To achieve the First Certificate level with success,
one of the most important steps is the use of dictionary with no Spanish
translation.
Our first help is to offer you the WordWeb dictionary, one
of the best tools we use at OM Personal English. You can
download here this useful dictionary for free.
Although it does not offer pronunciation, this is a great
English-English
dictionary for intermediate to advanced students. Basically because the
layout is very clear, the definitions are easy to understand and they
are often offered by way of examples. And that is exactly what you
need!!
10 RULES FOR USING YOUR DICTIONARY WISELY
1.
Try and work out the meaning of an
unfamiliar word from its context before you look it up in a
dictionary.
2.
A dictionary can help you improve your
spelling, but you may have to look in several places before
you find the word you want. For example, if you want to
check the word "ceiling", you may look at "sealing", before
you find the right word.
3.
Get to know the range of information that
is available in your dictionary (e.g. pronunciation,
different uses of the word, etc.), and the phonetic
alphabet and the codes that your dictionary uses.
4.
Always check all the meanings given for a
word, because the same word may have a different meaning in
a different context.
5.
A dictionary can give you a lot of help
with grammar. For example, it can tell you whether a word is
followed by a particular preposition, whether a noun is
countable or uncountable, what the parts of irregular verbs
are, or whether a verb is followed by the infinitive or the
-ing form of another verb.
6.
When you check the meaning of a phrasal
verb, remember to look up the complete verb, for example
'work out', not just 'work'.
7.
If you want to check the meaning of an
idiom, look for information under a key word. For example,
if you have trouble understanding 'It's taken for granted
today that children should study a foreign language at
school', look for help under 'grant[ed]'.
8.
It's very important to study the examples
of a word in use. As well as helping you understand meaning,
the examples will show how the word is used and in what
contexts.
9.
Use a dictionary to help you with your
private study, for example:
a) To make sure of the meaning of important new words you
have met in class (or heard in an English language film, or
come across in something you have read for pleasure, etc.);
b) To distinguish between words with similar meanings (for
example, in a vocabulary exercise);
c) To prepare a piece of writing or an oral presentation.
10.
Remember that consulting a dictionary can
be very helpful, but often (for example, during a
conversation) you should use other methods (for example,
asking for an explanation, expressing your meaning in
different words) if you don't understand something or you
can't find exactly the word you want.
Dictionary skills:
Pronunciation
ACTIVITY 5:
Which word is the odd one out? Click on each
speaker to listen. The first example is given: 1. ship: The
vowel sound in ship is / i /, not / i: / like the other words.
Write the odd one word in the box
and then check the correct answers.
ODD WORD 1
tree
piece
ship
key
leaf
The odd one word is
ODD WORD 2
bed
sand
head
said
friend
The odd one word is
ODD WORD 3
laugh
much
does
once
young
The odd one word is
ODD WORD 4
full
wolf
could
foot
fool
The odd one word is
ODD WORD 5
born
ought
fault
board
cough
The odd one word is
ODD WORD 6
first
warm
serve
earth
word
The odd one word is
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siguiente podrás continuar practicando más utilidades de
tu diccionario ...
