Lesson 11
But What's a
Dictionary
For?
I. Aims and Contents of Teaching
 1.
the comprehension of the text and the
mastery of the important
language
points
 2.
the paraphrases of certain
complicated or difficult sentences
I. Aims and Contents of Teaching
 3.
the enlargement of the students'
vocabulary
 4.
the familiarisation with the styles of
composition and devices of figuration
II. Procedure of teaching
 1.
Questions and answers
 2. Analysis
of the structure and
language
 3.
Detailed study of the text
 4.
Supplementary and text-book
exercises
III. Background information
 Webster,
Noah (Oct. 16, 1748 - May 28,
1843) American lexicographer and
philologist, born in West Hartford, Conn.
A Yale graduate.
III. Background information
 His
Elementary Spelling Book (the first
part of the Grammatical Institute of the
English Language) and The American
Dictionary of the English Language
established the nobility and vitality of the
American Language.
III. Background information

He holds that the spelling and grammar
of a language must be based on actual
usage rather than artificial principles.
And thus laid a foundation for the 20th
century lexicography.
III. Background information
 The
Elementary Spelling Book, first
published in the late years of the 18th
cent., standardized American spelling
and by 1850, when the whole population
was under 23 million, was sold at 1
million copies annually.
III. Background information
 The American
Dictionary of the English
Language, his greatest work, was
published in 1828. Of the 70,000 words,
12,000 had not appeared in any other
dictionaries before. Within one year, all
the 2,500 copies issued in American and
the 3,000 copies in Britain were sold out.
III. Background information
 In
1840, the second edition was a failure
and he had to sell the copy right to
Merriam Publishing Company which
thereafter became the Merriam-Webster
Incorporation. Webster's other
contributions include efforts in the
passage of a national copyright law, in
the founding of the Amherst College etc.
III. Background information
 Dictionary:
a published list, in
alphabetical order, of the words of a
language, explaining and defining them,
or in the case of a bilingual dictionary,
translating them into another language.
III. Background information
 In
the 20th cent., American dictionary
makers began to adopt criteria of use
rather than of etymological purity.
Dictionaries were produced in China,
Greece, Islam, and other complex early
cultures.
III. Background information
 The
first modern examples of
lexicography are thought to be Nathan
Bailey's Universal Etymological English
Dictionary (1721) and his larger
Dictionarium Britannicum (1730), which
served Samuel Johnson,
III. Background information

who was considered as England's first
complete man of letters, in preparing his
Dictionary of the English Language
(1755), the first comprehensive English
lexicography.
III. Background information
 The
next great lexicographer was Noah
Webster. His American Dictionary of the
English Language has been skilfully
revised and abridged over the years,
thereby retaining its popularity. A sixvolume American encyclopaedic
dictionary, The Century Dictionary, was
completed in 1891.
III. Background information
 American
Dictionary of the English
Language ---1828
 1840, second edition, failure, copyright
sold to Merriam
 1961, third edition, 2752 pages, 460,000
entries, 200,000 usage examples, 3,000
pictorial illustrations and more than
1,000 synonyms
III. Background information
 British
lexicographers from the 19th cent.
on, began to collect and organize
examples of usage.
III. Background information
 In
1857, the Philological Society began
collecting dated examples of usage,
culminating in the publication (1928) of
the monumental, unrivalled lexicon
known as the New English Dictionary,
the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) or
Murray's Dictionary.
III. Background information
 Two
major shorter editions exist: The
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current
English and the Shorter Oxford English
Dictionary. Other advances in
lexicography are reflected in the
frequently revised collegiate or desk
dictionaries, such as the Webster's New
Collegiate Dictionary.
III. Background information
 Encyclopedia:
book or set of books giving
information about every branch of
knowledge, or about one particular
subject, with articles in alphabetical order
III. Background information

lexicon: dictionary, esp. of an ancient
language or of words from a single subject

thesaurus: book containing lists of words and
phrases grouped according to their meanings
or types (a thesaurus of slang)
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 1.
abuse: n. & v. abusive, adj.
– a. unkind, cruel or rude words,
He burst into a storm of abuse.
He constantly addressed her in terms
of abuse.
You are always abusing and offending
people.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
–
b. wrong use, misuse, improper
treatment, maltreat
Borrowing money is an abuse of
friendship.
abuse of power, drug abuse,
to abuse one's power, authority,
position, wealth, etc.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 2.
popular press: newspapers, journals
that are aimed at the needs or tastes of
ordinary people and not the specialists in
a particular subject
 3.
phenomenon:(pl. phenomena) a fact or
event in nature or society
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 4.
scholarly: concerned with serious
detailed study---opposite POPULAR
– Scholarly matters, activities, etc
involve or relate to scholars or their
work.
– His name is known in scholarly circles
throughout the world.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 5.
stature
– a. Someone's stature is their height and
general size.
She was rather small in stature.
– b. The stature of a person or of their
achievements is the importance and
reputation that they have.
a musician of international stature
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 cf:
 statue:
figure of a person, animal, etc.,
in wood, stone, bronze, etc.
– the Statue of Liberty / Venus
 status: condition, position in relation to
others
– one's class / political / social / marital
status
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 6.
unbridled: not controlled or limited in
any way, too violent and active, used to
show disapproval
–
unbridled tongue / anger
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 7.
fury: violent or very strong anger
–
There was fury in the Duchess' grey
eyes.
–
Hearing this, they jumped on (scolded)
him in a fury.
–
He flew into a fury and said that the
whole thing was disgusting.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 8.
contempt: lack of respect
– If you have contempt for someone or
something, you do not like them and
think that they are unimportant or of
no value.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
They would look at us with
unmistakable contempt.
– Her contempt for foreigners was
obvious.
– hold sb. / sth. in contempt
–
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 9.
calamity: an event that causes a great
deal of damage, destruction, or personal
sadness and distress; serious misfortune
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 disaster,
calamity, catastrophe, etc.
 Disaster
is an unforeseen, ruinous, and
often sudden misfortune that happens
either through lack of foresight or
through some hostile external agency;
general word.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Catastrophe：大灾祸，（尤指悲剧的结
局）implies a disastrous conclusion
emphasizing finality. It is a sudden,
unexpected and terrible event that
causes great suffering, misfortune or
ruin.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 A war
is a catastrophe.
 to
plunge the country into a historical
catastrophe
a
world-wide catastrophe
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Calamity
stresses personal reaction to a
great public loss. A terrible and very
bad event.
 A national
/ natural / social calamity
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Cataclysm,
orig. a deluge or geological
convulsion, earthquake, applies to an
event or situation that produces an
upheaval or complete reversal.
a
financial cataclysm
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 10.
scandal:
– If sth is a scandal, a lot of people know
about it and think that it is very
shocking and immoral.
– If you say sth is a scandal, you are
angry about it and think that the people
responsible for it should be ashamed.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
The way that official wastes public
money is a scandal.
– She brought scandal to her family by
her outrageous behaviour.
– 陈希同 was involved in a scandal of
corruption and embezzlement.
–
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 11.
editorial: an article in a newspaper
which gives the opinion of the editor or
publisher on a topic or item of the news.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 12.
deteriorate: cause to become worse,
worsen
–
His sight began to deteriorate.
–
She has suffered progressive
deterioration of health.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 13.
stern: very firm or hard towards
others' behaviour.
 Someone who is stern is very serious and
expects to be obeyed.
– a stern teacher / father
– A puritanical person tends to be stern
to himself and others as well.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 14.
betray:
– a. If you betray someone's trust,
confidence, etc., or you betray your
principles, you fail to act in the good
and morally correct way that was
expected of you.
– He betrayed his friends to the enemy.
– She betrayed her promise.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Judas
betrayed Jesus (to the authorities.
 b.
If you betray a secret, a plan, etc, you
tell people things that you have been
asked to keep secret.
 c.
To betray a feeling means to show it
without wanting to or intending to.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
–
I’m afraid that my face may betray sth.
–
Her eyes betrayed her sadness.
–
His accent betrayed the fact that he was
foreign.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 15.
bar: the railing in a courtroom that
encloses the place about the judge;
barrier in a law court separating the
judge, prisoner, lawyers, etc from the
spectators.
 the bar:(all those who belong to) the legal
profession
 the bar: the whole body of lawyers
qualified to practice in any jurisdiction
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
–
She's training for the bar.
 be
called to the bar：be received into the
profession of barrister
–
After finishing her legal studies she was
called / admitted to the bar.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

the prisoner at the bar 受审讯的犯人
–

behind bars: in prison
–

She will be judged at the bar of public
opinion.
The murderer is now safely behind bars.
cf:
– bartender = barman.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 16.
deplorable: disgraceful, distressing,
heartbreaking, lamentable, wretched,
 17. flagrant: used to describe a bad or
shocking action, situation, or attitude
that is very obvious and not concealed in
any way, conspicuous, notorious, open,
scandalous
– a flagrant violation of human rights, a
flagrant injustices / cheating
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

cf:
 fragrant:
apprec. having a sweet or
pleasant smell
– a fragrant rose / tea / memory
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 18.
non-word deluge:
 It's like a flood of unacceptable words.
 non: so bad as not to deserve the name
– It was really a bad book --- non-story
with non-characters.
 non-words: words that are not acceptable,
such as new slang or newly coined words.
 deluge: a sudden very heavy fall of rain, a
great flood
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 19.
abominable: Something abominable is
very unpleasant, very bad, or very poor in
quality, causing disgust and strong
dislike.heinous, villainous
– They work 7 days a week in abominable
conditions.
– Wages for primary school teachers in
some area were abominable.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 20.
dismay: feeling of fear and
discouragement, disappointment,
distress
 be
struck with dismay at the news
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 21.
They doubted that "Lincoln could
have modelled ... a concept that ...
 doubt (affirm. + that): to consider
unlikely
– I doubt that he will come.
– I doubt that he is honest.
 They doubted that ... could have done...:
They believed that ... could not have
done...
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Life
declared that Lincoln could not have
formed or shaped his Gettysburg Address
after the patterns set by the Third
International or, if Lincoln had used the
Third International as a model, his
Gettysburg Address could not have been so
excellent.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 This
declaration reveals a foolish idea of
the editors, that one should write things
strictly after the patterns set by a
dictionary, or in other words, if you have
a good dictionary, you can write good
articles. This ridiculous concept does not
provide any clue or information on how
Lincoln composed his famous Address,
but exposes/ discloses how foolish the
editors of LIFE are.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 In
the author's opinion, it is an absolute
nonsense to claim that one could model
an article on a dictionary.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 22.
model...on: take as a model, or
example
– She modelled herself on her mother.
– They model themselves on the F4.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 23.
throw light on: make sth. clearer
– A spotlight threw a pool of violet light
onto the stage.
– His assistant was in a position to throw
light on his character.
– His speech throws a different light on
what happened.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 24.
underlie: When you say A underlies B,
then A is the cause or basis of B.
– His essay is badly written, but the idea
underlying it is good.
– Does some personal difficulty underlie
his lack of interest in work?
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 25.
citation: the act of quotation, a short
passage taken from something written or
spoken by someone else
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 26.
fraud:a. sth that deceives people in a
illegal or immoral way, a crime of gaining
money or other benefits by trickery
–
The judge found him guilty of fraud.
–
The elder brother gained control of the
property by fraud.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 b.
a person who pretends or claims to be
what he is not
– People who offer to tell your future by
means of a pack of cards are frauds.
– The hair-restorer is a fraud; he is as
bald as ever.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 27.
hoax: a trick in which sb. tells the
police, emergency services, or the public
– The fire brigade answered the
emergency call but there was no fire --it was all a hoax.
– If someone tries to convince you that a
forged work of art is genuine, it is a
hoax.
– a hoax phone call
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

28. discrepancy: difference. If there is a
discrepancy between two things, they ought to
be the same.
– You say you paid $5 and the bill says $3; how
do you explain the discrepancy?
– There was little / much discrepancy in the
testimony of the two witnesses.
– There is a discrepancy between what you say
and what John says.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

29. interpose: to place, put in between;
interrupt with a comment or question
–
He interposed his body between me and the
window, so that I could not see out.
–
interpose a barrier between A and B
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 30.
remedy: treatment, medicine, etc that
cures or relieves a disease or pain
– a popular remedy for flu, toothache, etc.
– I often use herbal remedies.
– He found a remedy for his grief in
constant hard work.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 31.
compel: to make sb. do sth. by or as if
by force
– force: general term, which implies the
exertion of strength, typically physical
strength
– force slaves to labour
– force food upon a child
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Sometimes
force carries additional
implications when followed by a simple
object.
–
To force a woman is to rape her.
–
To force a door is to break it open.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

Compel differs from force in typically
requiring a personal object. Compel commonly
implies the exercise of authority, the exertion
of great effort or driving force.
–
There is no possible method of compelling a
child to feel sympathy or affection.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 32.
extraneous: not belonging to what is
being dealt with, unrelated, alien
– to avoid extraneous things
– to eliminate extraneous interference
 32.
tout: to praise loudly or extravagantly
 clout: to hit forcefully
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 34.
buggy: a light one-horse carriage
made with two wheels in England and
with four wheels in the US
35. linguistics: the systematic study of
language
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

36. charter: written or printed
statement of rights, permission to do sth,
constitution
– the Charter of the United Nations
– the Atlantic Charter
– the citizens’ rights laid down by
charter
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 37.
–
–
philology:
a. the study of literature and of disciplines
relevant to literature or to language as used
in literature.
b. linguistics. esp. historical and
comparative linguistics.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 38.
inseminating: to sow seed in, to
implant
– inseminate the minds of the young with
revolutionary ideas
– inseminating scholar: a scholar who
implants new ideas in the minds of
others
 semen: liquid containing sperm of male
animals
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 39.
relegate: to dismiss to a lower position
or condition
– If you relegate sth. you cause it to have a
less important position or status.
– He relegated his wife to the position of a
mere housekeeper.
– You can't relegate the pop song singer /
movie star to the third rate.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 40.
category: a division within a system of
classification
Party committee meetings can be divided
into 2 categories, standing committee
meetings and plenary sessions.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

41. Yale University: one of the 8 Ivy League
universities (because there was ivy on campus
walls) on the East Coast.
– Brown, Rhode Is.
– Columbia, N.Y. City
– Cornell, N.Y.
– Dartmouth, New Hampshire
– Harvard, Massachusetts
– Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
– Princeton, New Jersey
– Yale, Connecticut.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Bloomfield
was one of the most
outstanding scholars who bring creative
thinking into others' minds. He had such
broad range of knowledge that you can
not regard him merely as a professor of
certain specific field. He was a genius who
would never take it for granted that those
accepted rules and conventions were
correct just because they were well
established.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 42.
anthropology: the science of human
beings, esp. the study of human beings in
relation to distribution, origin,
classification, and relationship of races,
physical character, environmental and
social relations, and culture
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 43.
unique: having no like or equal, being
the only one of its sort, sole, peculiar
The beauty of the Mona Lisa is unique.
As a writer, he is unique.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 44.
term: word or expression with a
special meaning or used in a particular
activity, job, profession, etc.
medical / scientific / technical / legal terms
 Here: One cannot use the principles of
logical reason or the rules and principles
of a theoretical, ideal language to describe
a living language.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 in
terms of: with regard to, in relation to
– In terms of natural resources it is one of
the poorest countries in Western Europe.
– He thought of everything in terms of
money.
– The job is bad in terms of money, but
it's nice in terms of joy.
– He referred to your work in terms of
high praise.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
45. dynamic: marked by continuous usu.
productive change, full of power and activity
– a dynamic person / period in history
 46. static: showing little change, characterized
by lacking of movement
– static electricity
– Life on campus seemed static.
– Civilization does not remain static, but
changes constantly.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text

47. proposition: an unproved statement in
which an opinion or judgement is expressed,
an assertion （观点主张）
– The proposition is so clear that it needs no
explanation.
– The two teams prepared to debate the given
proposition.
– a new nation dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Proposal:
the act of suggesting or putting
forward （提议建议）
– to place a proposal
– the proposal of new terms for a peace
treaty
– propose: offer for consideration
– What do you propose to do next?
– Jack proposed to Mary and she
accepted his proposal.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

48. follow: come after, to happen as a
necessary result of; to occur as a
consequence
–
Because he is good, it does not follow
that he is wise.
–
It follows from what you have just said
that he must be innocent.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

49. insofar as, in so far as, in as far as: to the
extent or degree that
–
He is a Russian in so far as he was born in
Russia, but he became a French citizen in
1920.
–
I will help you insofar as I can.
–
He can be trusted in as far as he has never
yet told a lie.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 50.
accurate: exact, correct, free from
error or fault, esp. as the result of care
– His information was accurate.
– You are not quite accurate when you
call a computer an electronic brain.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 51.
indication: sign or suggestion
– There was no indication this morning
that it would rain.
– There is every indication of a change in
the weather.
– With a nod of his head he indicated to
me where I should sit.
– A red sky at night indicates fine weather
the following day.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 52.
adapt: to change so as to be suitable
for new needs, different conditions etc.
– He was obliged to adapt himself to the
situation.
– The shrewd politician adapts his speech
to suit the interests of his audience.
– The author is going to adapt his play for
television.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 53.
unparalleled: having no equal or
match, unique in kind or quality
– an unparalleled victory
– rains of unparalleled intensity
 parallel: (of two or more lines) having the
same distance between each other at every
point
– The highway runs parallel with the
railroad.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 54.
precedent: an earlier occurrence of sth.
similar; sth done or said that may serve as
an example to justify a subsequent act of
the same kind
– There is no precedent for electing the
same man President of the United States
three times.
– It is something without precedent in
history.
 cf: antecedent
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 55.
subtle: delicate, difficult to understand
or distinguish, obscure
– By subtle means he managed to
persuade her.
– He has a subtle mind.
– There is a subtle difference between
these two words.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 56.
pervasive: widespread; a kind that
will easily pervade (for smell or ideas,
feelings) to spread through every part
– the pervasive influence of television
– I can sense the pervasive mood of
pessimism in the country.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 57.
utilitarian: concerned with practical
use; not made for perfect forms;
characterized by usefulness rather than by
beauty; convenient, useful, functional
– A good down-filled coat is more
utilitarian than a fur coat.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 58.
unbuttoned: with the buttons not
fastened, (fig.) relaxed, free from
formality
 59. gibber /'dib/ ; / /: talk fast or make
meaningless sounds, esp. talk that doesn't
make sense
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 60.
caption: (here) a noun used as a verb
meaning entitle
 Not that: though one is not suggesting
that; one is not saying that
– Not that it matters, but how did you
spend the money I gave you?
– If he ever said so, --- not that I ever
heard him say so, --- he told a lie.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 61.
hang on to: to hold, grip or keep firmly
– The child hanged on to her mother's
hand , and would not let go.
– There are some people who hang on to
their positions long after they should
have retired.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 62.
label: n. a piece of paper or other
material fixed to sth., on which is written
what it is, where it is to go, who owns it,etc.
 verb. to fix or tie a label on
– Tom has been given the label of
"playboy" by his friends.
– He labelled the parcel before posting it.
– She was labelled as a “rightist”/ social
butterfly.
– The bottle is labelled "poison".
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 63.
scorn: contempt; feeling that sb. or sth.
deserves no respect; to feel contempt
– Honest boys scorn liars.
– You have no right to scorn someone who
is poor.
– He scorned to ask / asking for help.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
64. coincidence: an occurrence of events that
happen at the same time by accident but seem
to have some connection
 co: prefix, together with another or others
– co-author, -ed, -exist, -ordinate, -operation,
colleague, correspond
– By coincidence we both arrived at the same
time.
– These meetings happen too often to be
coincidental.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 65.
furnish: to put furniture in a building,
(fml) to supply what is necessary for a
special purpose
– The newlyweds couldn't wait to furnish
the apartment because the baby was
already on its way.
– No one in the class could furnish the
right answer to the question.
– One cow furnished milk for all of them.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text

66. illustrate: to explain or show the meaning of
sth. by giving related examples, pictures etc.
– The teacher illustrated his lesson with
pictures.
– The story he told about her illustrates her
true personality very clearly.
– These words should be given with illustrative
examples.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 67.
journal:
 a. publication issued daily. It gives an
account of matters of interest occurring
during the preceding 24 hours.
 b. official publication of some special
group (as of American Bar Association)
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 periodical(期刊):
publication appearing at
regular intervals, esp. weeklies, biweeklies,
monthlies, quarterlies.
 newspaper: Usual term for a sheet or
group of sheets, such a publication is
called "journal" only in formal speech or
written. People whose profession is
writing for newspapers are termed
journalists.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Magazine（杂志）:
applies chiefly to a
periodical, often illustrated, which offers
motley collection of articles, such as
fiction, poetry and commentary
 Review（评论）:
periodical which
emphasises critical writings commenting
on important events and significant
question of the day
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 68.
cumbrous, (rare) cumbersome:
burdensome; heavy and awkward to carry
– A soldier today would find old-fashioned
armour very cumbrous.
 69. literate: well educated, able to read
and write
 cf: literal, literary
 illiterate, illiteracy
anti-illiteracy campaign, (but) literacy
class
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 70.
current: belonging to the present time,
commonly accepted, in general use.
This word is no longer in current use.
current fashions / events / prices, etc.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 71.
variant: different form, as of a word,
phrase, or part of a story or piece of
writing
– The plant is a variant of the common
type.
– The song is just a variant of an old folk
tune.
– "Favor" is the American variant of the
British "favour".
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 72. vanity: the state of having too high an
opinion of one's own appearance or ability
– to do sth out of vanity
– to injure one's vanity
– All is vanity.
 concern: business, a matter of importance
– Mind your own concern.
– This is none of your concern
– That's no concern of mine.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 73.
abdicate: to give up officially (an
official position, esp. that of king or
queen), to give up (a right esp. a
responsibility)
– King Edward IVI abdicated to marry a
commoner.
– He abdicated his responsibilities and
fled.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 74.
distinction: quality of being superior,
excellent, and unusual
– Hardy was a writer of distinction.
– He served with distinction in the army.
– A governor should be a man of
distinction.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 75.
lexicography: the editing or making of
a dictionary, the principles and practices
of dictionary making
 76. conspicuous: noticeable, attracting
attention, easily seen
– She is always conspicuous because of
her fashionable clothes.
– A traffic sign should be conspicuous.
– conspicuous error
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 77.
elevate: to make (the mind, soul, etc.)
better, higher; (fml.) to raise or lift up
– His inspiring speech elevated the
audience.
– He was elevated to president of the
company.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 used
in place of lift or raise, suggesting
uplifting or enhancing
– to elevate one's standards of literary
taste
 elevation: the quality of being fine and
noble
elevator: AmE. lift. (cf: escalator)
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 78.
convey: to carry or take from one
place to another; to make (feelings, ideas,
thoughts, etc) known
– Wires convey electricity from power
stations to the user.
– I cannot convey my feelings in words.
– Please convey my best wishes to your
parents.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 conveyer
belt:(also conveyor) continuous
belt or band that moves on rollers and is
used for transporting loads (e.g. products
in a factory, luggage at an airport).
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 79.
auditor:
a. one that hears or listens, esp. one that is
a member of an audience ( a group of
listeners or spectators).
b. one who officially examines accounts
（审计员）
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 80.
bombination: buzz, drone, continuous
low dull noise (not listed in Longman)
 81. barbarism: word or expression that is
unacceptable, usu. because it is foreign or
vulgar
– act like barbarians
– barbarian tribes
– barbaric cruelty
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 82.
pretentious: claiming (in an
unpleasant way) importance or social
rank that one does not possess, showy,
pretending to be very important, pompous
– He is a pompous, pretentious man.
– a pretentious writer, author, book,
speech
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 83.
verbosity: the quality of using or
containing too many words; wordy.
 pretentious and obscure verbosity: using
too many words which seem important
but actually not clear; using too many
showy subtle words.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 84.
instance: (fml) (to give) an example
– The following are instances of correct
use of double prepositions.
– Lincoln is an instance of a poor boy who
rose to fame.
– There are jobs more dangerous than
truck driving, for instance, training
lions.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Example
applies to a typical,
representative, or illustrative instance or
case.
It is impossible to study a writer without
examples of his work.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 85.
pivot: a fixed central point or pin on
which sth. turns
 86. hinge: a metal part which joins 2
objects together and allows the first to
swing around the (usu. fixed) second, such
as one joining a door or gate to a post, or a
lid to a box.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 87.
groove: a long narrow path or track
made in a surface, esp. to guide the
movement of sth.
 88. accordion: portable musical
instrument with bellows, metal reeds, and
a keyboard.
 89. enclosure: sth. that is shut in on all
sides.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 90.
admonish: (fml) to scold or warn
gently
– The teacher admonished the boys not to
be so careless (against being careless).
– He admonished them of the danger (that
it was dangerous).
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 91.
brevity: shortness or conciseness of
expression
– the brevity of his writing / his life
 92. virtue: goodness, nobleness; any good
quality of character or behaviour;
– You can trust him; he's a man of the
highest virtue.
– Justice and kindness are virtues.
– The great virtue of air travel is speed.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 93.
infer: reach an opinion (from facts or
reasoning); conclude
– We infer from his letters that he is very
unhappy.
– The jury inferred from the testimony
that the defendant was lying.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 cf:
 imply:
Correctly it is the listener or reader
who infers things while the speaker or
writer implies things.
– I looked at his boots and inferred that
he must be a policeman.
– He said it was late, implying that we
ought to go home.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 94.
booby trap: sth. balanced on the tip of
a door so that it will fall on the first
person to pass through; hidden bomb
which explodes when some harmlesslooking object is touched; any harmless
trap used for surprising sb.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 95.
whereas: (used for introducing an
opposite) but in contrast, while on the
other hand
– They want a house, whereas we would
rather live in a flat.
– She prefers yellow, whereas I prefer
green.
– Some praise him, whereas others
condemn him.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 96.
ridicule: laugh unkindly at, cause sb.
to appear foolish
– Why do you ridicule my proposal?
– His suggestion met with ridicule by the
others.
– It is ridiculous to dispute about such
things.
– The hat makes you look ridiculous.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 97.
on this / that score: as far as this / that
point is considered
– I am perfectly capable of looking after
myself, so please don't worry about me
on this score.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 98.
reticulate: (in fact or in appearance)
divide or be divided into a network of
small squares
 decussate: cross or cut so as to form an X
 interstice: a small or narrow space
between things or parts
 intersection: the point or line where two
lines or surfaces meet or cross
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 99.
merriment: noun of merry, lighthearted gaiety or fun making, laughter,
celebration
 Merry suggests cheerful, joyous,
uninhibited enjoyment
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 100.
subsequent: later, following
– The first ticket costs $10, but all
subsequent ones only $8.
– In subsequent lessons, we shall take up
more difficult problems.
– He was arrested and subsequently
sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 sequence: succession, connected line of
events, ideas, etc.
– deal with events in historical / time
sequence
– a sequence of clubs (diamonds etc.)
– TV sequence
 sub: under, of lower rank, less
importance
– sub -marine, -mersible, -committee,
sub-human
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 101.
proliferate: to grow or reproduce by
rapid production of new parts, cells, or
offspring; to increase in number, multiply
–
Non-proliferation Treaty of Nuclear and
Chemical Weapons
–
Tropical vegetation proliferates.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 102.
demark: 'demarcate: to set apart, to
separate
 103. take refuge: find shelter in
– During the storm we took refuge in a
cave.
– He took refuge in telling lies / silence.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 104.
seal: piece of wax, lead or other soft
material, usu. stamped with a design and
fixed to a document to show that it is
genuine, or to a letter, packet, container,
etc. to prevent it from being opened by the
wrong person
 seal:
put a seal on (e.g. a legal document)
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
~
sth (up): fasten or close sth securely
– seal the parcel (up) with adhesive tape
– The jar must be well sealed.
– Seal (up) the window to prevent wind.
 sealing-wax: type of wax that melts
quickly when heated and hardens quickly
when cooled, used for sealing letters, etc
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 105.
jet: a narrow stream of liquid,
gas, etc. coming forcefully out of a
small hole
– The firemen directed jets of water at
the burning house.
 jet: any aircraft that is pushed
through the air by a jet engine
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 jets
of air: air door, a curtain of air
blows across the threshold where a
door usually is. It is used in
combination with an air conditioner
in hot climates to prevent hot air from
coming in and cold air from going out.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 106.
lease: written agreement, made
according to law, by which the use of
a building or piece of land is given by
its owner to sb for a certain time in
return for rent
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
the Lend-Lease Act: (passed by U.S.
Congress in 1941) in World War II, the
furnishing of goods and services to any
country whose defence was deemed vital
to the defence of the United states
– I have a lease on this house for three
years.
–
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 107.
rent: the regular payment for the use
of land, a building, a room, etc.
– I rented a small house in Newton for a
year.
– He rented the house to a young couple.
– The apartment rents for $100 a month.
– How much rent do you pay for your
house?
– You owe me three weeks' rent.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Hire,
let lease, rent, charter are
comparable when they mean to take or
grant the use of sth. for a price.
– Hire and let are complementary and
reciprocal terms, hire meaning to
engage the use or occupancy of sth. at a
price and let meaning to grant its use or
occupancy for a return.
– In distinctive use lease means to let on a
contract
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
Rent implies payment in money for the
use of land and the buildings. As long as
this idea is stressed, the verb may
denote either to hire or to let a property.
– Charter means to hire by a contract
similar to a lease by which the use of a
ship is given for a certain time and the
safe delivery of its cargo is promised.
The word is often extended to other
means of transportation (as buses or
–
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 108.
gyp: cheat
 109. contraption: device that is strange,
that one does not fully understand
– a peculiar contraption to shell the water
melon seeds
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 110.
in preference to:
– He has a preference for meat rather
than fish.
– A teacher should not show preference
for any one of her pupils.
– I'd choose the small car in preference to
the larger one.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 prefer
a to b:
– I prefer blue to red.
– While he was in the office, he preferred
doing sth. to doing nothing.
 prefer a rather than b
– He prefers beef rather than mutton.
– He preferred to stay at home rather
than go with us.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 preferable
–
A dark suit is preferable to a light one
for evening wear.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 111.
barrier: sth. (e.g. a wall, rail, fence
etc.) that prevents, or controls progress or
movement
 112. cellar: underground room for storing
coal, wine, etc.
cf:
basement: a room in a house which are
below street level.
barn: covered building for storing hay,
grain, etc. on a farm
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 113.
be open to: a. not safe from b. willing
to receive
– Her behaviour is open to
misunderstanding.
– His conduct is open to criticism (likely
to be criticized)
– The competition is open to all pupils
under 12.
– The accounts are open to inspection.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 114.
eradicate: to pull up by the roots;
destroy or put an end to
– to eradicate disease / smallpox
– Police work diligently to eradicate crime.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 115.
meritorious: deserving of honour,
esteem, praise
 merit: the quality of deserving praise,
reward, etc. personal worth
– You may not like him, but he has his
merits.
– He knew the merit of his work.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 116.
vary: differ
– People vary very much in their ideas.
– Opinions vary on this point.
– These apples vary in size from small to
medium.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 variable:a.
changeable, not staying the
same (connotation: unpredictability)
– His mood / temper is variable.
b. able to be changed deliberately, that can
be intentionally varied
– The amount of heat produced by this
electrical apparatus is variable at will
by turning a small handle.
– a variable standard
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 variation:
an example of change
– There are many variations of this story.
– It was a variation from my usual work.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 variety:
a. difference of condition or quality
– We demand more variety for our food.
 b. type
– There are several varieties of red roses.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 varied:
when meaning different, the
stress is on laid on "full of change“
– He had had a varied training, had
held many offices.
– There is a dining-room that will seat
200 persons, and the menu is varied
and cheap.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 various:
when meaning different, the
stress is on "difference“
– His reasons for leaving were many
and various.
– We have various type of radios.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Vary
and differ
 Differ stresses the fact of unlikeness in
kind or nature or in opinion, but does not
indicate (except through the context) the
extent or degree of divergence.
Vary, though often interchangeable with
differ, may call attention to readily
apparent differences and sometimes
suggests a range of differences.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Interchangeable
People vary / differ very much in
their ideas.
 Uninterchangeable
– Wisdom differs from cunning.
– The two parties differ very sharply
from each other over the correct
remedies to apply.
–
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 Vary
is not often found to be followed by
from
– Our style will vary with our changes in
mood.
– The colour of the fruit varies with age.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
 If
one varies sth., he deliberately makes
changes in them.
– You can vary the pressure at will.
– You should vary your diet.
 vary between …and / vary from …to
– Consumption of domestic fuel oil varies
between / from 150 gallons a month at
the height of winter and / to practically
nothing in July-August.
IV. Detailed Study of the Text
If people differ about sth., they don’t agree with
each other about it.
– We differ about moral standards.
– This is basically where we differ.
 If people agree to differ, they agree to accept the
fact that they will never have the same opinion
about it.
 You say “I beg to differ” when you want to say
politely that you disagree with someone.

V. Type of Writing:
 Argument
–
(Persuasion)
Argument can hardly be treated as a
separate form of composition. It's a kind
of exposition with the additional
purpose of Convincing or Persuading.
While exposition does not always
contain argument, Argument always
contains exposition.
V. Type of Writing:
 An
argument is in reality an answer to a
question. When you try to persuade or
convince your readers, you use reading to
appeal to their understanding. At most
basic levels, there are 2 ways of reasoning.
V. Type of Writing:
 1.
begin with details, specific examples or
various of evidence and on the basis of
these come to the conclusion or
generalization.
 2. begin with a general assertion which is
followed by exploration and explanation
of its implications and justification.
Finally return to the assertion in the
conclusion.
VI. Structural analysis:
 Part
1: para. 1 – para. 3
–
The storm of abuse in the popular
press.
–
The claim of the dictionary maker.
–
The question for argument: What is a
dictionary for?
VI. Structural analysis:
2: para. 4 – para. 13.
– section 1: Statement 1.
– A dictionary is concerned with words.
 Part
VI. Structural analysis
–
section 2: statement 2

Progress in lexicography:

Bloomfield and his 4 findings

the assertion following the findings
the illustration of the findings and the
assertion

VI. Structural analysis
3: para. 14 – para. 25
– section 1: (para. 14) spelling,
pronunciation, meaning and usage,
certainty, simplification
– section 2: (para. 15) spelling
– section 3: (paras. 16 - 17)
pronunciation
– section 4: (paras. 18 - 25) meaning and
usage
 Part
VI. Structural analysis:
 Part
4: Conclusion
VII.Rhetorical Devices
 Personification:
–
The storm...that greeted...
–
An article in the Atlantic viewed it as a
disappointment...
–
The Yew York Times, ...felt it
–
The Journal ...saw...
VII. Rhetorical Devices
 Alliteration:
–
...very little light on Lincoln...on Life
 Assonance:
–
The difference between the muchtouted ... and the much clouted ...
VII. Rhetorical Devices
 Synecdoche:
–
What of those sheets and jets of air
that are now being used, in place of
old-fashioned oak and hinges...
VII. Rhetorical Devices
 Metonymy
–
The Washington Post, ..."keep
Your Old Webster's"
–
in short, ...written in the language
that
the
describes...
3rd
International
VII. Rhetorical Devices
 Zeugma:
the use of a word to modify or
govern 2 or more words usu. in such a
manner that it applies to each in different
sense or makes sense with only one
–
The issue of New York Times …hail the
Second as the authority… and the
Third as a scandal…
VII. Rhetorical Devices

Zeugma:
–
Miss Bolo went home in a flood of tears
and a sedan chair.
–
He lost his hat and his temper.
–
To wage war and peace
–
With weeping eyes and hearts