l1 vocab read

8/3/2019 L1 Vocab Read

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Everyday English Skills

Vocabulary, spelling and grammar

Name:

Date:

Check the meaning of words

In this topic you will find out about unfamiliar words and how to practise ways of

checking their meanings using dictionaries and glossaries. You will come acrosswords in your everyday life that you do not recognise. Unfamiliar words can occurin anything you read, such as newspapers and magazines, or instructions on thecomputer.

What you will learn about

The organisation of dictionaries:

alphabetical order

page layout of dictionaries

dictionary information and abbreviations

applying the definition to the context.

The organisation and layout of glossaries:

information and abbreviations in glossaries

using the computer glossary.

How to make a personal dictionary.

For this topic you will need a copy of a dictionary.

You will find suggestions and answers for the Activities,Practices and Mini-test in the Answerpages.

1/26 Ufi Ltd February 2010. All rights reserved. learndirect is a registered trademark of Ufi Ltd. All information correct at time of publication.


2/26

Learning

Unfamiliar words

Much of what you read every day will contain some words that are unfamiliar to you. Hereare some examples of complex words used in a newspaper article.

You may also occasionally need to read information about a specialist topic, subject orjob. Here are some examples of specialist words used in an occupational health andsafety course handbook.

You can use a dictionary to find out the meanings of most general words you comeacross in your reading.You can use a glossary to find out the meanings ofspecialistwords.

The following things will help you to find words quickly and check meanings:

page layout including word order

information and abbreviations for entries

general organisation

applying the definition to the context.



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Learning

Dictionaries

General organisation

All dictionaries give words in alphabetical order. This tells you whereabouts in thedictionary your word will be, so that you can open the dictionary in approximately the rightplace straight away.

Open your dictionary at the place where you think you will find words beginning with the

letters shown below. Insert an X in the checklist each time, then add up your total.

Words beginning with: Correct page 1 letter away 2 letters away More than 2 letters away

A

S

H

M

W

Totals

Activity 1A

Near the front. Near the middle. Near the end.

Between thefront andmiddle.

G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZA B C D E F

Between themiddle andend.



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Learning

Dictionaries (continued)

Page layout

The pages of all dictionaries are set out in a similar way:

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header wordsshow the first andlast words on eachpage

pagenumbersare given

words arearrangedin twocolumns

thekey words arein bold and arelisted inalphabetical order.

The page layout helps you to find the words you need quickly. The bold letteringmakes the words stand out to help you to spot them.

Words are given in alphabetical orderof second, third, fourth letters and so on.For example:

Third letter Fourth letter Fifth letter Sixth letter Ninth letter

aggro age-group agenda aggradation agglutinateaghast age-hardening agent aggrandise agglutinin

You can use the header words to find the page your word is on. Check whether yourword comes between the header words in alphabetical order.In the dictionary extract above the word aggression is on this page because it comesbetween the header words age and aghast.

1This page layout was adapted from the Concise Oxford Dictionary 10

thEdition and is reproduced by permission of

Oxford University Press.

Ufi Ltd February 2010. All rights reserved. learndirect is a registered trademark of Ufi Ltd. All information correct at time of publication.


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Learning

A Activity 2

Insert a tick in the box next to the answer without using your dictionary:

a. Which of these words would come just before the word aggression?

aggressive

aggrieved

aggregate

aggravated

aggro

b. Between which of these page headings would you find the word manifest?

mandate / mangle

mango / manipulate

manipulative / manta

Use your dictionary to find the following:

c. The page number on which you can find the definition of hostility.

d. The header words on the last page of the H section.



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Learning

Information and abbreviations for entries

A dictionary gives you a lot of information about a word. Each word and the informationgiven with it is called an entry.

This is a typical entry showing the sorts of information given.

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2 This extract was taken from the Concise Oxford Dictionary 10th Edition and is reproduced by permission of OxfordUniversity Press.

Differentmeanings ofthe sameword.

The type of word.

Information on the singular (sing.)

and plural (pl.) versions of the word.

How the word ispronounced.

Where thewordoriginallycomesfrom.

The meaningor meanings(definitions)of the word.This mightincludesupportingexamples inbrackets.

The meaning ofthe word used in aparticular subject-

related context.

The dictionary will also tell you if the word is a slang (informal) word. For examplebooze is an informal word for alcohol.

How much of the information you need depends on why you are looking up theword.

If you want the definition and there is a choice of meanings, it is helpful to know:

the type of word you are looking for (for example, a noun)

if the word is being used informally if the word is being used in a particularsubject-related context (such as a

medical term).

Abbreviations (short versions of words) are used to save space. For example: pl.for plural.

Different dictionaries use different abbreviations. You might know or be able to workout the meanings. You will also find them listed at the beginning of your dictionary.



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Learning

Information and abbreviations for entries(continued)

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Not stressed enough?

According to research,stress at work is on theincrease despite the recentmedia campaigns to raisethe publics awareness.

A Activity 3

Find the abbreviations for these words in your dictionary and type them in the middlecolumn.

Full word Abbreviation Meaning

abbreviation Short version of a word, for example, Brit for British.

noun A naming word, for example, a newspaper.

verb A word indicating an action or state, for example, I readnewspapers OR the newspaperhas articles.

adjective A describing word, for example, the long newspaperarticle.

Applying the definition to the context

A word may have more than one meaning. To choose the correct meaning, you need tothink about how it fits in with the general meaning of the text you are reading.

When you come across an unfamiliar word, you need to read the whole sentencecarefully to get the gist of what the information is about. This helps you to select theword meaning that makes the most sense.

In the newspaper extract shown above it would not make sense for media to meanmedium campaigns or an intermediate layer! It does make sense to say the recentefforts of television, radio and newspaper campaigns to raise the publics awareness.

This extract was taken from the Concise Oxford Dictionary 10th Edition and is reproduced by permission of OxfordUniversity Press.



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Learning

Activity 4A

The research suggests that many workers are not aware that stress can manifestitself as anything from back ache to serious depression.

Use your dictionary to help you find the most sensible meaning for the word manifestused in this sentence. Type your chosen meaning below.

manifest =

Hints and tips:Break the word up to help you check thespelling, for example, man-i-fest.

Use your finger to help you scan down eachcolumn for your word.



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Learning

Glossaries

General organisation

A glossary does not contain as many words as a dictionary because it only gives themeanings of specialist words or terms used in a particular text.

Glossary

A C

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addressbook A personal database of

your correspondents

cookie A browser file stored on your PC

B D

bookmark A shortcut to your favouriteweb sites

download To copy a file from a web siteor another computer to your system

Page layout

The pages of all glossaries are set out in a similar way:

Glossary

address book A personal database of yourcorrespondents

bookmark A shortcut to your favouriteweb sites

cookie A browser file stored onyour PC

download To copy a file from a website or another computer toyour system

If you are reading a book about a specialist subject, you will usually find a glossary at the backof the book.

Like dictionaries, the words are in alphabetical order. Some glossaries are divided intosections as the example above shows. Others are just set out as a continuous list, like theexam le below.

meanings are givenin the larger right-hand column of thepage.

key words in aseparate left-hand

column and in bold

words listed inalphabetical order


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Learning

Glossaries (continued)

Information and abbreviations for entries

A glossary gives less information about a word than a dictionary. This is because itspurpose is to just give the meaning of the specialist terms used.This is the typical sort of information given in a glossary:

Abbreviations and acronyms are used for shortening words. The examples above areformed from the initial letters of a number of words. It is useful to know specialistabbreviations and acronyms so that you can talk the same language as other peoplein that particular area.

The difference between initial letter abbreviations and acronyms is:

abbreviations can only be pronounced as a series of letters, for example, p-p-e

acronyms can be pronounced as words, for example, puwer.

initial letterabbreviations

whole phrases meaning ormeanings as theyare used in the

context

examples tosupport or clarifythe meaning.

policy a course of action decided on by a company

portable able to be carried about

PPE Personal Protective Equipment (e.g. hard hats andsafety boots)

preventative measures ways to avoid things happening, precautions

PUWER Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations,1998

quarantine keep someone away from others to avoid spreadinginfection

reasonably practicable possible to do in the circumstances

regulations a set of rules (e.g. fire regulations)

RIDDOR Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and DangerousOccurrences Regulations, 1995

SSOW Safe Systems of Work

acronyms(words formedfrom the initialsof other words)

Ufi Ltd February 2010. All rights reserved. learndirect is a registered trademark of Ufi Ltd. All information correct at time of publication. 10/26


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Learning

Glossaries(continued)

Activity 5A

Use the glossary extract above to answer these questions. Type your answers in theboxes below.

a. What does SSOW stand for?

b. Give two examples of PPE:

c. Is RIDDOR an abbreviation or an acronym?


The glossary gives you the definition of the word as it is used in the context, but it is agood idea to check back over what you have read once you know the meaning.

Activity 6A

It is the duty of all employees to abide by company policy regarding personal health and safety at work.Employees must cooperate with their employers by following safety instructions and guidelines as far as isreasonably practicable. They must take part in safety training, use PPE in accordance with PUWER includingreporting faults or damage.

Use the extract from the glossary above to look up the meaning of the highlighted words.Then read the information again to check that it makes sense.

Hints and tips:Look up one word at a time and re-read it one sentence at a time.



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Learning

Using the computer glossary

A computer has its own special glossary. It provides a quick way to find out the meaningsof technical words and abbreviations used in computing, such as virus and ISP.

Follow these steps to find out the meaning of the term you need using Microsoft WindowsXP.

Select Help andSupport from the

Start menu.

Note the Americanspelling of centre.

Select Windows basics fromthe Help and Support Centerwindow.

1

2

Select Windows

Glossary from themenu in the lowerpane.

thenMicrosoft product screen shots reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

Select the initial letter of yourword from the alphabeticalbuttons at the top of the right-hand pane.

Scroll down for your word (thewords are in alphabetical order).

5

3

4



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Learning

Activity 7A

Use your computer glossary to find the meaning of virus. Type your answers in theboxes below.

Type the meaning in your own words below.



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Learning

Personal dictionary

You can save a lot of time if you make a note of any words and definitions you look up.That way, you only have to look them up once!

Tips for keeping a personal dictionary:

1. Buy a notebook that is already divided into alphabetical orderOR write inletters of the alphabet at the top of different pages.

2. Divide each page into two columns one for the word and one for themeaning.

3. Add words to your dictionary each time you need to look them up. Write themeanings in your own words to help you remember them.

BWORD MEANINGboot start the computer

AWORD MEANINGaggression violent behaviourapplicable relevant

You can also use yourpersonal dictionary tohelp you rememberthe correct spelling of

words.

Now try the practice questions.



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Practice

Newspaper articles often use exaggerated language to make an event sound moreexciting or interesting. They also use informal language to appeal to everyone.Here is the sort of language you might come across in a newspaper article.

a. This article contains the word set. This word has a lot of meanings.Find the meaning in your dictionary that makes the most sense in this context andtype your answer in the box below.

set =

b. Read the article carefully and type what you think the following words mean in thiscontext.

seasoned =

searing =

shredded =

sliced =

simmering =

strain =

sealed =

Practice 1P

The tennis championship opened today with the surprise defeat of seasoned player Lee Manderby newcomer Pete Peplinski. Despite the searing heat, Peplinski shredded his opponent andsliced his way to victory in front of a crowd simmering with excitement. The strain increasinglyshowed on Manders face and by the end of the first set it was clear that his fate was sealed.Peplinskis coach Steve Linden said, Manders a fast server and had his share of great points inthe first few games but he made errors taking shortcuts to win points.

Hints and tips:Think of theliteral meaningsof the wordsyou know. Thenthink how theseare used toexaggerate thestory.



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Practice

c. Most of the words above have several meanings. Look up the words in the dictionaryand type the definition that is probably used for this context.

Hints andtips:Some of thedescriptivewords areexaggerationsand cannot betaken literally.

seasoned =

searing =

shredded =

sliced =

simmering =

strain =

sealed =

d. Compare the two sets of meanings to find out whether or not they are similar.



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Practice

Practice 2P

Heres the newspaper article again with the same words highlighted. All these words arealso terms you might come across in cookery books.

The tennis championship opened today with the surprise defeat of seasoned player LeeMander by newcomer Pete Peplinski. Despite the searing heat, Peplinski shredded hisopponent and sliced his way to victory in front of a crowd simmering with excitement. Thestrain increasingly showed on Manders face and by the end of the first set it was clear that hisfate was sealed. Peplinskis coach Steve Linden said Manders a fast server and had his shareof great points in the first few games but he made errors taking shortcuts to win points.

a. Complete the table below by typing these words in the left-hand column in the order inwhich they would appear in a glossary.If you get the order right the words and definitions will match.

S

To set the surface of meat in a hot oven or pan to colour andretain the juices.

Cooking quickly on both sides in a little hot fat or oil.

To have given flavour to food by adding something to it (suchas salt, pepper and spices).

1. To become firm or firmer (e.g. jelly).

2. To seal the surface of food.

Cut into fine strips with a knife (e.g. lettuce or cabbage).

Bubbling gently below boiling point.

Cut into even, separate pieces.To separate liquids from solids by passing through a strainer.

Check your answers before moving on to the next question.

b. Look back at the meanings of these words that you found in the dictionary in Practice1. Notice whether or not those meanings are similar to the definitions above. List thewords for which the two meanings are very different:



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Practice

c. The sentences below come from a cookery book. They all contain a word from theglossary on the previous page. Use your completed glossary to help you and typeyour answers in the gaps.

1. Leave the potatoes for 10 minutes without boiling.

2. Make sure the oil is hot enough before the meat.

3. The mince can be with spices according to personal taste.

4. Allow the jelly to properly before serving.

5. Place the finely lettuce in the bowl.



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Practice

There are four words beginning with s in this article that are also used in computing. Theword set is one of them.

Practice 3P

The tennis championship opened today with the surprise defeat of seasoned player LeeMander by newcomer Pete Peplinski. Despite the searing heat, Peplinski shredded hisopponent and sliced his way to victory in front of a crowd simmering with excitement. Thestrain increasingly showed on Manders face and by the end of the first set it was clear that hisfate was sealed. Peplinskis coach Steve Linden said Manders a fast server and had his shareof great points in the first few games but he made errors taking shortcuts to win points.

a. Use the computer glossary to find out the meaning of the word set in computing.Type the meaning in your own words where possible:

set (computing) =

b. Find the other three words beginning with s that appear in the computer glossary.Type them in the empty box below:

Hints and tips: the words are in thelast sentence of the article.

c. Type the three words and their meanings in your own words on the personaldictionary page below.

S

Computer term Glossary meaning



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Practice

d. Now look up the words in the dictionary and type meanings of the words as they areused in the newspaper article.

S

Word Meaning in context

Go on to the Skills review checklist on the next page.



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Skills review

Now you have completed the topic, how do you feel about the skills you havelearnt? Insert a tick in the box that is true for you.

Topic: Checking the meaning of words

Im OK Id like morepractice

I needsome help

The organisation of dictionaries

Alphabetical order

Page layout of dictionaries

Dictionary information andabbreviations


The organisation and layout ofglossaries

Information and abbreviations inglossaries

Using the computer glossary

How to make a personal dictionary

How did you get on?

If you feel confident, have a go at the Mini-test questions.

If you need more practice, work through the learning activities again.

If you feel you need more help, speak to your tutor.



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Mini-test

Mini-testM

Insert a tick into the box beside the correct answer to these questions.

Use your own dictionary to answer questions 1 and 2.

1. The word abbreviate is:

a) a noun

b) a verb

c) an adjective

d) an adverb.

2. The acronym CD-ROM stands for:

a) computer disc room

b) classified data read or memorise

c) compact disc read-only memory

d) contained drive read off mode.

3. In a medical glossary, which of these words would come before the phrase metabolicrate?

a) metabolism

b) mesothelium

c) metabolite

d) messenger RNA



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Mini-test

For questions 4 and 5 you will need to use your computer glossary

4. In computing, what is a firewall?

a) A device to stop the computer getting overheated.

b) A security system that stops unauthorised access from outsideto an internal network.

c) A computer-generated game involving firearms.

d) A shortcut feature for keeping folders and files in alphabeticalorder.

5. Not all abbreviations are made up of the initial letters of words.What is the abbreviation for intersite messaging service?

a) ISM

b) IMS

c) INT

d) IMSERV

Please tell your tutor that you have completed this workbook.



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Answers

Topic activities

Activity 1 (page 3)Look at your totals. In which column did you have the most Xs?Column 1 (correct page)Excellent! This will save you time when looking up a word.Column 2 (1 letter away)Close! This will save you time when looking up a word, and youll get even more accuratewith practice.Column 3 (2 letters away)Not bad. Youre likely to get closer and closer with practice.Column 4 (more than 2 letters away)

It can take a while to get used to where the word sections are in dictionaries. Keeppractising and your speed and accuracy will improve as long as you can use alphabeticalorder.

Activity 2 (page 5)a. aggregateb. mango / manipulatec.Answers will vary depending on the copy of the dictionary used.d. The words may vary, but they are likely to start with the letters hy.

Activity 3 (page 7)Answers will vary depending on the copy of the dictionary used.Some common ones are:abbreviation = abbrev.noun = n.verb = v.adjective = adj.

Activity 4 (page 8)Answers will vary depending on the copy of the dictionary used.You may have typed something like: manifest = appear or become apparent.

Activity 5 (page 11)a. Safe Systems of Work.b. hard hats and safety bootsc. RIDDOR is an acronym. (You can pronounce it as a word).

Activity 6 (page 11)There is no answer to this activity.

Activity 7 (page 13)Answers may vary depending on the programme used.

You may have written something like: A program that tries to spread from computer tocomputer and cause damage.



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Answers

Practice activities

Practice 1a. Answers will vary depending on the copy of the dictionary used.You may have written something like: set = a group of tennis games.b.There are no answers to this activity.c.Answers will vary depending on the copy of the dictionary used.You may have typed something like:seasoned = experiencedsearing = very hotshredded = tore or cut to shreds (exaggerated way to describe the way Peplinski beatMander)

sliced = a particular way of hitting a ball to make it spinsimmering = in a state of suppressed excitementstrain = tension or exhaustionsealed = settled.

Practice 2a. The words should be in alphabetical orderas shown below:sealedsearingseasonedsetshreddedsimmeringslicedstrain.b.Answers will vary depending on the definitions written for Practice 1.You probably found that some of them were similar and others very different. The oneslikely to be the most different are the ones that are specific tennis words such as slicedand set.c.

1. Leave the potatoes simmering for 10 minutes without boiling.

2. Make sure the oil is hot enough before searing the meat.3. The mince can be seasoned with spices according to personal taste.4. Allow the jelly to set properly before serving.5. Place the finely shredded lettuce in the bowl.

Practice 3You may have typed something likea. Applies any changes you have made without closing the dialogue boxb. The other words are server, share and shortcuts.c.Answers will vary.d.Answers will vary.



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Answers

Mini-test1. b) a verb2. c) compact disc read-only memory3. d) messenger RNA4. b) A security system that stops unauthorised access from outside to an internalnetwork.5. a) ISM

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