Page 13 - English Vocabulary in Use (Pre & Intermediate)

Using a dictionary

What dictionaries do I need?
If possible, you should buy two dictionaries: a good bilingual dictionary and a good
English-English dictionary. The bilingual dictionary is quicker and easier for you to
understand; the English—English dictionary may give you more information about a word or
phrase, and it is also a good idea for you to work in English as much as possible. Here are
some current recommended English—-English dictionaries:
Large dictionaries Medium-sized dictionaries
Cambridge International Dictionary of English Collins COBUILD Essential Dictionary
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Oxford Wordpower Dictionary
Collins COBUILD English Dictionary Longman Active Study Dictionary
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

What information does a dictionary give me?
the meaning, e.g. homesick = unhappy when you are away from home for a long time
the pronunciation, e.g. chaos /ke1ps/, dreadful /dredfol/, island /atland/
the part of speech, e.g. dirty adj (= adjective), lose v (= verb), law 7 (= noun)
any special grammatical features, e.g. advice (U) (= uncountable)
common collocations (word partners), e.g. you do homework [NOT yeu-makehomewerl|

example phrases or sentences, e.g. It was such a big menu, I didn’t know what to choose.
opposites (where they exist), e.g. polite (+ impolite/rude)
Note: In most English—-English dictionaries for foreign learners, collocations are usually
shown in bold or italics, or they are included in the examples given after the definition.
pronunciation part of speech — grammatical feature

seat (FURNITURE) /sitt/'n{C}.an item: of furniture that has
been designed for someone ‘to sit one Chairs, stools, sofas examples
_———— anad_ benches are different types of seat. @ All the chairs are
definition
taken ~ I'm afraid you'll have to use this table as a seat.e A

car usually has a driver's seat, a front/passenger scat
and back/rear seats. « Why don’t you sit down on that seat’ | 25
there. while we're waiting? e The hali’s quite full - T

can’t see any erapty seats. e My. ticket says 22D but there's
already. someone in (=sitting ony that seat:.e Is this seat
free/taken (= Is anyone using it)? e Would you keep (= stop
collocations
How should I use my dictionary?
Here are some ideas to help you.
¢ When you look up a word, put a ¥ next to it. Each time you return to a page with a ¥
look at it quickly to check that you remember the word.
e If you see an English word in a text, first try to guess the meaning, and carry on reading
to see if your guess seems correct. Use your dictionary to check the meaning.
© If you look up a word in a bilingual dictionary and get several different words in your
own language, look up the word in your monolingual dictionary. This should help you to
decide which word in your own language is the nearest translation in this context.
¢ Remember that many words have more than one meaning, and the first meaning in the
dictionary is not always the one you want. Read through the different meanings.

10 English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate)