The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

10 Chapter 1 Words About PeopleThis chapter’s learning strategy concentrates on the effective use ofthe dictionary. The dictionary is the best source for finding the precisemeaning of a word.There are many types of printed dictionaries. They vary in size froman abridged (or pocket) dictionary, to a college-level dictionary, to anunabridged dictionary. The world’s most complete dictionary is theOxford English Dictionary. It weighs a full 137.72 pounds!Dictionaries are also written for different audiences. The LongmanHandy Learner’s Dictionary of American English and The AmericanHeritage English as a Second Language Dictionary help people who do notspeak English as a first language. Dictionaries also exist for slang, sports,medicine, and even insults!In today’s world, though, many of us look up words online or useelectronic databases. This has created a whole new world of dictionaryuse. Printed dictionaries are limited by space, but electronic dictionarysources contain a wealth of information. Many online sources includeseveral dictionaries together, and also have an audio component thatpronounces the word.The websites www.onelook.com and www.dictionary.com give definitions of words from severaldifferent published dictionaries. You can access these through the Student Companion Website forthis book at www.cengage.com/devenglish/richek8e.Dictionary entries contain lots of coded information and abbreviationsthat need to be “unlocked.” A skillful user can find not only the meaning ofa word but also its pronunciation, its history, and words related to it.Here is an entry for astute from an online source. Each part will bediscussed.13456as•tute 2ß-sto — ot, ß-styo — ot KEYADJECTIVE: Having or showing shrewdness and discernment,especially with respect to one’s own concerns. See synonyms atshrewd.ETYMOLOGY: Latin astūtus, from astus, craft.OTHER FORMS: as•tute´ly (Adverb), as•tute´ness (Noun)A standard dictionary entry contains the following parts:1. The word. The entry word is shown and divided into syllables. If asmall, raised number appears after the word, it means there is morethan one entry for that word. For example, hawk 2 indicates that thereare (at least) two entries for the word hawk.2. Pronunciation. Note that there are two ways to pronounce astute.When two are listed, the first one is preferred, but the second oneis acceptable. On the website, you can actually hear the wordpronounced by clicking on the symbol .Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.