Name: _______________
English Teacher: _____________________
Period: ____
Resources
Dictionary and Thesaurus
English SOL 6.4e – The student will practice word reference skills by searching for the meaning of words and will
demonstrate awareness of guidewords. Additionally, they will find words with similar meanings in dictionaries and
thesauruses.
Dictionary Review
 What is a dictionary?
o A dictionary is a word reference source mainly used to find the meaning of words and their pronunciation,
 Why would a person use a dictionary?
o For many reasons: to expand vocabulary, look up the meaning of an unknown word, and to correctly pronounce
a word.
 How do you find a word you are looking for in a dictionary?
o First, you will need to flip to the area of the alphabet where your word would be found.
o Then, use the guide words to narrow down your search.
o When you have found the guide words that contain your word, then begin look on that page, alphabetizing
through each letter in your word.
 How are new words put into the dictionary?
o They are actually put on updated dictionary websites until they are printed in the new edition of a dictionary.
You can find new and slang words on the website below:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
Sample Page from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition c2003.
Information Found on a Dictionary Page: Write the description of what these are for your notes.
Dictionary Vocabulary
Guide Words
Entry Words
Phonetic respellings
Parts of speech
Definitions
Variants of the word
Origin or Etymology
Synonym or Antonym
Illustration
Short and long pronunciation keys
Meaning
The words at the top of the page that tell you the first and last words on the page. These
help guide the user to use the alphabetical order of a word to find its location in the
dictionary.
The word that is being looked up.
The word is spelled out exactly how one should pronounce it.
Ex) phone \ˈfōn\
Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.
The meaning of the words
Sometimes a word is
Where the word came from (the history of the word).
Synonym – words that have similar meaning to a word. (ex) big and huge
Antonym – a word that means the opposite of a word. (ex) big and small
An picture of the word that will help further an understanding of the meaning of the
word.
The pronunciation keys are shown in the phonetic respellings. There is a pronunciation
key on the bottom right-hand side of every dictionary page.
Idioms
What are idioms?
Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that are unusual either grammatically, as in “long time, no see!” or there is a
meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements, as in “It’s raining cats and dogs!”
Every language has idioms, and they are challenging for foreign students to learn.
Compare: “Break the Ice”
Literal Meaning: Before the waitress made the drink, she broke the ice with a spoon and dropped it into the glass.
Idiomatic Meaning: Before class began, the teacher broke the ice with a joke.
1. To make a beginning
2. To get through the first difficulties in starting a conversation or discussion.
Thesaurus Review
What is a thesaurus?
 It is a word reference material used to find words of similar or opposite meaning.
Why would a person use a thesaurus?
 Most often, authors or writers would use it to expand the vocabulary used in their words.
Items you will find of a thesaurus page:
Thesaurus Vocabulary
Guide Words
Entry Words
Parts of speech
Idiom
Short and long pronunciation
keys
Meaning
The words at the top of the page that tell you the first and last words on the page. These
help guide the user to use the alphabetical order of a word to find its location in the
dictionary.
The word that is being looked up.
Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.
Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that are unusual either
grammatically or there is a meaning that cannot be derived from the
conjoined meanings of its elements.
The pronunciation keys are shown in the phonetic respellings. There is a pronunciation
key on the bottom right-hand side of every dictionary page.
Sample Page from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus, c1988.
Online Resources
Below you will find reliable online dictionaries and thesauruses:
Dictionary/Thesaurus:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
http://dictionary.reference.com
http://factmonster.com
http://www.wordcentral.com
Idioms and Slang:
www.idiomsite.com
http://www.manythings.org/e/slang.html
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/
http://www.funbrain.com/funbrain/idioms/
Idiom Slang Lessons:
http://www.youtube.com/user/RobTheTutor?feature=watch