Words and dictionaries

Once upon a time there was a language learning theory that suggested
you could learn while you were sleeping. Unfortunately few people suggest
that method today. Instead we talk about learning words in a context,
making mindmaps in order to learn words that are related or opposites.
You'll just have to find a way that suits you. Learning new words is
one of the most important parts of learning English.
English is a very rich language, which means that no matter how many
words you know there are always more to learn. A very comforting thought!
And a good dictionary comes in handy when you're reading a novel or
writing an essay. So if you don't have one you need to buy it.
There are dictionaries on the net but most people prefer a book and
turn to the ones on the net when they need additional information (new
words, slang, phrases etc. may be difficult to find in a dictionary).
Check yourself,
do you know: |
a. What kind of
information can be found in a dictionary? Look at the example
below and name three things that you are told about the word flour.
b. Which English language dictionary would you turn to if you
can't find a word in your English-Swedish dictionary?
c. What dictionaries are available on the net? Where can you find
them?
d. What's the difference between a dictionary, an encyclopedia
and a thesaurus?
The key |
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.
Now that you've checked yourself it's
time to start working, please save the papers in your portfolio:
|
Try different ways of learning words: |
a. Make a mindmap with at least 10 words that
are related. (Choose something that you're interested in: cars,
philosophy, travelling or gardening.) |
b. Look for synonyms (words that mean the same
- more or less) to the word "surprised" and make a list. |
c. How (and when) do you think you learn words?
Comment. |
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