Dictionary SkillsPart 2

How to look up words with more than one meaning.

English words with several spellings

Your first challenge is to make sure that you have the right English spelling of the word you arelooking up in the dictionary.You may need an English dictionary for this.These are just a few of the English words whichare easily confused.• weak, week • know, no • dear, deer

English words with several meanings

• Some English words have more than one meaning and can be used in different ways. You need to know which meaning you want when you look up the word.

Book

Think of as many meanings and uses of the word book as you can.

Book

Here are a few you might have thought of:• I read a good book last night. (noun)• I would like to book a hotel room. (verb)• The referee wanted to book the football

player. (verb)

Now look up the word book in your dictionary.

book [ buk ] n livre m

Word in English

English word using the phonetic alphabet

Type of word it is:

n = noun

Word in French

Gender of the word. m = masculine

book [buk] n livre m

The English word is in blue

The French word is in black

The English phonetic spelling is in italics and square brackets

The n for noun is in italics

The m for masculine is in italics

Book [ buk ] n livre m; (of stamps, tickets) carnet m # vt (ticket) prendre; (seat, room) réserver; (driver) dresser un procès-verbal à ; (football player) prendre le nom de;

‘Livre’ is the French word for book as a noun. In other words, an object.

‘I read a book’.

In French there is another word for a book of stamps or tickets. It is called a ‘carnet’. It is a masculine noun.

To book a ticket is the verb ‘prendre’. The vt tell you that it is a verb. All of the following words are also verbs.

To book a seat or a room is the verb ‘réserver’.

To book a driver, for example with a speeding ticket, is a phrase.

To book a football player is also a phrase.

Now look up the word ball.

What is the French word for a ball?What is the French word for a football?What is the French word for a golf ball?What is the French word for a ball of wool?What is the French word for a ball of string?What is the French word for the type of ballCinderella would go to?

More Dictionary PracticeWhat is the French word for flame?What is the French word for history? What is the French word for a coffee bean?

(Hint: look up ‘bean’)What is the French word for a beach?What is the French word for to beach (a ship)?

More Dictionary PracticeWhat is the French word for a flower bed?(Hint: look up ‘bed’)

What is the French word for to fix such as inthe sentence, ‘I want to fix the broken tap’?

What is the French word for to fix such as in the sentence, ‘I want to fix a date for our next meeting’?