The first tool for you to master is the dictionary. What is a dictionary? What information does the dictionary provide us with?

When I ask this in class, I often receive the answer A dictionary tells you the meaning of a word. This is basically (essentially) correct; one of the main goals of the dictionary is to let you know what words mean. However, the dictionary does much more than this, and as a new user of the English language, you will want to take advantage of what the dictionary has to offer:

Here's a list of what a dictionary can help with:

This is done by substituting the different meanings listed until you find the one that makes the most sense, given what you are reading.

For example, you read the sentence, That man knows the difference between a shovel and a spade. Let us say that you need to know what the words shovel and spade mean.

So you look them up in the dictionary.

The dictionary listing (entry) for the word spade should look something like this:

Spade 1. A long handled digging tool with a pointed blade.

2. (Cards) one of the black suits with a pointed symbol resembling a spade.

There are two listings for spade. One indicates that a spade is a digging tool and the other defines spade as a term used with a deck of playing cards. Which one to use?

To decide, you need to go back to the sentence. A spade is being compared to a shovel. So you look up the word shovel, and the dictionary listing looks something like this:

Shovel 1. A long handled digging tool with a broad, flat blade.

From the dictionary listing, you learn that both can mean long handled digging tools. This is the definition to use, because it makes logical sense in the sentence. Who would not be able to tell the difference between a digging tool and a playing card?

Note: Just for your information, these tools are for different jobs. The difference between them is that one has a pointed blade (the spade) and the other has a flat blade (the shovel). A spade is for digging down into the earth (that is why it has a sharp point) and the shovel is for moving piles of dirt (and, for that, a flat wide blade is best).

Some words, in addition to a denotation (definition), also have a connotation, that is, a nuance, or suggestion, or an implication, or association, or undertone, or overtone with regard to something. This means that many common English words have different more than one meaning, depending on the context or the way the word is being used.

For example, in the 1950's, in the United States, when the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union as at its height, when someone used the word red, they could just as easily be referring to a communist as to the color red.

2. Spelling: the dictionary indicates the correct spelling. As a writer, this is critical for you. Spelling counts. Always. Especially at the college level when you are attempting to show that you have command of the language. There are many words in English that only have one letter that is different from another English word. Sometimes these words can have opposite meanings, as with except and accept. [Look them up!]

Students always complain that they can't look up words in the dictionary if they don't know how to spell them. That is one reason that you should look the words up when you come across them in your reading. The word is right there and you know the correct spelling. You also have a context within which the word is used to refer to, in case you need to decide among different possible meanings.

The incorrect use of homonyms is a common indicator of someone who does not know English very well. Any college professor who sees that you use the wrong homonym knows that you don't have sufficient command of the language to go on until you learn more English.

3. Syllables: each word has one or more syllables or parts of a word:

The words I, me, and you are all one syllable words.

The words garden (gar-den), children (chil-dren) and college (col-lege) are two syllable words.

The word syllable (syl-la-ble) is a three syllable word.

And dictionary (dic-tion-ar-y) is a four syllable word.

The word encyclopedia (en-cy-clo-pe-di-a) is a six syllable word. And so on.

In the dictionary, the entry for the word shovel should appear similar to the following:

Shovel (shuv-el) or Shovel (shuv / el)

This shows that there are two syllables for the word shovel: the first syllable is shov and the second syllable is el. Shovel is a two-syllable word.

4. Pronunciation: the dictionary indicates how to pronounce (speak) each word. This is indicated by accent marks and pronunciation syllables.

Every dictionary has a pronunciation key that allows you to understand the accents and letter combination options. When speaking a word with more than one syllable, for example, one must know which syllable to emphasize (which part of the word to state more strongly).

For example, in the dictionary, the entry for the word shovel in the dictionary will be similar to what follows:

Shovel (shuv` l) The accent mark ` indicates that the two syllable word shovel should be pronounced (spoken) with the emphasis on the first syllable shov. The spelling of shov as shuv indicates that the o in the word carries the normal sound of the u. It is a short o (as in on) and not a long oooooh when spoken (as in hello). The spelling of el as l indicates that the e is a short e and not a long eeeee when pronounced.

Other words will require that a different syllable be emphasized.

In the sentence, for example,

The child propelled the toy across the room.

The word propelled is the past tense of the verb to propel, which means to push or to shove, and appears in the dictionary as:

Propel (pra pel`) showing that the emphasis is on the second syllable when spoken. The spelling of pro as pra indicates that the o should be a short sound, as the first letter a is spoken in paradise, rather than a long oooooh sound.

Here is a free, on-line dictionary that will also pronounce the words for you. Just click on the link: http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/Dictionary/DictionaryHome.aspx

You maybe asked if you want to download windows media player (do it!) so that you can hear how the words are pronounced. You can do this at any time when reading anything on the web. You can bookmark the page for convenience.

5. Derivation: this is where the word comes from or the history of the word.

English is composed of words from many languages, chiefly Latin and German. Many English words also derive from Greek. Some words are built on roots from Latin, German or Greek.

When learning English words, it is sometimes very useful to be able to recognize the root of a word, such as Philosophy philo is translated as love of from the Greek; sophy is translated as wisdom from the Greek word sophia. Thus, the word philosophy derives from (comes from, originates from) a Greek root meaning love of wisdom.

6. Part of speech: the dictionary will indicate the part or parts of speech or how the word is used. (There will be some more discussion about parts of speech in the next chapter.)

This is important because some words can be used differently, for example, the same word may be used as either a noun or a verb, and you will need to be able to distinguish its usage.

For example, in the sentence, I express myself well in writing.

The word express is used as a verb indicating action. Contrast this with the sentence

The Canadian express train leaves at midnight tonight.

The word express is used as noun to indicate a train that doesn't make local stops.

7. Usage example: dictionaries also provide an example of proper usage.

This is usually a sentence illustrating the correct usage of the word.

For example: A shovel is a hand tool used for digging a hole in the ground