Using the Dictionary

You cannot always guess the meaning of a word from its context, or from the words and sentences that are around the word. Sometimes you need to look up the word in a dictionary. Use a learner’s dictionary such as Longman’s because learner dictionaries are generally written clearly and show the words in sentences. To choose the correct definition, follow the steps below:

1. Look at the word in the sentence to get a general idea about the word. What part of speech is it? A noun? A verb? An adjective? An adverb?
2. Here are the abbreviations that are used in most dictionaries to show the parts of speech

Noun = (n)
Verb = (v)
Adjective = (adj)
Adverb = (adv)

3.  Look at the sentence and determine the part of speech of the word. Choose the definition that is the correct part of speech and makes the most sense in the sentence.

Directions: Read the following sentences and choose the dictionary definitions (adapted from Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary English) that best fits the meaning of the underlined word in the sentence.

1. That witch put a spell on me.

spell 1 /spεl/ n a condition caused by magical power. I fell under the spell of his wonderful green eyes.
spell 2 /spεl/ v to name in order the letters of a word. He spells his name S-M-Y-T-H, not S-M-I-T-H.
spell 3 /spεl/ n a period of time during which a specific activity or type of weather has occurred. We’ve had a cold spell all month.

Definition number _______________________

2. At the close of the meeting, no one was speaking to any one else.

close 1 /kloz/ v to shut, make no longer open. Close your mouth when you chew!
close 2 /kloz/ n in the end of an activity or period of time. At the close of the day, the crickets start to chirp.
close 3 /klos/ adj near Don’t stand so close to me!

 Definition number _________________________________

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For more information about the CAELA state capacity building initiative and the upcoming CAELA Guide, please email caela@cal.org