When To Use A Dictionary

Whenever you are learning a new language or want to improve your english skill, dictionary is an essential tool. But if you think that you should break out your dictionary every time you encounter a new word, then you are utterly wrong. If you did this, then you would spend your entire day with a dictionary in hand, looking up words. You would stop enjoying reading the actual literature and get frustrated with your language-learning efforts easily. Therefore it is essential that you know and realise when you actually need to use a dictionary and when you can figure out the meaning of the word without the help of a dictionary. We have compiled a list of advices that you can use to guide you while using a dictionary. These tips will help you become a more efficient and effective language learner.

●     So, you are reading a book and suddenly, you encounter a new word. Before you start looking up the word, finish reading the sentence or better yet, finish reading the entire paragraph. Most of the times you would we able to guess the meaning of the word. This method is better than reaching for a dictionary first because you learn the meaning through the usage of the word. If you still feel that you don’t completely understand the word, then bookmark where you were reading in the book and go look up the word. The idea is that you don’t take too long looking for the meaning of the word while you ignore the actual reading. Doing so would take the fun out of reading. If you can, use a bilingual dictionary in your own language to understand the word faster.

●     The above rule also applies when you hear a new word in a conversation. So when you hear your speak a new word or write on the board, wait and finish listening to the conversation. The teacher might explain the word or give example on how the word is used. If you pick up the dictionary as soon as you hear the new word, then you will miss out on what the teacher is saying and it will become difficult to follow what the teacher is saying in class. Just note down the new word. After class, first ask the teacher or a fellow student. This way you’ll able to understand the meaning of the word in the context it was taught in class. You’ll not only learn the meaning of the word but also how it can be used.

●     And finally if you think the word is very important and you don’t really understand the teacher’s or fellow student’s explanation, then you can look it up in a dictionary or an electronic dictionary. Keep a running list of such words and go over them often. Try to use them in everyday conversation. Then you’ll be able to get a hang of the word and be able to use it successfully.

How often do you use a dictionary? Have you ever used an electronic dictionary bookmark? Leave us a comment.

How to Speed-Read (With an Electronic dictionary)

Speed-reading is a really useful skill to have. Speed reading is a set of techniques that help you read faster without losing comprehension of the text. It is really helpful if you need to read a lot of books, articles and research papers like during the university history classes or for PhD research. It is also really useful if you want to read a lot of books for your personal development. If you are a college student, this is one of the most important skill to gain. So we have made a list of a few techniques you can use to increase your reading speed. Go through the list and tell us which technique helped you the most.

1.       Pen as a tracker: While reading, always keep a pen in hand. Use the pen to underline each line and focus on reading only the word above the tip of the pen. You don’t have to actually underline the words. Just use the pen as a tracer while you reading to keep you focused. You can increase or decrease your speed by speeding up your pace of underlining the words.

2.      When starting out, don’t spend more than 1 second per line. Don’t worry about comprehension. Just focus and see the words. You don’t need to understand anything. Whatever you do, don’t slow down below 1 second. The pen would act as your tracker and pacer.

3.      Next when you are a bit comfortable with the above 2 techniques, then you can increase your speed some more and read each line within ½ second. Again, don’t worry about comprehension. Just focus and see the words. The main point is to get your brain and eyes used to reading fast. Keep doing this exercise.

4.      Another technique to start reading a line from the 2nd word, rather than the first word. Also stop reading on the 2nd last word. Keep up your pace of 1 second per line. Don’t worry about comprehension. Just try to exercise your peripheral vision to read the words you are not tracing.

5.      Now instead of the 2nd word, start reading from the 3rd word and stop reading on the 3rd last word. Keep up your consistent speed of 1 second per line by using the pen.

6.      When you are used to the above techniques, now practice reading starting from the 3rd word at the speed of ½ second per line. Like the above technique, stop reading on the 3rd last word. You are again training your peripheral words to pick up the surrounding words.

7.      Lastly, keep an electronicdictionary bookmark at hand. The dictionary itself acts as a bookmark so you don’t have to waste time to get up and get your dictionary. You just need to type in the words, and you’ll find out what it means.

Have you started these speed-reading exercise? Leave us a comment.