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Grade 7 English Language Arts — Using a dictionary and a thesaurus

Find a word by alphabetical order and guide words, read what its entry tells you, and use a thesaurus to find a better word.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

One entry from a dictionary page, with every part of it drawn as a block. Find out what each part is there to tell you.

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  1. 1. The two guide words at the top of the page
  2. 2. The headword — the word being explained
  3. 3. How the word is said aloud
  4. 4. Which part of speech it is
  5. 5. The first meaning
  6. 6. A second meaning of the same word
  7. 7. An example sentence, showing the word in use

The guide words are the fastest thing on the page: if your word does not fall between them, the whole page can be turned past without a single entry being read.

  1. 1.In "She could not bear the noise", which meaning of "bear" fits?

    • a) a large wild animal
    • b) to carry a heavy load
    • c) to give birth to
    • d) to put up with

  2. 2.A thesaurus is most useful when you want to ____.

    • a) find another word with a similar meaning
    • b) find out how to say a word aloud
    • c) find out where a word came from
    • d) find out how to spell a word

  3. 3.Put these words in the order you would find them in a dictionary.

    • brave
    • break
    • breeze
    • bread
    • branch

  4. 4.Match each part of a dictionary entry to what it tells you.

    • headword
    • part of speech
    • definition
    • example sentence
    • pronunciation guide
    • how the word is used
    • the word being explained
    • how the word is said aloud
    • what the word means
    • whether the word is a noun, a verb or an adjective

  5. 5.A dictionary page has the guide words "harmony" and "harvest". Which of these words is on that page?

    • a) harp
    • b) hard
    • c) hammer
    • d) hasty

  6. 6."Bank" has more than one meaning. In "We sat on the bank and watched the boats", which meaning fits?

    • a) a row of switches
    • b) to rely on something
    • c) the land at the side of a river
    • d) a place that keeps money

  7. 7.Which comes first in a dictionary, "celery" or "cellar"? Write the word.

  8. 8.Match each word to a stronger word that means almost the same.

    • big
    • sad
    • hot
    • happy
    • cold
    • tired
    • scorching
    • exhausted
    • enormous
    • freezing
    • delighted
    • heartbroken

Answer key — Grade 7 English Language Arts — Using a dictionary and a thesaurus

  1. 1. d) to put up with
  2. 2. a) find another word with a similar meaning
  3. 3. 1. branch 2. brave 3. bread 4. break 5. breeze
  4. 4. headword → the word being explained; part of speech → whether the word is a noun, a verb or an adjective; definition → what the word means; example sentence → how the word is used; pronunciation guide → how the word is said aloud
  5. 5. a) harp
  6. 6. c) the land at the side of a river
  7. 7. celery
  8. 8. big → enormous; sad → heartbroken; hot → scorching; happy → delighted; cold → freezing; tired → exhausted