Print Dictionary Skills Worksheets
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Dictionary Practice
Grab one of those good ole' reference tools to help you answer the following questions.
Abbreviations
Did you know that you can also use them to find the meanings of these abbreviations. Write the term or phrase on the line.
Practicing with Your Dictionary
We get you on the front line with some really good practice on this worksheet. It gets easier as you start to practice it more.
Irregular Past Tense
Write the irregular past tense of each verb. Check your answers, with what else?
Parts of Speech
You will need a speech classification key or legend to help you here. Determine the part of speech for each of the terms that are given. There may be more than one correct answers.
Guide Words
Circle the pair of guide words you might find on a page where the bold term could be found.
Working With Guiding Words
Read each set of guide words. Underline where you would find them on that page.
Spelling and Syllables
Use a reference tool to help you divide the following words into syllables. Write each of them on the line, placing a hyphen between syllables.
The Dictionary Is Full of Answers
See how well you can answer these questions when you have your favorite reference tool handy.
Decoding Unfamiliar Words
Fill in the chart for each word on this selection of phrases and terms in the matrix. This will help you understand waht to do when you come across unfamilar terms.
Using the Dictionary
You will look up the assigned words. Then you will fill out the chart for each of the terms and use them in a complete sentence.
Synonyms
In addition to giving you the definition of a word, the dictionary sometimes also gives synonyms for all of the terms that are given.
These activity sheets will teach your students how dictionaries are formatted for use, including questions about guide words, definition priority, synonyms and antonyms, and more. Answer keys have been provided for most sheets, but answers may differ depending on the dictionary used. Fun Class Contest: Divide the class into teams for dictionary drills. Present challenges similar to the worksheet activities and see which team can complete them first!
Why are Dictionaries Important?
A dictionary is a collection of words and their definitions. We use them to look up the meaning of a word or find words with similar meanings. These are important tools for understanding language. They provide definitions of words, examples of how they are used, and sometimes pronunciation information. They can also help you determine the parts of speech a word belongs to and whether a word is considered formal or informal.
Dictionaries are usually arranged in alphabetical order. They can be used to sort words by their starting letter or by the number of letters in each word. They are also commonly known as word books or lexicons.
Types of Dictionaries
There are many different forms of dictionaries, including general, special-purpose, language focused, and pronunciation references. Each type of dictionary serves a specific purpose and contains more or less relevant information depending on your particular area of interest.
For example, if you want to look up the spelling of a word, then a general dictionary may be your best option. A pronunciation dictionary would be more appropriate if you need information about how a word is pronounced or its origin and history.
Specialized Forms
There are specialized dictionaries geared toward certain industries or types of use. For example, dictionaries may be specifically targeted at (e.g., Longman Business English Dictionary), legal uses (West's Law Dictionary), medical terminology (Stedman's Medical Dictionary), or scientific vocabulary (Websters' New Millennium Science Dictionary).
These type of specialized books often provide additional information not found in other dictionaries, such as word etymologies and definitions that include important dates, places, people, and historical events related to the word.
Regardless of which type of dictionary you choose to use, it's important to familiarize yourself with its organization and contents to find the information you're looking for quickly and easily.
The Most Famous English Reference Tool
The Oxford English Dictionary is the most famous English dictionary ever written. It contains more than 400,000 entries and includes every word that has been used in the English language since 1150 AD. The OED is a historical document - it not only records new words as they are created and traces the history and development of individual words throughout time. This makes it an invaluable resource for linguists.
Today, many different types of dictionaries are available, both in print and online. They range from small, pocket-sized dictionaries to huge tomes that contain hundreds of thousands of entries.
The Importance of a Dictionary
These reference tools are essential because:
- They allow us to look up words quickly and easily. This is especially useful when writing essays or papers because we can find the definition of a word without interrupting our flow of thought.
- They also provide us with additional information about a word, including its pronunciation. This is especially useful when reading and coming across a difficult word that we don't recognize or understand. We can simply find the definition of that word in a dictionary and gain a greater understanding of what we're reading.
- They help us learn new words because they contain all of the definitions for each entry in most of what we read.
Additionally, dictionaries often include example sentences that give us insight into how those words are used in context. This can be extremely helpful when trying to understand how to use a word properly.
Ending Note
Dictionaries are critical tools for writers that allow us to find the meaning of unknown words quickly and easily and access crucial extra information about those words, such as their pronunciation and usage. Dictionaries also help us to learn new words and expand our vocabulary.
Whether you're looking for a word's definition or just trying to improve your vocabulary, a good dictionary is an invaluable resource that should always be kept close at hand.