One of the most important elements when learning a language is to improve your vocabulary. The most common source used for this is the dictionary. Although many people prefer to use translation programs such as Google today, these programs often fail to provide the correct meaning or sufficient information. At the same time, since translation applications have more disadvantages than advantages, teachers also recommend using a dictionary. You can access our article comparing translation applications and dictionary usage here.
Although using a dictionary makes a great contribution to your language learning process, most of us do not know how to use a dictionary correctly. Here are the things you can find in a quality classic or online dictionary;
1. WORD TYPES
Words undertake different functions in sentences. The functions that words undertake determine their types. We give them names such as predicate, adverb, adjective. In dictionaries, you can see the type of the word next to, under, or above it, as seen in the picture. Types are written in full or with their first letter. These are; Noun - İsim Adjective - Sıfat
Adverb - Zarf Preposition - Edat/İlgeç
Verb - Yüklem Conjunction - Bağlaç
Pronoun - Zamir Interjection - Ünlem
2. EXPLANATION
You may see that some words have more than one meaning in dictionaries. You will see that these meanings are listed as 1, 2... This order is made according to the priority of meaning. There is an order from the first meaning of the word to its most common use to its other uses.
3. EXAMPLES
Especially in online dictionaries, you can find the example usage of the word in a sentence after the explanation, written in italics, sometimes in a different color. This is an important point in terms of seeing how the word or the type of word you are looking at is used. In addition, since more than one example is often given in these dictionaries, you can learn different usage patterns and different sentence structures.
5. LISTENING
The biggest advantage of online dictionaries is that you can listen to the words. You can access more than one accent from these dictionaries. The most common ones are of course US (American English) and UK (British English). Although we recommend that you listen to both accents, since British English is preferred in countries outside the Americas, it will be more useful to learn the words this way.
(You can use the Oxford dictionary for correct pronunciation)
4. PRONUNCIATION
What are these strange lettered writings that you see in both online and traditional dictionaries? These are called IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). Their purpose is to ensure that a word can be pronounced in other languages. Since you cannot listen to traditional dictionaries, knowing this alphabet allows you to pronounce the word correctly. In online dictionaries, you can use a to check whether you heard the pronunciation correctly.
BONUS: LEVEL
When you use the Online Oxford Dictionary, you may see a symbol like the one in the image below the word. This shows which level of English the word you are looking at is suitable for. The levels are; A1 - A2 - B1 - B2 - C1 - C2
A1: Beginner | Elementary A2: Pre-Intermediate
B1: Intermediate
B2: Upper Intermediate
C1: Advanced
C2: Proficiency to Near Native
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