Video: How to Use a Dictionary

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Dictionaries are used for providing definitions, pronunciations and parts of speech, in addition to other information. Use a dictionary with tips from a produced playwright in this free video on writing skills.

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Video Transcript

Hi, this is Laura Turner and today we're going to talk about how to use a dictionary. Most of the time today if you have Internet access, you can actually look up words on the Internet but if you don't have the Internet or you need to use the dictionary for some other reason, you need to know how. So today we're going to start by figuring out how the old fashion dictionary works. Now, a dictionary is actually of course organized by letter. So you start off with the letter "A" and then you go alphabetically from there. So if we have A as our very first letter in the dictionary it will continue on through all the letters that begin a, aa and then continue to ab. Okay? Then you also have little pictures that will show you things. Like the word abacus is actually shown with a picture next to it. And if you don't know how to pronounce abacus, the dictionary is also very helpful because it contains pronunciations of the word. And also multiple pronunciations if there are, followed by the part of speech of a word and, of course, all the definitions that are possible for that word. So, let's try to look a word in the dictionary and let's do it, let's say dalmation. Okay? So we will flip through to d. And we will find that right here on the first page, there's dalmatian because it's da word. So it's the beginning of the section here. DALMATION The word is actually also broken up in to the syllables - dal ma tian - dalmatian - pronunciation. It's a noun. Large white spotted short haired dog. And it also gives you the root of the word. From Dalmatia in Croatia. Okay? And now you know how to use your old fashion standard dictionary.

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How to Use a Dictionary

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