PLUG-INs Information Literacy @ Fujariah Colleges

PLUG-INs Information Literacy @ Fujariah Colleges DICTIONARIES & THESAURI In Print

They help students find the meaning of words. Dictionaries are very important books for students. The meaning of a word is called the “definition.”

Dictionaries also help you find the correct spelling of a word. Dictionaries tell you if a word is noun, verb or other part of speech. Dictionaries show you how to pronounce a word.

Some dictionaries are in English only. There are many different kinds of dictionaries. Some dictionaries have 2 different languages like English & Arabic or English & French.

Some dictionaries only have words about a special subject. For example, a business dictionary has words only about business. There are computer dictionaries, art dictionaries, medical dictionaries & many others.

Some dictionaries have special lists of words. Some dictionaries have pictures or photos. For example, a list of countries with the capital cities or irregular verbs.

In a dictionary, words are in alphabetical order. At the top of each page, there are “guidewords.” A guideword tells you what the first and last words on the page are.

Here is an example of a page with the guidewords : hundredth & hurt

Think about this example: if the first guideword is “take” . . . and the other guideword is “time” . . . you know that “talk” will be on that page. T-A-L comes after T-A-Kbut before T-I.

Another example: if the first guideword is “cake” . . . And the other guideword is “come” . . . Will “chocolate” be on the page ?

Think of some examples using words you know. Yes, because “chocolate C-H” comes after “cake C A” but before “come C O.”

Now we will talk about a book called a Thesaurus. What is this strange word, thesaurus? Is it a dinosaur ?

No ! A thesaurus is similar to a dictionary but it only lists words with similar meanings. By the way, the plural of thesaurus is thesauri. It is irregular.

Here is an example an entry in a thesaurus: big, large, enormous, huge Or: small, little, tiny, miniature These words are called synonyms or near-synonyms. They have very similar meanings.

Sometimes, a thesaurus also lists words with opposite meanings. For example : rich-poor expensive-cheap smart-stupid These words are called antonyms.

Words in a thesaurus are listed by the subject or idea. Sometimes the subjects are in alphabetical order. Sometimes, subjects are listed by number.

Here are 2 pages of a thesaurus with guidewords : mind & money

There are dictionaries and thesauri online from a computer. From library.hct.ac.ae click on Resources , then Databases and e-books We will learn more about the databases in another Plug In lesson.

I hope this helps you understand how to use a dictionary & a thesaurus. These books are a student’s best friends. Read your dictionary & thesaurus everyday.

Ask your teacher or your friendly librarian if you have any questions. HAPPY READING !

PLUG-INs Information Literacy @ Fujariah Colleges