Using dictionaries effectively

As a language learner you should devote a lot of time to do your best to enrich your vocabulary. But, sometimes people are confused how to do it effectively. So, now we will talk in detail about how to build your vocabulary getting a hang of different dictionaries. You may think that using a paper dictionary is old-fashioned, but if you want to make an improvement you should take it seriously.

The first thing, you should do is to know your dictionary like the back of your hand. You should know if your dictionary is prescriptive or descriptive. If English is your second language it would be beneficial for you to use descriptive dictionary to expand your vocabulary and your understanding of new words. Also, it is significant to know the accurate pronunciation of the words, so you should know which kind of transcribing is used in your dictionary to pronounce the word appropriately.

What is more, you should be aware of what part of speech the word is and how it can be transformed into other parts of speech.  Don’t forget to concentrate on collocations because they are not less important than other information included in your dictionary. So, if you want to make progress it is obvious that you should work with words all the time. For instance, you heard some new word, write it down and then when you are at home look it up in a dictionary. And sooner or later you will be a proficient user of paper dictionaries. Just remember that there are different dictionaries for different people, so it is up to you which one to choose.

1)  tomorrow -on or during the day after today

2) relevant - directly relating to the subject or problem being discussed or considered

 Relevant documents were presented in court.   

basque - a piece of underwear for a woman that covers her body from under her arms to the top of her legs

A gold basque worn by Madonna was sold for £9,000.

concerning -about or relating to

Calls from young children concerning lost pets.

cripple - old-fashioned to hurt someone badly so that they cannot walk properly

She was crippled in a car accident.

3)glam-ma  -A glamorous grandmother, esp. one who is relatively young or fashion-conscious. Also used as a form of address.

YouTuber - A frequent user of the video-sharing website YouTube, especially someone who produces and appears in videos on the site.

upˈstander - One of two upright posts on a sledge