ENG101 Handouts Lectures 1-45

Table of Contents

Lecture No. Topic Page No.

Lecture No.01 Reading and Dictionary Lecture No.02 Lecture No.03 Reading for Main Idea Lecture No.04 Reading: Topic, Main Idea Lecture No.05 Reading: References Lecture No.06 Reading Skills Lecture No.07 Reading and Vocabulary Lecture No.08 Word FormationPrefixes Lecture No.09 Reading: Description, Locating Information Lecture No.10 Reading: Word Forms Lecture No.11 Reading: Understanding Reading Lecture No.12 Reading: Making Inferences Lecture No.13 Reading: Assessing the Text Lecture No.14 Reading: Assessing Texts Lecture No.15 Evaluating Texts: Interpreting Visual Data Lecture No.16 Reading: Evaluating Texts Lecture No.17 Reading: Cloze for Comprehension Lecture No.18 Reading: Skimming and Scanning Lecture No.19 Reading: Scanning and Language Functions Lecture No.20 Reading: Classifying, Cause and Effect Relationship Lecture No.21 Reading: Presenting Information Graphically Lecture No.22 Writing: Sentence Types Lecture No.23 Writing: Effective Sentences: Unity, Coherence, Emphasis Lecture No.24 WRITING: IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS Lecture No.25 WRITING: REVISING SENTENCE ERRORS Lecture No.26 Subject Verb Agreement Lecture No.27 Writing Lecture No.28 Word Choice Lecture No.29 Punctuation Lecture No.30 Writing: Paragraphs: Structural Parts Lecture No.31 Writing: Paragraph Lecture No.32 Writing: Paragraphs Lecture No.33 Writing: Essay Writing Lecture No.34 Essay writing Lecture No.35 Writing: Essay Outlines Lecture No.36 Writing: Selecting and Researching an Essay Topic Lecture No.37 Writing: Ways of Organizing Texts: Linear Lecture No.38 Writing: Ways of Organizing Texts Lecture No.39 Writing: Ways of Organizing Texts Lecture No.40 Writing Skills Lecture No.41 Writing: Summary Writing Lecture No.42 Grammar and Usage: Tenses and Passive Sentences Lecture No.43 Grammar and Usage: Word Order: Adverbs Lecture No.44 Grammar and Usage: Articles Lecture No.45 Language Functions: Language Forms and Functions

Lesson -01

Reading and Dictionary

This lesson is in two parts. In the first part, you will learn about the:

• uses of a language dictionary

In the second part of the lesson, you will read an interesting story.

Definition of Dictionary

A dictionary is a book that not only lists and records the words of a language but it also tells you how speakers of the language spell, pronounce, define, explain and use the words of their language.

Reference Book - provides useful information. It is valuable only if you learn how to use it correctly and efficiently.

List of Dictionary Uses (9)

The following is a list of things that can be learned from a dictionary:

(i) Spelling (ii) iii) Part of speech iv) Origin of word (v) Meaning/explanation (vi) Usage/restrictive lables (vii) Synonyms & antonyms (viii) Foreign words & phrases ix)

i)

Spelling

Many students find English spelling very confusing. So what do you do? Consult your dictionary. It will clarify your confusion by showing you the different spellings of the same word.

Look at the words catalogue and theatre. You must have noticed that the dictionary lists both BRE and AE/US spelling of the words. Both are correct.

Exercise (i) Spelling:

Use the dictionary to answer the following questions about spelling. a) What other possible spellings does your dictionary give for these words?

Centre

Color

b) Does your dictionary say anything about the spelling ‘humor’ and ‘rumor’?

(ii)

Students have problems in pronouncing English words. A dictionary will help you learn the pronunciation of any word but only if you are familiar with the symbols in which they are written. We will discuss this in greater detail in the next lesson.

All language dictionaries carry a pronunciation key/table. Be sure to read it.

(iii) Part of speech

All dictionaries indicate the part of speech a word belongs to - whether the word is commonly used as a Noun, Pronoun, Verb (transitive, intransitive), Adjective, Adverb, Conjunction, or Preposition etc.

iv) Origin of Words

Some dictionaries indicate the origin and derivation of a word before it became an English word.

(v) Meaning/ Explanation / Definition of words

The most important information that a dictionary provides about a word is its meaning. Most of the words have many meanings or shades of meaning. Do not just read the first listed meaning of the word you are looking for. Go down the numbered list. Look for the meaning that best suits the context in which the word is used.

Also look up words above and below the word that you are looking for. You will find that words are often closely related. It will help to extend your recognition of the word in other forms and contexts.

Exercise (v-a) Meaning:

Look up the words ‘fast’ and ‘set’ in a dictionary. Write the total number of different meanings of each word. Include all the numbered and lettered meanings for each part of speech.

Exercise (v-b):

Meaning/ Explanation / Definition of words.

Use the dictionary to find the specific meanings of the word ‘play’ in each of the following:

1. The boys like to play on the hard court.
2. Amna will play the sitar in the concert.
3. The play produced by the arts club was a success.
4. It was a clever play that won the football game.
5. The gardener played the hose on the flower beds.
6. A ‘week without water can make one weak’ is a play on words.

(vi) Usage/Restrictive Labels

A dictionary uses different labels like Br (British), Am (American), fml (formal), infml (informal), col (colloquial), pl (plural), poetic (poetic), sl (slang).This information is important in writing.

A dictionary will tell you the usage of words and phrases, idioms / proverbs of the language. It will also tell you about the limitations of the use of the word. Special labels are used to show this. If a word is no longer in current use it will be labelled archaic (arch) or obsolete (obs). Other labels will tell you of the level of usage: whether the word has literary flavour (poetic) or is slang (sl), formal (fml) informal (infml).

Exercise ( vi-a )Usage Restrictive Labels:

Idioms / Two-word Verbs / Phrasal Verbs / Noun Phrase

Look up the underlined words in the dictionary and write their meanings.

1. 1. Prof. Widdowson held forth for over an hour about the need for communication language teaching. 2. 2. I don’t get how you found the answer. 3. My roommate is pretty hard up these days.

Exercise (vi-b) Restrictive or Usage Labels:

a) Look up the following words / phrases in the dictionary. Write whether its use is primarily slang, informal or colloquial.

Guys · Cool · Example:

Will it be O.K. if I meet you in the library about eight?

Label: Colloquial

Meaning: All Right

(vii)

Synonyms and Antonyms:

Similar and opposite meanings of words are also given but not in all dictionaries.

(viii) Foreign words and Phrases:

Dictionaries define / explain many common foreign words and phrases either with the main entries or in a special section at the back.

Exercise(viii)Foreign Words & Phrases:

Look up each of these foreign words o phrases. Write its English meaning. etcetera, e.g., et al., a prior, coup d’état, per se.