Unit Two: My Study Guide

Lesson 1: Find Your Word

A. Read the Dialogue.

Teacher: Students, do you have a dictionary?

Rupa: Yes, miss, I have one.

Ananda: I have one too.

Teacher: Do you know how to look up a word in a dictionary?

Rupa: Not really. It often takes a long time to find the meaning of a word in a dictionary.

Teacher: How about you, Ananda?

Ananda: Same with me. I often get confused. So many words, so many signs, ooh!

Teacher: It’s because you haven’t learned how to look up a word quickly in a dictionary.

Rupa & Ananda: How can we do it, teacher?

Teacher: Ok, let’s start with a page from a dictionary.

B. Look at a Dictionary Page.

(The text below is taken from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

B /bi:/ noun, symbol

1. (C,U) (music) the second lowest note in a musical scale.
2. (C,U) (music) the second highest mark/grade that a student can get for a piece of work: She got (a) B.
3. (B) (C,U) used to represent the second of two or more possibilities: Shall we go for plan A or plan B?
4. (B) used to represent a person, for example, in the park—see also B-ROAD.
5. = symbol used in Britain before a number to refer to a secondary road: the B1224 to York.

b. abbr. born: Emily Carys, b. 1600

BA (BrE) (AmE B.A) /,bi:'ei/ noun the abbreviation for "Bachelor of Arts" (a first university degree in an arts subject): to be/have/do a BA o (BrE) Darren Owen BA

babble /‘bæbl/ noun 1 (sing, pl -s) the sound of many people talking at the same time: a babble of voices 2 talking that is confused or silly and is difficult to understand: I can’t listen to his constant babble. 3 the sounds a baby makes before beginning to say actual words—see also PSYCHO-BABBLE. 4 ~ (away/on) to talk in a quick and excited way. 5 (of water flowing over rocks, like a stream): a babbling brook.

babby /‘beibi/ noun (pl -ies) (BE, dialect) a baby

babe /beib/ noun 1 (old use) a baby 2 (slang) a word used to address a young woman, or your wife, husband, or lover, usually expressing affection but sometimes considered offensive if used by a man to a woman he does not know: What’re you doing tonight, babe? 3 informal, an attractive young woman 4 a babe in arms (old-fashioned) a very small baby that cannot yet walk—more at MOUTH.

babel /‘beibl/ noun (sing.) (written) the sound of many voices talking at one time, especially when more than one language is being spoken. MEA From the Bible story in which God punished the people who were trying to build a tower to reach heaven (the tower of Babel) by making them unable to understand each other’s languages.

baboon /bəˈbuːn; AmE bəˈbuːn/ noun a large African or Asian monkey with a long face like a dog’s.

baby /‘beibi/ noun, adj., verb

1. noun (pl -ies) 1a very young child or animal: The baby’s crying! o a newborn baby o My sister’s expecting a baby. o She had a baby last year. o a baby boy/girl o baby food/ clothes o a baby monkey/blackbird 2 (Informal) the youngest member of a family or group: He’s the baby of the team. 3 (disapproving) a person who behaves like a young child and is easily upset: Stop crying and don’t be such a baby. 4 (slang, especially AmE) a word used to

C Make a list of the letters/words in bold. Answer the following questions.

a. What do you see at the top left corner of the dictionary page?

b. What is the first letter and word in the left hand corner?

D Read the text about how the dictionary page has been written.

The teacher asks the class, "Have you noticed that the words in bold are written one after another? OK. Do you find any rule or system or order in arranging these words?"

"Yes, teacher. The page starts with a single letter B and slowly words come below this letter," Rupa said.

"Thank you, Rupa. You've got it! Let me write B and some of the words from this page on the board. Then I'll show you how they are written one after another like in the alphabet. Look at the board and ask me if it is clear or not. OK?"

E Arrange the following words in alphabetic order.

bet bat bag book bait batch

F Look at the dictionary page again. Discuss in groups and find out the following information about BA, baby and bachelor.

• meanings of words (i.e. definitions)
• spelling
• examples of use/ example sentences
• grammatical information (parts of speech, irregular verbs and plurals, countable or uncountable nouns)
• formal/informal
• abbreviations