Vocabulary Learning - Use of English-English Dictionaries

When I was in middle and high school, electronic dictionaries were not widespread, and we generally used thick paper dictionaries at that time. The biggest problem with paper dictionaries is that they are too inconvenient. People who have checked it understand.

I, a lazy person, in order to turn the dictionary less, when I encounter new words, I infer the meaning of words through context. I recorded the new words in a small book and wrote them down the meanings I had deduced. Concentrate on looking up words every day or week.

With the popularity of smartphones, paper dictionaries are no longer the first choice for language learners. The last time I used a paper dictionary was when I took a translation exam.

No matter how the form of the dictionary has been adjusted and changed, the dictionary is still an important learning tool for language learners. How to use tools correctly is also a science.

How should language learners use dictionaries to help them learn? I will publish three series of articles for everyone to learn from.

Our first article talks about how to use the English-English dictionary.

In fact, the English-English dictionary is also divided into several categories, some for native speakers and some for English learners. Native speakers' English-English dictionary interpretations are actually difficult to understand, and the explanations are too brief, without too many example sentences. Foreign language learners are better suited to use specialized learner dictionaries, which are often named with the word Lear's Dictionary.

I've been using Merrian-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary since college, and the dictionary is very well explained, with a lot of usage scenario explanations.

I will take the word drew as an example to explain to you how the entries in the English-English dictionary are set up.

Draw can be a noun (n.) or a verb (v.). Let's first look at the definition of The word for Drraw.

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You can see that there are a few words at the top:

[count] means that the word is a countable noun;

[pl] is the plural form of this noun. The complex form of draw is added to the end.

When looking up dictionaries, it is necessary to know the meaning of these marks/abbreviations, they explain the basic nature of words.

Draw is a noun with four interpretations:

1. Very attractive things

2. Play a draw in a match

3. Sweepstakes

4. Smoking

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Each explanation is accompanied by example sentences that also tell the learner whether this is a common usage of British English (the chiefly Brit shown in the image above) or a common usage of American English, or slang. At the same time, the collocation method will be informed. For example, when expressing smoking, say "draw on/from cigarette"

Let's look at the explanation of drew as a verb. Because there are so many, I'll cut half of them.

At the top you can see the past tense of the draw, the past participle, and now what the participle is like. Next is the specific interpretation. Several abbreviations also appear here:

[+obj] means a transitive verb, followed by a gabinic.

[no obj] refers to the verb of the object, followed by no object.

You can see that in the first definition of drew as a verb, there is an unbinding way to use it, for example, you draw very well (you draw it well).

The learner dictionary also includes usage of phrases. English is not authentic, and whether the correct use of phrases is also a measure. The expression of phrases is more lifelike. For example, the term standing straight/straight waist bar is "draw yourself up".

The steps for me to use the English-English dictionary to look up words are as follows:

Step 1 Infer the part of speech of the word in the context, is it a noun? Or a verb? Or prepositions?

Step 2 Find the word in the dictionary. First look at the word has several parts of speech, again infer the part of speech of the word according to the context, and then look at the explanation under this word. For example, if you think this is a noun, go to the noun entry and find the corresponding meaning.

Step 3 If you don't find a suitable explanation, it may be a part-of-speech error. I looked at the other parts of speech of the word to find out what the word really meant, and the part of speech in this context.

The most important thing is this: every time I look up a word, I will put all the entries on this word! all! Read it again and understand. The purpose of looking up a dictionary is not to know what the word means, but to know how to use it correctly.

The reason why I emphasize the need to understand the meaning of each small item when looking up dictionaries is because many people have a "simplified" mentality.

Once a junior high school student asked me a question about wil, probably I wil... He said he didn't understand the sentence because will mean will, so my will XXX doesn't make sense.

I didn't know how to answer, because will is clearly used as a modal verb in this sentence, indicating that I will be XXXX in the future. The problem with his not understanding the sentence is: 1. 2. Do not understand grammar; Just look at the interpretation of the Chinese, and have not yet seen the full interpretation.

We have a simplified mindset when we learn, which is, to put it bluntly, laziness.

Looking only at Chinese translation is a simplified thinking, and not looking at all interpretations is also a simplified thinking. Language learners want to suppress this inertia. As the learning continues to deepen, the difficulty of the article gradually increases, and it is inevitable that you will encounter special usages or interpretations of some common words.

If you do not force yourself to study vocabulary in depth in the early stages of study, you will not be able to understand the meaning when you encounter special usages, and you will fall into a dilemma. Because in your mind, you think you know the word, but why doesn't it make sense? At this time, I went back to the dictionary and found that the original word had another meaning.

My advice is to study a little slower and be a little more careful in the early stages. After all, the foundation is firmly laid, and the house can be built firmly.