A1003/UNIT2/19
UNIT 2: Dictionary skills and Information Gathering and Processing skills.
UNIT 2: Word Meaning and Word Formation
General Objectives:
To use a dictionary as a reference in order to ascertain or confirm words
pronunciation, meaning, spelling and grammar effectively and
independently.
Specific Objectives;
By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
- choose the appropriate meanings of words as used in context (including Semi Technical terms)
- understand synonyms and shades of meaning.
- understand the part of speech a word belongs to
- use words in the correct parts of speech
- use words appropriately according to common, formal or informal usage.
- recognize common collocations in the dictionary.
- Word meaning
Input
The main purpose of using a dictionary is to find out a definition. It is the part of an entry which describes a particular meaning and usage of the headword. There maybe one or more definitions in an entry. If there is more than one definitions, then each one is numbered.
cap-sule / kæpsu:l / n 1 seed-case of a plant that opens when
the seeds are ripe. 2 small soluble case containing a dose of medicine
and swallowed with it. 3 detachable compartment for men or instruments
in a spacecraft.
Furthermore, good dictionaries can tell us a lot more about a word than just its meanings, including (among other things):
- Antonyms (opposites), e.g. friend = enemy/foe
- Synonyms and their differences, e.g. mislay and lose
- Collocations (how words go together), e.g. auburn combines only with hair (or
connected words, e.g. curls)
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
Remanufacturing
An emerging concept in manufacturing is to remanufacture products. Remanufacturing refers to removing some of the components of old products and reusing them in new products. This can be done by the original manufacture , or another company. Among the products that have remanufactured components are automobiles, printers, copiers, cameras, computers, and telephones.
There are a number of important reasons for doing this. One is that a remanufactured product can be sold for about 50% of the cost of a new product. Another is that the process requires mostly unskilled and semi-skilled workers. And in the global market, European lawmakers are increasingly requiring manufacturers to take back used products, because this means fewer products end up in landfills and there is less depletion of natural resources such as raw materials and fuel.
Designing products so that they can be more easily taken apart has given rise to yet another design consideration: making it easier to take apart used products. Design for dis-assembly (DFD) includes using fewer parts and less material, and using snap-fits where possible instead of screws or nuts and bolts.
(Adapted from Production Operations Management by William J. Stevenson)
Task 1
Use your dictionary and find out the meaning for all the words in BOLD.
- Emerging ___________________________________________
- Remanufacturing ___________________________________________
- Components ___________________________________________
- Semi-skilled ____________________________________________
- Landfills ____________________________________________
- Snap-fits ____________________________________________
- Nuts ____________________________________________
Task 2
Give the synonym(s) and antonym(s) of each word below by filling in the blanks.
Words | Synonym(s) | Antonym(s) |
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Task 3
Find the words that collocate with the word in the centre.
global
spare
key
view
car
used
raw
Data
Task 2
A. Read the following verbs and suggest other words that can be their partners.
e.g. generate heat / electricity
Generate conduct undertake assemble adjust
Lay align record compress extinguish report
B. Read the following sentences and fill the blanks with the words given in Part A.
1. The workers were instructed to ______________________ the bricks first.
- The company has to ___________________ the entire project according to the agreement.
3. The mechanic will try to _________________ the wheels.
4. The supervisor will ___________________ the progress of the work at the site to the management.
5. This new equipment is used to ____________________ fire more effectively than the management.
6. The engineers should __________________ an experiment to confirm the suitability of the material before selecting it.
7. Please ________________ the speed of the machine to ensure the correct speed is used.
8. ___________________ the reading of the voltmeter every five minutes.
- The volume of this chamber is reduced to _________________ the gas.
- This is where the workers _______________ the parts of the vehicle.
- The new developments in technology will certainly ______________ a great interest among the engineers.
Task 3
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
1. (pull, drag, tow)
(a) The speed of aircrafts can be affected by the _______________.
(b) The ____________ of the electromagnet is strong enough to lift a container.
2. (severe, cut, slice)
(a) Please _____________ the sheet metal according to the size of the template.
(b) The electrical cutter is so sharp that it can ___________the limbs from the body.
3. (adjust, stabilize, align)
(a) These structures are used to ___________the vessel in rough sea conditions.
(b) Please ______________ the volume of the amplifier by tuning the knob.
2.2: Word Formation and Parts of speech
INPUT
There are eight main parts of speech given in the dictionary.
1. noun (n) 5. adverb (adv)
2. pronoun (pron) 6. preposition (prep)
3. verb (v) 7. conjunction (conj)
4. adjective (adj) 8. interjection (interj)
- Nouns usually follow articles (a, an, the) or determiners ( eg. my, this, any).
- Verbs often end in –ed and follow pronouns (eg. I, we).
- Adjectives are usually found before nouns.
- Adverbs frequently end in –ly and often follow verbs.
Besides the above parts of speech, the dictionary also gives information about various kinds of nouns, verbs etc. Refer to the front pages of your dictionary to get this information.
When you look up new words in the dictionary, it will be helpful if you know what part of speech it is (whether it is a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb, etc).
Task 1
Look at the words below and decide what part of speech they belong to.
Part of speech
a. install _____________
b. monitor _____________
c. match _____________
d. drive _____________
e. card _____________
Task 2
Look at the sentences below. What part of speech is the underlined word in each sentence? Is the meaning the same as in your own sentences?
Part of speech
a. They will install a new president next month. ___________
b. The American scientists have built a scanner that monitors
damage to the ozone layer. ___________
c. Students should be provided with materials that match
their needs. ___________
d. I tried to drive home the point that we need more time
to prepare our project. ___________
e. If she plays her cards right Cathy might get a promotion. ___________
Input
Countable [C] and Uncountable [U] Nouns
If the word you look up is a noun, the dictionary shows you whether it has a plural or not. Nouns that do not have a plural are UNCOUNTABLE nouns, and are shown with [U]; nouns that do have a plural are COUNTABLE nouns.
Fic.tion n 1 [U] books and stories about imaginary people and events: popular fiction – opposite NON-FICTION 2 [C] something that people want you to believe is true but which is not true: preserving the fiction of his happy childhood.
Task 3
Circle the nouns below that have a plural form.
region rose appeal information
jetty deer lawn trinket
grass experience osmosis yoghurt
Input
Forming plural nouns.
Most English nouns have two forms – singular and plural. The meaning of these nouns is always given at the singular form: glass, carpet, tree.
Regular nouns can be made plural by adding an “-s”, eg. computer – computers,
or “-es”, eg. glass – glasses and remember that “y” changes to “i”, eg. lady – ladies .
Irregular nouns are shown in the dictionary in two places, like this:
Knife n knives
Task 4
Write six other regular plural nouns.
a. ________________ b. ________________ c. ________________
d. ________________ e. ________________ f. ________________
Task 5
Study the list of nouns and their plural forms. Fill in the missing information in the sentences that follow.
Singular |
| Plural |
gash |
| gashes |
class |
| classes |
tax |
| taxes |
potato |
| potatoes |
baby |
| babies |
a. For nouns ending in “-sh”- ____, _____ or _____ add “-es” to make them plural.
b. For nouns ending in a consonant “-y ”, we have to change the “y” to _____.
Task 6
Use your dictionary and fill the table below.
Singular noun | Plural noun |
a. knife | a. |
b. tomato | b. |
c. | c. children |
d. chip | d. |
e. switch | e |
f. | f. feet |
Task 7
What is the singular form of the underlined noun?
- I like cities but Kuala Lumpur is the only ___________ I know well.
- I’ll cut this mango into two halves - __________ for you and ___________ for me.
- He bought two loaves of white bread and a __________ of whole meal bread.
- Of all the women in the world, the _____________ I love most is my mother.
- The boys look forward to meeting the new ____________ from Penang.
Input
Input
TRANSITIVE [T] and intransitive [I] verbs
Use your dictionary to look up transitive and intransitive verbs and then complete the sentences below using items from box.
With VI
Without VT
A transitive verb is a verb ___________ a direct object. In the dictionary, it is marked __________. An intransitive verb is a verb used ________________ a direct object. In the dictionary, it is marked ___________.
pause v [I] to stop for a short time before continuing : He walked to the end of the road and paused before he crossed over
kick v [T] to hit with the foot : She kicked the ball
But many verbs can be both [T] and [I]. For example, smell can be [T], as in :
He stopped to smell the flower. Or it can be [I] , as in : The flower smells nice
smell v 1 [I] to have or use the sense of the nose : The flower smells nice. 2 [T] to notice, examine, or recognize by this sense : He stopped to smell the flower
Task 8
Look up the words in the box using your dictionary. Decide whether they are transitive, intransitive or both and write them in the correct column.
prompt remit
scan crackle glaze dent
drown fidget encode adjourn
VT | VI | VT, VI |
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Task 9
Write sentences using five of the verbs from the box above.
1. _________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________
Input
Regular and irregular verbs
A verb that forms the past tense and past participle by adding “-ed” or “-d” to the form of the present tense is called a regular verb.
An irregular verb does not form the past tense and the past participle by adding “-ed” or “-d” to the form of the present tense. The most common way is by changing the vowel. However, for a few verbs, the same form is used for the present tense, past tense and past participle.
Regular verb
Present tense |
Past tense |
Past participle |
enter play want |
entered played wanted |
entered played wanted
|
Irregular verb
Present tense
| Past tense | Past participle |
chooseeat put
| choseate put | choseneaten put |
Task 10
For some verbs you need to double the last letter in the past tense form eg., rub – rubbed. Using your dictionary, find out if these verbs double their last letter in the same way. Put a tick (/) in the box for the ones that do.
(a) put (e) recur
(b) talk (f) pick
(c) allow (g) propel
(d) ram (h) travel
Note: If you do not find any special information at the verb entry, then the verb is completely regular, eg. talk.
Task 11
Fill in this table using your dictionary.
Infinitive | Past tense | Past participle |
a. speak |
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b. hurt |
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c. swim |
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d. drink |
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e. rise |
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f. grow |
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g. wear |
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Task 12
Refer your dictionary and find the infinitives of the verbs underlined. The first one has been done for you.
Infinitive
a. The ferry sank last night. sink
b. The chicken laid an egg. ___________
c. Kok Chin fought with Ah Peng. ___________
d. I slept in a hotel room last night. ___________
e. Mansor rode on his motorcycle all the way to
Kota Bharu last week. ____________
f. Chang heard a strange sound coming from the
next room last night. ____________
g. Siva caught a pick pocket yesterday. ____________
SELF-ASSESSMENT
WORD BUILDING
ACTIVITY 1
From the noun magnet we can form other words.
1. magnet: _________________ 2. magnetically: ________________ 3. magnetism: ______________ 4. magnetize: ________________ 5. magnetizable : ____________ 6. magnetized : ______________ 7. magnetizing : _________________
Decide which part of speech each word is. Then use the correct words to complete these sentences.
8. ______________ is the science of magnetic phenomena and properties.
9. Floppy and hard disks are considered as _______________ storage devices.
10. Information is recorded on a disk in the form of ___________spots.
ACTIVITY 2
From the verb record (pronounced / /) we can build up other words.
Recorder recording recorded
Complete these sentences with the correct words.
1. All disks must be initialized before information can be __________onto them.
2. The __________ heads follow the tracks and magnetize the coating along each
track.
3. A disk drive works very much like a tape __________ that can play and record.
ACTIVITY 3
Look at the entry for the word “class” in your dictionary. Decide which meaning of “class” is being used in each of these sentences and write down the definition number which appears in your dictionary.
1. Class divisions are still found in many modern societies. ______
2. My best friend and I are in the same class. ______
3. I am attending a class in repairing computers at a technical institute. ______
4. It is more comfortable flying business class than economy class. ______
5. She graduated with first class honors in Mechanical Engineering. ______
ACTIVITY 4
Use your dictionary to find out the correct definition number for the words underlined in each of these sentences.
Definition number
( if any )
a. The glass will crack if you pour hot water into it. ________
b. The situation in Kosovo is very grave now. ________
c. Be careful not to soil your new shirt. ________
d. I left my English module in the workshop. ________
e. The landing module separated from the mother-ship and landed on Mars. ________
ACTIVITY 5
Look at the words below. Count the syllables in these words and complete the table. Your dictionary will help you if you are not sure.
Book dinner remember computer communicate dedication congratulation pretty
One syllable
| comb |
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Two syllables
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Three syllables
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Four syllables
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Five syllables
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| communication |
SELF-ASSESSMENT
(Feedback)
ACTIVITY 1
From the noun magnet we can form other words.
1. magnet: _________________ 2. magnetically: ________________ 3. magnetism: ______________ 4. magnetize: ________________ 5. magnetizable : ____________ 6. magnetized : ______________ 7. magnetizing : _________________(REFER TO DICTIONARY)
Decide which part of speech each word is. Then use the correct words to complete these sentences.
8. ___magnetism___ is the science of magnetic phenomena and properties.
9. Floppy and hard disks are considered as _magnetizable _ storage devices.
10. Information is recorded on a disk in the form of magnetized ___spots.
ACTIVITY 2
From the verb record (pronounced / /) we can build up other words.
Recorder recording recorded
Complete these sentences with the correct words.
1. All disks must be initialized before information can be _recorded__onto them.
2. The _recording___ heads follow the tracks and magnetize the coating along each
track.
3. A disk drive works very much like a tape _recorder_ that can play and record.
ACTIVITY 3
1. Class divisions are still found in many modern societies. _1_
2. My best friend and I are in the same class. _3_
3. I am attending a class in repairing computers at a technical institute. _3_
4. It is more comfortable flying business class than economy class. _2_
5. She graduated with first class honors in Mechanical Engineering. _4_
ACTIVITY 4 Definition number
( if any )
a. The glass will crack if you pour hot water into it. ___1_
b. The situation in Kosovo is very grave now. ___1_
c. Be careful not to soil your new shirt. ___1_
d. I left my English module in the workshop. __ 4__
e. The landing module separated from the mother-ship and landed on Mars. __3_
ACTIVITY 5
Book dinner remember computer communicate dedication congratulation pretty
One syllable
| comb | book |
Two syllables
| pretty | dinner |
Three syllables
| remember | computer |
Four syllables
| communicate | dedication |
Five syllables
| congratulation | communication |
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