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DICTIONARY TRAININGThe English language is not a tame language. At times it can appear to be manageable and predictable, then, suddenly, a herd of wild words with exceptional spellings, pronunciations, and meanings will stampede across a page, leaving the reader confused and helpless to continue. Fortunately, there is assistance readily available for any adventurous student of the English language found in this seemingly hopeless predicament--- the DICTIONARY! Ah yes, this single heroic book has come to the aid of many a confounded reader and speaker of the English language. Becoming familiar with this amazing book of books is an essential relationship that should be fostered in all students, particularly, in the selection of an appropriate dictionary, the proper guidance in finding a word, and instruction in the interpretation of a dictionary entry. Selection of an Appropriate Dictionary Just as students possess differing levels of abilities and knowledge, so, too, dictionaries contain differing degrees of entries and information. Consequently, a dictionary should be selected to match the learning level of the student. For example, a beginner student would gain more confidence in dictionary use and gain more information by referencing a beginner?s dictionary that is written simply and with fewer entries; a more advanced student would benefit by moving up into a more advanced dictionary which is written using more complex language and including far more entries. Furthermore, selecting the appropriate dictionary to match the learning level of the students in a class encourages the use of the dictionary. Hopefully, this mastery of the dictionary will spur the students on to utilize more sophisticated dictionaries that will enlarge their use of the English language. Guidance in Finding a Word Most dictionaries are arranged with a set of guide words printed at the top of each page. Entries that fall alphabetically between these two guide words are found on that page. Thus, in order to instruct the students on how to find a word in the dictionary, they must first be taught the concept of alphabetizing. A good review of this concept followed by some practical applications would be a good starting point. From this foundation, the students can be given words to look up in an actual dictionary. Having the students look up a couple of words before any lesson would be a good warm-up activity, especially if it is presented as a game or a competition. Being able to find a word in the dictionary may sound extremely basic, but it is a necessary skill for proper dictionary use. Interpretation of a Dictionary Entry One of the most neglected teachings in regard to dictionary training is the interpretation of a dictionary entry. The more advanced the dictionary, the more complex the dictionary entry. Not that this is a bad thing. Complex entries pour forth fountains of information that can be extremely useful for any student of the English language. Usually it is best to teach using a beginner to elementary dictionary entry to start with. Later, the student should be able to proceed naturally on his own to interpret more advanced dictionary entries as his knowledge and curiosity increase. Pointing out to the student that each dictionary is prefaced with a myriad of instructions on the proper use of the dictionary in hand will assure them that they can be their own instructor should they ever advance into a dictionary with more complex entries. dic tion ar y (dik' sh?n ãr' i), a book that explains the words of a language, or some special kind of words. n., pl. dictionaries. 7. (Thorndike, E.L. ?Dictionary.? Thorndike-Century Junior Dictionary, Revised Edition. 1942) The dictionary entry example above should be explained to the student in its proper order: alphabetization, syllable divisions, pronunciation key, accent marks, meaning, forms of the word, and, finally, word frequency. Each of these categories is worth examining in more detail and should be explained and reviewed thoroughly. Of course, each dictionary will include and exclude differing bits of information in its entries. That is why it is imperative to match a suitable dictionary to your student?s current level of English mastery. Conclusion In conclusion, proper training in the art of dictionary use will be well worth the time and effort a teacher puts into it. Choosing the appropriate dictionary for a student?s learning level will launch that student off on a lifetime of language enrichment. Once the proper dictionary has been selected, the student will need to be coached in the basic skill of finding a word in the dictionary? a small step to a bigger learning experience. After finding the word, instruction in the interpretation of this word?s dictionary entry is essential to the student?s assimilation of the information available. So, bring on those exotic words full of silly spellings, tricky pronunciations, and mind-boggling meanings because an alliance with the mighty dictionary gives one the means to vanquish even the most wild of words!
