How to Use Dictionaries in
English Language Learning
Contents
1
Why dictionaries?
2
Which one to choose?
3
How to use it?
4
Q&A
Why do English
language learners
need dictionaries?
Why dictionaries?
A craftsman who wishes to practice his craft
well must first sharpen his tools.
 Dictionaries help us learn new words.
 Dictionaries help us contextualize new vocabulary.
 Dictionaries help us build learner autonomy.
Which dictionary
should an English
language learner
choose?
Which one?
 With so many dictionaries on the market,
sometimes it is simply baffling for the
learner to choose one. Here are some things
that needed to be considered:
 Types of dictionaries
 Native dictionaries vs. learner’s dictionaries
 Monolingual dictionaries vs. bilingual/bilingualized dictionaries
Types of dictionaries
 Paper dictionaries
 Traditional; long-lasting and relatively cheap.
 Can be used as desk dictionaries.
 Online/Computerized dictionaries
 These dictionaries offer a vast amount of living examples, exercises and other
language activities; they are also easy to use with user-friendly search engines
and interface.
 Most of the online dictionaries are free.
 dictionary.cambridge.com; www.oed.com; www.ldoceonline.com; www.merriamwebstercollegiate.com; www.dictionary.com
 Palmtop dictionaries
 A big plus of palmtop dictionaries is that they hold a large amount of data in a
small space, sometimes several paper dictionaries.
 The biggest problem lies, paradoxically, in their ease of use. Many students treat
them as pocket translators rather than serious tools of study.
BACK
What’s the
difference between
a native language
dictionary and a
learner’s dictionary?
贫穷
大小
Big&small
Example
Native language dictionary
Learner’s dictionary
n. 1 a an umbelliferous
plant, Daucus carota, with
a tapering orangecoloured root. b this root
as a vegetable.
noun 1 [U, C] a long pointed
orange root vegetable.
--The Concise Oxford
Dictionary (COD9)
--Oxford Advanced
Learner’s Dictionary
(OALD6)
Native language dictionary
Learner’s dictionaries
l
spelling
l
spelling
l
pronunciation
l
pronunciation
l
meaning
l
meaning
l
grammar
l
collocation
l
register (语域)
…
About learner’s dictionaries
To make monolingual English dictionaries
easily accessible to foreign learners.
The first English learner’s dictionary The
New Method English Dictionary was made
by Michael West in 1935.
Today most learner’s dictionaries adopt a
controlled defining vocabulary of 2-3000
words.
A list of learner’s dictionaries
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (6th edition, 2000,
OALD6 )
Collins COBUILD English Dictionary for Advanced Learners
(3rd edition, 2001, COBUILD3)
Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (2002,
MED)
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (4th edition,
2003, LDOCE4)
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2nd edition, 2003,
CALD2)
Features of learner’s dictionaries
• Detailed grammatical information
• Attention to collocation
• Rich examples
• Information about word frequencies
• Explanatory notes
Examples
Detailed grammatical information
suggest […] v.tr. 1 (often foll. by that + clause)
propose (a theory, plan, or hypothesis) (suggested to
them that they should wait; suggested a different
plan).
--The Concise Oxford Dictionary (COD9)
Detailed grammatical information
suggest […] verb 1 ~ sth (to sb) to put forward an idea or a
plan for other people to think about SYN PROPOSE: [VN] May
I suggest a white wine with this dish, Sir? ◇ A solution
immediately suggested itself to me (= I immediately thought of a
solution). ◇ [V (that)] I suggest (that) we go out to eat. ◇ [Ving] I suggested going in my car. ◇ [VN that] It has been
suggested that bright children take their exams early. ◇ (BrE
also) It has been suggested that bright children should take
their exams early.
HELP
You cannot ‘suggest somebody something’:Can you suggest
me a good dictionary?
--Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (OALD6)
Detailed grammatical information
Suggest can be followed by
1. a noun phrase,
2. a noun phrase plus a prepositional phrase to somebody (not
suggest somebody something),
3. a that clause (with that being optional),
4. the –ing form of a verb phrase;
5. and that in a construction like “It has been suggested that ...”
the word that is obligatory;
6. and that in British English there may be the modal auxiliary
should in the verb phrase of the that clause, otherwise the
verb is in its base form.
Attention to collocation
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
(LDOCE4 2003)
wind1
1 […] strong/high winds The forecast is for
strong winds and heavy rain. | gale/hurricane
force winds […] The light wind ruffled the water.
rain1
1 […] heavy/torrential/pouring rain (=a lot of rain)
There will be heavy rain in most parts of the
country. | The light rain had stopped.
Attention to collocation
Knowledge (LDOCE4)
have knowledge
acquire/gain knowledge (= learn something)
technical/scientific knowledge
in-depth knowledge
detailed knowledge
specialist knowledge (= knowledge about a particular subject)
first-hand/personal knowledge (knowledge from experiencing
something for yourself) ...
You need specialist knowledge to do this job. | [+ of] His knowledge of
ancient civilization is unrivalled. | [+ about] the need to increase
knowledge about birth control | Many of the students did not have much
knowledge of American history. | salesmen with good technical
knowledge of what they are selling ...
Rich examples
LDOCE4 contains the largest number
of examples—155,000 in all. On its
CD-ROM there are 80,000 additional
examples plus over a million corpus
sentences.
Information about word frequencies
LDOCE4 marks the first 3000 most
frequently used words in speech and
writing in the form of
S1
S2
S3
W1
W2
W3
Information about word frequencies
In Macmillan English Dictionary there are also
three frequency bands, but they cover about
7,300 words:
★★★
2300 very high frequency words
★★
2360 high frequency words
★
2640 quite high frequency words.
Information about word frequencies
COBUILD3 distinguishes five frequency
bands totaling 14,600 words:
◆◆◆◆◆ 680 words
◆◆◆◆◇ 1040 words
◆◆◆◇◇ 1580 words
◆◆◇◇◇ 3200 words
◆◇◇◇◇ 8100 words
Information about word frequencies
How many
English
words do you
have?
3000
talk about a wide range of everyday
topics and read simplified English books
7000
have a basic working knowledge of
English
14000
as proficient as a good English-major
graduate
Explanatory notes
LDOCE4
WORD CHOICE: call, phone, telephone, ring
In spoken English, it is usual to say that you call or
phone someone: He calls me almost every day. |
Phone me when you get there.
In spoken British English, it is also very usual to say
that you ring someone: Have you rung Kim yet?
It is fairly formal and not very usual in spoken English
to say that you telephone someone.
[...]
Explanatory notes
LDOCE4
WORD FOCUS: words meaning CHEAP
reasonable not too expensive | economical used
about cars, systems, or methods that do not cost a lot
of money to use | be good value to be well worth the
price you pay | be a bargain to be very cheap
Explanatory notes
LDOCE4
GRAMMAR (just) in case
in case is followed by the simple present, the simple
past, or ‘should’: Write it down in case you forget
(NOT in case you will forget). | I had a snack, just in
case there was no time (NOT in case there would be
no time) to eat later. | Here’s a contact number, in case
there should (NOT will/would) be a problem.
[…]
BACK
What’s the difference
between bilingual
dictionaries and
bilingualized
dictionaries?
A bilingual dictionary (双语词典) is one in which the
headwords are in one language and the definitions
in another language.
Bilingualized dictionaries (双解词典) are native
language dictionaries with foreign language
translation.
Bilingual dictionaries
《新英汉词典》(A New
English-Chinese
Dictionary, 2000)
Bilingualized dictionaries
Oxford Advanced Learner’s
English-Chinese Dictionary
《牛津高阶英汉双解词
典》, 1997
Which dictionary?
My advice (1)
Start by using a bilingualized
English learner’s dictionary
and switch to the latest edition
of a monolingual learner’s
dictionary.
Which dictionary?
My advice (2)
Do install a computerized
dictionary on your PC.
Which dictionary?
My advice (3)
Better not to use pocket
dictionaries and palmtop
electronic dictionaries
without examples. When you
do use palmtop dictionaries,
treat them with the dignity
and respect a thick paper
dictionary deserves.
How should
language learners
use their
dictionaries?
How to use dictionaries
 Now you have made your pick of dictionaries! How to
use them? Here are a few guidelines.
 Read the guide to the dictionary and familiarize yourself with all
the symbols, abbreviations, and note markers. (Turn to
dictionaries for example.)
 When you look up a word in the dictionary, make sure you find the
following information: pronunciation, its meaning in the context,
examples, and collocation.
 Consolidate what you’ve just learned by making a few sentences
of your own or by finishing the exercises provided.
 Pay special attention to any notes attached – differences between
AmE & BrE, usage notes, etc.
 If possible, try to extend your knowledge of the word – other major
meanings, grammar notes, synonyms/antonyms, reflections, etc.
Let’s take “suggest”
as an example!
Everything about him suggested a carefully
dressed authority.
 Look up this word in :
 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (4th edition, 2003,
LDOCE4)
 Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2nd edition, 2003,
CALD2)
 And their respective computerized versions.
LDOCE 4
Layout All meanings listed
under the same
headword, each with
respective synonyms
CALD 2
Layout
The word has 3 entries,
each with a different
meaning with respective
synonyms, verb endings,
and word building
Definiti Plainer
ons
With related phrases
Definiti Simple enough
ons
Phrases incorporated into
examples
Others Word origin, phrase bank,
examples bank
Language activator with
synonyms listed under
different contexts
Others Smart thesaurus with all the
synonyms and examples
listed
Do you have any
questions?