campaigns. 3. Bill s dcision to smok cigartts bcaus his frinds all smok is an xampl that a bandwagon appal may actually work. 4. Th word fallacis suggsts rrors. 1. Fals; Jrmy committd a fals caus rror. 2. Tru 3. Tru 4. Tru REVIEW Tst 1 Vocabulary-Building Skills Txtbook Skills A. Look ovr th following ntry from Mrriam-Wbstr s Collgiat Dictionary. Thn mark th numbrd itms T (tru) or F (fals), basd on th ntry. My o pia \mī-'ō-pē- \ n [NL, fr. Gk myōpia, fr. myōp-, myōps] (ca. 1752) 1 : a condition in which th visual imags com to a focus in front of th rtina of th y rsulting sp. in dfctiv vision of distant objcts 2 : a lack of forsight or discrnmnt: a narrow viw of somthing my o pic \-'ō-pik, -'ä-\ adj my o pi cal ly \-pi-k( )lē\ adv 1. Th ntry givs thr forms of th word myopia. 2. Myopia can b a way of thinking about a topic. 3. Myopia has thr syllabls. 4. Th y in myopia sounds lik th y in yard. 5. Myopic is a noun.

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 35 REVIEW TEST 2 35 B. Look ovr th following list of words from th glossary of th collg txtbook Accss to Halth. Basd on th dfinition of ach word and th contxt of ach sntnc, labl ach statmnt T if it is tru or F if it is fals. Glossary Txtbook Skills Strss Mntal and physical rsponss to chang. Strssor A physical, social, or psychological vnt or condition that rquirs adjustmnt. Adjustmnt Th attmpt to cop with a givn situation. Strain Th war-and-tar sustaind by th body and mind in adjusting to or rsisting a strssor. REVIEW Tst 2 Vocabulary-Building Skills 6. Strss is usually th rsult of an intrnal stat of motional tnsion that occurs in rspons to th various dmands of living. 7. An angry parnt is an xampl of a strssor. 8. Adjustmnts ar usd as a last rsort in rspons to strss. 9. Strain is always a physical problm. 10. Bing ating may b an unhalthy adjustmnt to th strss causd by low slf-stm. A. Look ovr th following ntry from Mrriam-Wbstr s Collgiat Dictionary. Thn mark ach itm T (tru) or F (fals), basd on th ntry. Copyright 2004 Parson Education, Inc. 1 myr i ad \'mir-ē- d\ n [Gk myriad-, myrias, fr. myrioi countlss, tn thousand] (1555) 1 : tn thousand 2 : a grat numbr < a ~ of idas > 2 myriad adj (1791) 1 : INNUMERABLE < thos ~ problms > 2 : having innumrabl aspcts or lmnts < th ~ activity of th nw land Mridl L Suur > 1. Th noun myriad coms from a Grk word maning tn thousand. 2. Th word myriad can b usd as a noun or as an adjctiv.

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 36 36 APPENDIX E READING THE DICTIONARY 3. Th word myriad has four syllabls. 4. Th i in myriad sounds lik th i in sigh. B. Look ovr th following list of words from th glossary of an cology txtbook. Basd on th dfinition of ach word and th contxt of ach sntnc, labl ach statmnt T if it is tru or F if it is fals. Glossary Alluvial A watr-carvd canyon Arroyo Rlatd to matrial dpositd by running watr Playa A natural, low watr basin Topography Th physical structur of th landscap 5. Th topography of a dsrt is mad up of lush vgtation. 6. Playas can rciv watr that rushs down a hill. 7. Aftr a violnt storm, soil that has bn shapd into alluvial fans strtch across th dsrt. C. Look ovr th following list of words from th glossary of an English handbook. Basd on th dfinition of ach word and th contxt of ach sntnc, labl ach statmnt T if it is tru or F if it is fals. Glossary of Usag and Trms Txtbook Skills Annotation A brif not you writ about a txt whil rading it by making marks such as undrlining, circling, and highlighting. Nots can b words, phrass, qustions, or statmnts. Paraphras A rstatmnt in your own words of th author s idas and structur. A paraphras closly follows th original sourc, pulls in many dtails, and may b as long as th original txt. Summary A condnsd vrsion of a txt in which you xplain th author s maning fairly and accuratly in your own words. A summary focuss on th author s main ida and is shortr than th original txt. 8. Annotations ar writtn dirctly on th pags of a txtbook. 9. A summary is longr than a paraphras. 10. Paraphrasing is an ffctiv rading and writing skill whn th ordr of th author s idas is important for mphasis.

HENR.5427.APPEpp026-037 11/11/03 11:33 AM Pag 37 REVIEW TEST 2 37 EFFECTIVE READER Scorcard Vocabulary-Building Skills Tst Numbr Corrct Points Scor Rviw Tst 1 = Rviw Tst 2 = Copyright 2004 Parson Education, Inc.