DATE DUE: _______________________
Note: This is a READING and a WRITING (“English”) grade!!
DICTIONARY ENTRY ASSIGNMENT
Your task is to create a dictionary entry for a word you have created from your imagination.
Either make up a new “offbeat” definition of an ordinary word, or make up the entire word and its
definitions. Your dictionary entry must contain these parts:
Here is a typical dictionary entry:
POINTS TO BE EARNED
 Up to 10 points for each of 8 required
elements
 Up to10 points creativity
 Up to 10 points VGQ
BONUS --
1) ENTRY – showing the word and how it is
divided into syllables.
2) PRONUNCIATION KEY – your symbols must
match the key used in a real dictionary.
(Tip – look for a real word that sounds in
whole or part similar to your word.
3) PART(S) OF SPEECH (Be sure to use
dictionary abbreviations!!)
4) DEFINITIONS – at least two
5) CONTEXT SENTENCE – be sure your
sentence uses your word as the part of
speech label you have given it
6) FORMS (the different forms your word
might take);at a minimum, the plural form
and one related form (different part of
speech); your word should follow regular
English rules
7) ETYMOLOGY – must be a real language –
so try to match your made-up word with a
real language.
8) ILLUSTRATION that helps the user
understand word meaning
As a bonus, you may add a WORD HISTORY (5 points)
and TYPE (5 points)your entry.
EXAMPLE
snarf – blat (snahrf’ blat) n.,
1. The banded, bulbous snarfblat is an entertainment device made like
a pipe; when air is forced through it, fine music results. Ancient sea
mariners used their banded, bulbous snarfblats to accompany
dancing at sea, as a means to pass time.
2. A planter for small foliage. After Ariel placed some sea grass in the
snarfblat, she placed it on the table, for décor. pl. –s. Related
forms: snarfblatty, adjective (“the snarfblatty sound”),
snarfblatted, verb (The sailors snarfblatted a popular mariner’s
song.)
Origin: 1989–2005; Hollywood English < Old Norse snarf, a sea song, Greek
blat, a bowl). History: the snarfblat dates back to prehistorical times, when
humans used to sit around and stare at each other all day. This was very
boring, so they invented playing music by blowing into seashells, the
predecessor of today’s snarfblat .
Name: ______________________________________________ Class Number: _____
Period: _________________ Date: __________________
BRAINSTORMING SHEET FOR DICTIONARY ENTRY ASSIGNMENT
On the back of this handout are the directions for and an example of the DICTIONARY ENTRY you are to come
up with as part of today’s “references” word work. Pretend you are the editor of the Lanier Illustrated Dictionary. It is
your job to submit word entries for this dictionary, in proper format.
Use this sheet to BRAINSTORM the entry parts. Be sure to look at the example on the other side of this
handout, as well as the scoring rubric!!!!
Check your BRAINSTORMING for C.U.P.S. (Capitalizations, Usage, Punctuation, Spelling). Even though your
word and/or definition might be imaginary, the entry should follow real “dictionary rules.”
Once you are confident you have all the EIGHT ELEMENTS, use VGQ to put them on EITHER the white side of a
5 x 8 index card OR an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of printer paper.
Most of all, HAVE FUN!!!
PROJECT ELEMENTS
1) ENTRY – showing the word and how it is divided into syllables.
a. My word is _____________________
b. It is divided into syllables this way: ___________________.
2) PRONUNCIATION KEY – your symbols must match the key used in a real dictionary. .
________________________________________________________
3) PART(S) OF SPEECH (Be sure to use dictionary abbreviations!!)
___________________________________________________
4) DEFINITIONS – at least two
a. DEFINITION ONE:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
b. DEFINITION TWO:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
5) CONTEXT SENTENCE – be sure your sentence uses your word as the part of speech label you have
given it -- _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
6) FORMS (the different forms your word might take);at a minimum, the plural form and one related
form (different part of speech); your word should follow regular English rules.
___________________________________________________________________________
7) ETYMOLOGY – must be a real language – so try to match your made-up word with a real language.
____________________________________________________________
8) ILLUSTRATION that helps the user understand word meaning.
DOCUMENT1 -- 2/6/16 -- HOME