1. TEN STEPS to BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS
FIFTH EDITION
TEN STEPS to BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS
John Langan
© Townsend Press

2. DICTIONARY SKILLS Dictionary Advice in a Nutshell
• You should own both a paperback and a hardbound dictionary.
• Your computer (if you have one) may have a built-in dictionary; also, you can easily visit an online dictionary.
• Use spelling hints to help you look up in the dictionary a word you cannot spell.
• A dictionary entry will tell you how a word is spelled and pronounced and give you various meanings of the word. It will also provide other helpful information about words.
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3. This Chapter in a Nutshell
• You should own both a paperback and a hardbound dictionary.
• Your computer (if you have one) may have a built-in dictionary; also, you can easily visit an online dictionary.
• Use spelling hints to help you look up in the dictionary a word you cannot spell.
• A dictionary entry will tell you how a word is spelled and pronounced and give you various meanings of the word. It will also provide other helpful information about words.
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4. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
This Chapter in a Nutshell
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The dictionary is a valuable tool. To help you use it, this chapter explains in a clear and detailed way what you need to know about dictionaries and the information they provide.

5. Owning Your Own Dictionaries
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Owning Your Own Dictionaries
You can benefit greatly by owning two dictionaries.
The first dictionary you should own is a paperback edition you can carry with you. Any of the following would be a good choice:
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6. You can benefit greatly by owning two dictionaries.
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Owning Your Own Dictionaries
You can benefit greatly by owning two dictionaries.
The second dictionary you should own is a desk-sized, hardcover edition, which should be kept in the room where you study. Here are two good hardbound dictionaries:
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7. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Online Dictionaries
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If your computer is connected to the Internet, you may find it easy to check words online. Here is one dictionary site you can go to:

8. If you go online to www.merriam-webster.com and type in the word
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Online Dictionaries
If you go online to and type in the word
fortify, you will see something like this:
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9. Notice the speaker icon next to the word fortify.
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Online Dictionaries
Notice the speaker icon next to the word fortify.
If you click on this icon, the word will be pronounced for you.
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10. Finding Words in the Dictionary
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Finding Words in the Dictionary
Using Guidewords to Find a Word
One way to find a given word in a dictionary is to use guidewords—the pair of words at the very top of each dictionary page.
Here are the top and bottom parts of a page in one paperback dictionary:
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11. • The first guideword tells what the first word is on that page.
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Finding Words in the Dictionary
/ Using Guidewords to Find a Word
• The first guideword tells what the first word is on that page.
• The second guideword tells what the last word is on the page.
• All the word entries on the page fall alphabetically between the two guidewords.
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12. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Finding Words in the Dictionary
/ Using Guidewords to Find a Word
Which word below would be found on the dictionary page with the guidewords armful / arsenic?
armful | arsenic
art aroma allow
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13. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Finding Words in the Dictionary
/ Using Guidewords to Find a Word
Which word below would be found on the dictionary page with the guidewords armful / arsenic?
armful | arsenic
art aroma allow
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The word aroma falls alphabetically between armful and arsenic. The word art comes after arsenic. The word allow comes before armful.

14. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Finding Words in the Dictionary
Finding a Word You Can’t Spell
If you want to find a word in the dictionary, but you don’t know how to spell the word, you have to guess what the letters might be. Here are three hints to help you in such cases:
Hint 1: If you’re not sure about the vowels in a word, you will have to experiment.
• Vowels often sound the same. So try an i in place of an a, an i in place of an e, and so on.
• If, for example, you don’t find a word that sounds as if it begins with pa, try looking under pe, pi, po, pu, or py.
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15. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Finding Words in the Dictionary
/ Finding a Word You Can’t Spell
Hint 2: These groups or combinations of letters below often sound alike.
• If your word isn’t spelled with one of the letters in a pair or group shown below, try another in the same pair or group.
• For example, if it isn’t spelled with a k, it might be spelled with a c.
c/k
c/s
f/v/ph
g/j
qu/kw/k
s/c/z
sch/sc/sk
sh/ch
shun/tion /sion
w/wh
able/ible
ai/ay
al/el/le
ancy/ency
ate/ite
au/aw
ea/ee
er/or
ie/ei
ou/ow
oo/u
y/i/e
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16. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Finding Words in the Dictionary
/ Finding a Word You Can’t Spell
Hint 3: Consonants are sometimes doubled in a word. If you can’t find your word with a single consonant, try doubling it.
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17. Learning from a Dictionary Entry
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
Sample Dictionary Entry
All of the following information may be provided in a dictionary entry:
1 Spelling and Syllables
2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
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3 Parts of Speech
4 Irregular Forms of Words
5 Definitions (Meanings)
6 Synonyms
7 Usage Labels

18. 1 2 3 1 Spelling and Syllables
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
1 Spelling and Syllables
• The dictionary first gives the correct spelling and syllable breakdown of a word.
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• Dots separate the words into syllables.
In the entry for disrespect, the word is divided into three syllables. 1 2 3

19. How many syllables are in each of these words?
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 1 Spelling and Syllables
How many syllables are in each of these words?
do•nate com•pen•sate o•be•di•ent 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 3 4
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2 syllables
3 syllables
4 syllables

20. 2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
• In a dictionary entry, the information in parentheses shows you how to pronounce the word.
• It includes two kinds of symbols: pronunciation symbols and accent marks.
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21. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
Pronunciation Symbols
The pronunciation symbols tell the sounds of the consonants and the vowels in a word.
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Vowels are the letters a, e, i, o, and u. (Sometimes y is also a vowel, as in myself and copy.) To know how to pronounce the vowel sounds, use the pronunciation key in your dictionary.

22. Here is a sample pronunciation key:
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
Pronunciation Symbols
Here is a sample pronunciation key:
To use the pronunciation key, match the symbol (√, ∂, and so on) with the letter or letters in bold print in the short word that follows the symbol.
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For instance, √ (also called “short a”) sounds like the a in hat.

23. This tells you that the i is pronounced like the i in the word sit.
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
Pronunciation Symbols
Pronunciation Key
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This tells you that the i is pronounced like the i in the word sit.
• The i in disrespect has the symbol µ.
• The first e in the word also has the symbol µ. It is also pronounced like the i in the word sit.

24. The second e in disrespect is pronounced like the e in what word?
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
Pronunciation Symbols
Pronunciation Key
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The second e in disrespect is pronounced like the e in what word?
Answer: Like the e in ten

25. The black marks in the pronunciation guide are accent marks.
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
Accent Marks
The black marks in the pronunciation guide are accent marks.
• The line after the t at the end of disrespect is a bold accent mark. It shows which syllable has the strongest stress.
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• The first syllable (dis) has a lighter accent mark after it. That syllable is more stressed than the unaccented second syllable but less strongly stressed than the last syllable.

26. Which syllable is most strongly stressed in each of the words below?
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 2 Pronunciation Symbols and Accent Marks
Accent Marks
Which syllable is most strongly stressed in each of the words below?
Answers:
Second
Second
Third
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First
Third

27. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
3 Parts of Speech
Every word in the dictionary is either a noun, a verb, an adjective, or another part of speech.
In dictionary entries, the parts of speech are shown by letters in italics.
In the entry for disrespect, for example, the abbreviations v. and n. tell us that disrespect is both a verb and a noun.
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28. pron. — pronoun conj. — conjunction
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 3 Parts of Speech
Here are the most common abbreviations for parts of speech:
n. — noun v. — verb
pron. — pronoun conj. — conjunction
adj. — adjective prep. — preposition
adv. — adverb interj. — interjection
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29. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 3 Parts of Speech
In the dictionary entry below, what parts of speech are given for the word insult?
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Answers: Verb and Noun

30. 4 Irregular Forms of Words
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
4 Irregular Forms of Words
When other forms of a word are spelled in an irregular way, those forms are shown in the dictionary entry.
Here are some examples:
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31. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
5 Definitions
Words often have more than one meaning. The dictionary lists the different meanings.
You can tell which definition of a word fits a given sentence by the meaning of the sentence.
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32. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 5 Definitions
Which dictionary meaning for the word revive best fits the sentence below?
Modern technology can revive patients who have actually been considered medically dead.
revive: 1. To bring back to life or consciousness.
2. To impart or regain health or vigor.
3. To restore to use.
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33. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 5 Definitions
Which dictionary meaning for the word revive best fits the sentence below?
Modern technology can revive patients who have actually been considered medically dead.
revive: 1. To bring back to life or consciousness.
2. To impart or regain health or vigor.
3. To restore to use.
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Definition 1 best fits the sentence: Modern technology can bring a patient back to life.

34. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
6 Synonyms
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A synonym is a word whose meaning is similar to that of another word. For instance, two synonyms for the word fast are quick and speedy.

35. www.merriam-webster.com or www.thesaurus.com
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 6 Synonyms
Dictionary entries sometimes end with synonyms.
More information on synonyms as well as antonyms (words with opposite meanings) can be found in a thesaurus (thµ-sôr£®s), which is a collection of synonyms and antonyms.
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If you have access to the Internet, you can find a free thesaurus online by going to or

36. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 6 Synonyms
You may want to own a paperback thesaurus such as one of the following:
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37. • The phrase hang in, meaning “to persist,” is labeled “Informal.”
CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
7 Usage Labels
Besides listing definitions, a dictionary often includes usage labels: terms that tell us if a meaning is considered something other than “Standard English.”
Examples of Usage Labels
• One meaning for the verb crash, “to go to sleep,” is labeled “Slang.”
• The phrase hang in, meaning “to persist,” is labeled “Informal.”
• The word ain’t is labeled “Nonstandard.”
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Such labels indicate language not considered appropriate in formal speech and writing.

38. CHAPTER 1 Dictionary Use
Learning from a Dictionary Entry
/ 7 Usage Labels
In addition to usage labels, the dictionary provides field labels—special meanings of a word within a certain field.
Example of Field Labels
• The following definition of the word mouse is labeled “Computer Science”:
A hand-held input device used to move about a computer screen and operate programs.
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