Dictionary Exercise #2
Reading Entries
ENG/Hill
This exercise will help you become familiar with the different kinds of information generally
found in dictionary entries. Keep all your work on this sheet to turn in for credit.
Spelling
Each dictionary entry begins with a word in boldface font. The boldfaced word is the correct
spelling(s) for that word. If a word has more than one common spelling, you will find it first in
the entry. For example, the word theater in our dictionary reads: theater or theatre. This
tells you that the more common or preferred spelling is theater because it is the first of the two
spellings. However, theatre is also acceptable and may even be the preferred spelling in certain
circumstances (for example – traditional acting stages more commonly use theatre).
Breaking Words into Syllables
In our dictionary, syllables (parts of the word broken into single sounds: dog = one sound/one
syllable; carrot = two sounds/two syllables) are separated by dots. For example: separate. Be
careful to notice that two separate words will not have a dot between them, so you will know
these are separate words and not syllables. For example: potato chip shows dots between the
syllables in potato but no dot between potato and chip, so you know the correct spelling of this
delicious snack food is two words (potato chip) and not one word (potatochip).
Practice One: Use your dictionary to choose the correct spelling(s) for the following words.
1. a. a lot
b. alot
2. a. tender foot
b. tenderfoot
3. a. thruway
b. throughway
4. a. nowadays
b. now a days
5. a. comittee
b. committee
Practice Two: Use your dictionary to divide the following words into syllables.
Example:
efficient
e f  f i c i e n t
1. annihilate
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2. beautiful
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3. embarrass
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4. definite
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5. library
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