lesson 11 but what's a dictionary for?. i. aims and contents of teaching 1. the comprehension...

Lesson 11

But What's aDictionaryFor?

I. Aims and Contents of Teaching

1. the comprehension of the text and the

mastery of the important language

points

2. the paraphrases of certain

complicated or difficult sentences

I. Aims and Contents of Teaching

3. the enlargement of the students'

vocabulary

4. the familiarisation with the styles of

composition and devices of figuration

II. Procedure of teaching

1. Questions and answers

2. Analysis of the structure and

language

3. Detailed study of the text

4. Supplementary and text-book

exercises

III. Background information

Webster, Noah (Oct. 16, 1748 - May 28, 1843) American lexicographer and philologist, born in West Hartford, Conn. A Yale graduate.


His Elementary Spelling Book (the first

part of the Grammatical Institute of the

English Language) and The American

Dictionary of the English Language

established the nobility and vitality of the

American Language.


He holds that the spelling and grammar of a language must be based on actual usage rather than artificial principles. And thus laid a foundation for the 20th century lexicography.


The Elementary Spelling Book, first

published in the late years of the 18th

cent., standardized American spelling

and by 1850, when the whole population

was under 23 million, was sold at 1

million copies annually.


The American Dictionary of the English Language, his greatest work, was published in 1828. Of the 70,000 words, 12,000 had not appeared in any other dictionaries before. Within one year, all the 2,500 copies issued in American and the 3,000 copies in Britain were sold out.


In 1840, the second edition was a failure and he had to sell the copy right to Merriam Publishing Company which thereafter became the Merriam-Webster Incorporation. Webster's other contributions include efforts in the passage of a national copyright law, in the founding of the Amherst College etc.


Dictionary: a published list, in alphabetical order, of the words of a language, explaining and defining them, or in the case of a bilingual dictionary, translating them into another language.


In the 20th cent., American dictionary

makers began to adopt criteria of use

rather than of etymological purity.

Dictionaries were produced in China,

Greece, Islam, and other complex early

cultures.


The first modern examples of lexicography are thought to be Nathan Bailey's Universal Etymological English Dictionary (1721) and his larger Dictionarium Britannicum (1730), which served Samuel Johnson,


who was considered as England's first

complete man of letters, in preparing his

Dictionary of the English Language

(1755), the first comprehensive English

lexicography.


The next great lexicographer was Noah Webster. His American Dictionary of the English Language has been skilfully revised and abridged over the years, thereby retaining its popularity. A six-volume American encyclopaedic dictionary, The Century Dictionary, was completed in 1891.


American Dictionary of the English Language ---1828

1840, second edition, failure, copyright sold to Merriam

1961, third edition, 2752 pages, 460,000 entries, 200,000 usage examples, 3,000 pictorial illustrations and more than 1,000 synonyms


British lexicographers from the 19th cent.

on, began to collect and organize

examples of usage.


In 1857, the Philological Society began

collecting dated examples of usage,

culminating in the publication (1928) of

the monumental, unrivalled lexicon

known as the New English Dictionary,

the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) or

Murray's Dictionary.


Two major shorter editions exist: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English and the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Other advances in lexicography are reflected in the frequently revised collegiate or desk dictionaries, such as the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary.


Encyclopedia: book or set of books giving information about every branch of knowledge, or about one particular subject, with articles in alphabetical order


lexicon: dictionary, esp. of an ancient

language or of words from a single subject

thesaurus: book containing lists of words and

phrases grouped according to their meanings

or types (a thesaurus of slang)

IV. Detailed Study of the Text

1. abuse: n. & v. abusive, adj.– a. unkind, cruel or rude words,

He burst into a storm of abuse.He constantly addressed her in terms of abuse.

You are always abusing and offending people.


– b. wrong use, misuse, improper treatment, maltreatBorrowing money is an abuse of friendship.

abuse of power, drug abuse,to abuse one's power, authority, position, wealth, etc.


2. popular press: newspapers, journals

that are aimed at the needs or tastes of

ordinary people and not the specialists in

a particular subject

3. phenomenon:(pl. phenomena) a fact or

event in nature or society


4. scholarly: concerned with serious detailed study---opposite POPULAR– Scholarly matters, activities, etc involve

or relate to scholars or their work.– His name is known in scholarly circles

throughout the world.


5. stature– a. Someone's stature is their height and

general size.She was rather small in stature.

– b. The stature of a person or of their achievements is the importance and reputation that they have.a musician of international stature


cf:statue: figure of a person, animal, etc.,

in wood, stone, bronze, etc.– the Statue of Liberty / Venus

status: condition, position in relation to others– one's class / political / social / marital

status


6. unbridled: not controlled or limited in

any way, too violent and active, used to

show disapproval

– unbridled tongue / anger


7. fury: violent or very strong anger

– There was fury in the Duchess' grey eyes.

– Hearing this, they jumped on (scolded) him in a fury.

– He flew into a fury and said that the whole thing was disgusting.


8. contempt: lack of respect– If you have contempt for someone or

something, you do not like them and think that they are unimportant or of no value.


– They would look at us with unmistakable contempt.

– Her contempt for foreigners was obvious.

– hold sb. / sth. in contempt


9. calamity: an event that causes a great

deal of damage, destruction, or personal

sadness and distress; serious misfortune


disaster, calamity, catastrophe, etc.

Disaster is an unforeseen, ruinous, and

often sudden misfortune that happens

either through lack of foresight or

through some hostile external agency;

general word.


Catastrophe ：大灾祸，（尤指悲剧的结局） implies a disastrous conclusion emphasizing finality. It is a sudden, unexpected and terrible event that causes great suffering, misfortune or ruin.


A war is a catastrophe.to plunge the country into a historical

catastrophea world-wide catastrophe


Calamity stresses personal reaction to a

great public loss. A terrible and very

bad event.

A national / natural / social calamity


Cataclysm, orig. a deluge or geological

convulsion, earthquake, applies to an

event or situation that produces an

upheaval or complete reversal.

a financial cataclysm


10. scandal: – If sth is a scandal, a lot of people know

about it and think that it is very shocking and immoral.

– If you say sth is a scandal, you are angry about it and think that the people responsible for it should be ashamed.


– The way that official wastes public money is a scandal.

– She brought scandal to her family by her outrageous behaviour.

– 陈希同 was involved in a scandal of corruption and embezzlement.


11. editorial: an article in a newspaper which gives the opinion of the editor or publisher on a topic or item of the news.


12. deteriorate: cause to become worse,

worsen

– His sight began to deteriorate.

– She has suffered progressive

deterioration of health.


13. stern: very firm or hard towards others' behaviour.

Someone who is stern is very serious and expects to be obeyed.– a stern teacher / father– A puritanical person tends to be stern

to himself and others as well.


14. betray: – a. If you betray someone's trust,

confidence, etc., or you betray your principles, you fail to act in the good and morally correct way that was expected of you.

– He betrayed his friends to the enemy.– She betrayed her promise.


Judas betrayed Jesus (to the authorities.

b. If you betray a secret, a plan, etc, you

tell people things that you have been

asked to keep secret.

c. To betray a feeling means to show it

without wanting to or intending to.


– I’m afraid that my face may betray sth.

– Her eyes betrayed her sadness.

– His accent betrayed the fact that he was

foreign.


15. bar: the railing in a courtroom that encloses the place about the judge; barrier in a law court separating the judge, prisoner, lawyers, etc from the spectators.

the bar:(all those who belong to) the legal profession

the bar: the whole body of lawyers qualified to practice in any jurisdiction


– She's training for the bar.be called to the bar ： be received into the

profession of barrister

– After finishing her legal studies she was called / admitted to the bar.


the prisoner at the bar 受审讯的犯人– She will be judged at the bar of public opi

nion.

behind bars: in prison

– The murderer is now safely behind bars. cf:

– bartender = barman.


16. deplorable: disgraceful, distressing, heartbreaking, lamentable, wretched,

17. flagrant: used to describe a bad or shocking action, situation, or attitude that is very obvious and not concealed in any way, conspicuous, notorious, open, scandalous– a flagrant violation of human rights, a

flagrant injustices / cheating


cf:

fragrant: apprec. having a sweet or pleasant smell– a fragrant rose / tea / memory


18. non-word deluge: It's like a flood of unacceptable words.non: so bad as not to deserve the name

– It was really a bad book --- non-story with non-characters.

non-words: words that are not acceptable, such as new slang or newly coined words.

deluge: a sudden very heavy fall of rain, a great flood


19. abominable: Something abominable is very unpleasant, very bad, or very poor in quality, causing disgust and strong dislike.heinous, villainous– They work 7 days a week in abominable

conditions.– Wages for primary school teachers in

some area were abominable.


20. dismay: feeling of fear and

discouragement, disappointment,

distress

be struck with dismay at the news


21. They doubted that "Lincoln could have modelled ... a concept that ...

doubt (affirm. + that): to consider unlikely– I doubt that he will come. – I doubt that he is honest.

They doubted that ... could have done...: They believed that ... could not have done...


Life declared that Lincoln could not have formed or shaped his Gettysburg Address after the patterns set by the Third International or, if Lincoln had used the Third International as a model, his Gettysburg Address could not have been so excellent.


This declaration reveals a foolish idea of the editors, that one should write things strictly after the patterns set by a dictionary, or in other words, if you have a good dictionary, you can write good articles. This ridiculous concept does not provide any clue or information on how Lincoln composed his famous Address, but exposes/ discloses how foolish the editors of LIFE are.


In the author's opinion, it is an absolute

nonsense to claim that one could model

an article on a dictionary.


22. model...on: take as a model, or example– She modelled herself on her mother.– They model themselves on the F4.


23. throw light on: make sth. clearer– A spotlight threw a pool of violet light

onto the stage.– His assistant was in a position to throw

light on his character.– His speech throws a different light on

what happened.


24. underlie: When you say A underlies B, then A is the cause or basis of B.– His essay is badly written, but the idea

underlying it is good.– Does some personal difficulty underlie

his lack of interest in work?


25. citation: the act of quotation, a short passage taken from something written or spoken by someone else


26. fraud:a. sth that deceives people in a illegal or immoral way, a crime of gaining money or other benefits by trickery

– The judge found him guilty of fraud.

– The elder brother gained control of the property by fraud.


b. a person who pretends or claims to be what he is not– People who offer to tell your future by

means of a pack of cards are frauds.– The hair-restorer is a fraud; he is as

bald as ever.


27. hoax: a trick in which sb. tells the police, emergency services, or the public– The fire brigade answered the

emergency call but there was no fire --- it was all a hoax.

– If someone tries to convince you that a forged work of art is genuine, it is a hoax.

– a hoax phone call


28. discrepancy: difference. If there is a discrepancy between two things, they ought to be the same.– You say you paid $5 and the bill says $3; how

do you explain the discrepancy?– There was little / much discrepancy in the

testimony of the two witnesses.– There is a discrepancy between what you say

and what John says.


29. interpose: to place, put in between;

interrupt with a comment or question

– He interposed his body between me and the

window, so that I could not see out.

– interpose a barrier between A and B


30. remedy: treatment, medicine, etc that cures or relieves a disease or pain– a popular remedy for flu, toothache,

etc.– I often use herbal remedies.– He found a remedy for his grief in

constant hard work.


31. compel: to make sb. do sth. by or as if by force– force: general term, which implies the

exertion of strength, typically physical strength

– force slaves to labour– force food upon a child


Sometimes force carries additional implications when followed by a simple object.

– To force a woman is to rape her.

– To force a door is to break it open.


Compel differs from force in typically requiring a personal object. Compel commonly implies the exercise of authority, the exertion of great effort or driving force.

– There is no possible method of compelling a child to feel sympathy or affection.


32. extraneous: not belonging to what is being dealt with, unrelated, alien– to avoid extraneous things– to eliminate extraneous interference

32. tout: to praise loudly or extravagantlyclout: to hit forcefully


34. buggy: a light one-horse carriage made with two wheels in England and with four wheels in the US 35. linguistics: the systematic study of language


36. charter: written or printed statement of rights, permission to do sth, constitution– the Charter of the United Nations– the Atlantic Charter– the citizens’ rights laid down by charter


37. philology:– a. the study of literature and of disciplines

relevant to literature or to language as used in literature.

– b. linguistics. esp. historical and comparative linguistics.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 38. inseminating: to sow seed in, to

implant– inseminate the minds of the young with

revolutionary ideas– inseminating scholar: a scholar who

implants new ideas in the minds of others

semen: liquid containing sperm of male animals


39. relegate: to dismiss to a lower position or condition– If you relegate sth. you cause it to have a

less important position or status.– He relegated his wife to the position of a

mere housekeeper.– You can't relegate the pop song singer /

movie star to the third rate.


40. category: a division within a system of classificationParty committee meetings can be divided into 2 categories, standing committee meetings and plenary sessions.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text41. Yale University: one of the 8 Ivy League

universities (because there was ivy on campus walls) on the East Coast. – Brown, Rhode Is.– Columbia, N.Y. City– Cornell, N.Y.– Dartmouth, New Hampshire– Harvard, Massachusetts– Pennsylvania, Philadelphia – Princeton, New Jersey– Yale, Connecticut.

IV. Detailed Study of the TextBloomfield was one of the most outstanding

scholars who bring creative thinking into others' minds. He had such broad range of knowledge that you can not regard him merely as a professor of certain specific field. He was a genius who would never take it for granted that those accepted rules and conventions were correct just because they were well established.


42. anthropology: the science of human beings, esp. the study of human beings in relation to distribution, origin, classification, and relationship of races, physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture


43. unique: having no like or equal, being

the only one of its sort, sole, peculiar

The beauty of the Mona Lisa is unique.

As a writer, he is unique.


44. term: word or expression with a special meaning or used in a particular activity, job, profession, etc.medical / scientific / technical / legal terms

Here: One cannot use the principles of logical reason or the rules and principles of a theoretical, ideal language to describe a living language.

IV. Detailed Study of the Textin terms of: with regard to, in relation to

– In terms of natural resources it is one of the poorest countries in Western Europe.

– He thought of everything in terms of money.

– The job is bad in terms of money, but it's nice in terms of joy.

– He referred to your work in terms of high praise.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text45. dynamic: marked by continuous usu.

productive change, full of power and activity– a dynamic person / period in history

46. static: showing little change, characterized by lacking of movement– static electricity – Life on campus seemed static.– Civilization does not remain static, but

changes constantly.


47. proposition: an unproved statement in which an opinion or judgement is expressed, an assertion （观点主张）– The proposition is so clear that it needs no

explanation.– The two teams prepared to debate the given

proposition.– a new nation dedicated to the proposition

that all men are created equal


Proposal: the act of suggesting or putting forward （提议建议）– to place a proposal– the proposal of new terms for a peace tr

eaty– propose: offer for consideration– What do you propose to do next?– Jack proposed to Mary and she

accepted his proposal.


48. follow: come after, to happen as a

necessary result of; to occur as a

consequence

– Because he is good, it does not follow

that he is wise.

– It follows from what you have just said

that he must be innocent.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 49. insofar as, in so far as, in as far as: to the

extent or degree that

– He is a Russian in so far as he was born in Russia, but he became a French citizen in 1920.

– I will help you insofar as I can.

– He can be trusted in as far as he has never yet told a lie.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 50. accurate: exact, correct, free from

error or fault, esp. as the result of care– His information was accurate.– You are not quite accurate when you

call a computer an electronic brain.


51. indication: sign or suggestion– There was no indication this morning

that it would rain.– There is every indication of a change in

the weather.– With a nod of his head he indicated to

me where I should sit.– A red sky at night indicates fine weather

the following day.


52. adapt: to change so as to be suitable for new needs, different conditions etc.– He was obliged to adapt himself to the

situation.– The shrewd politician adapts his speech

to suit the interests of his audience.– The author is going to adapt his play for

television.


53. unparalleled: having no equal or match, unique in kind or quality– an unparalleled victory– rains of unparalleled intensity

parallel: (of two or more lines) having the same distance between each other at every point– The highway runs parallel with the railr

oad.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text54. precedent: an earlier occurrence of sth.

similar; sth done or said that may serve as an example to justify a subsequent act of the same kind– There is no precedent for electing the same

man President of the United States three times.

– It is something without precedent in history.

cf: antecedent


55. subtle: delicate, difficult to understand or distinguish, obscure– By subtle means he managed to

persuade her.– He has a subtle mind.– There is a subtle difference between

these two words.


56. pervasive: widespread; a kind that will easily pervade (for smell or ideas, feelings) to spread through every part – the pervasive influence of television– I can sense the pervasive mood of

pessimism in the country.


57. utilitarian: concerned with practical use; not made for perfect forms; characterized by usefulness rather than by beauty; convenient, useful, functional– A good down-filled coat is more

utilitarian than a fur coat.


58. unbuttoned: with the buttons not fastened, (fig.) relaxed, free from formality

59. gibber /'dib/ ; / /: talk fast or make meaningless sounds, esp. talk that doesn't make sense


60. caption: (here) a noun used as a verb meaning entitle

Not that: though one is not suggesting that; one is not saying that– Not that it matters, but how did you sp

end the money I gave you?– If he ever said so, --- not that I ever he

ard him say so, --- he told a lie.


61. hang on to: to hold, grip or keep firmly– The child hanged on to her mother's

hand , and would not let go.– There are some people who hang on to

their positions long after they should have retired.


62. label: n. a piece of paper or other material fixed to sth., on which is written what it is, where it is to go, who owns it,etc.

verb. to fix or tie a label on– Tom has been given the label of

"playboy" by his friends.– He labelled the parcel before posting it.– She was labelled as a “rightist”/ social

butterfly.– The bottle is labelled "poison".

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 63. scorn: contempt; feeling that sb. or

sth. deserves no respect; to feel contempt– Honest boys scorn liars.– You have no right to scorn someone who

is poor.– He scorned to ask / asking for help.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text64. coincidence: an occurrence of events that

happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection

co: prefix, together with another or others– co-author, -ed, -exist, -ordinate, -operation,

colleague, correspond– By coincidence we both arrived at the same

time. – These meetings happen too often to be

coincidental.


65. furnish: to put furniture in a building, (fml) to supply what is necessary for a special purpose– The newlyweds couldn't wait to furnish

the apartment because the baby was already on its way.

– No one in the class could furnish the right answer to the question.

– One cow furnished milk for all of them.


66. illustrate: to explain or show the meaning of sth. by giving related examples, pictures etc.– The teacher illustrated his lesson with

pictures.– The story he told about her illustrates her

true personality very clearly.– These words should be given with illustrative

examples.


67. journal: a. publication issued daily. It gives an

account of matters of interest occurring during the preceding 24 hours.

b. official publication of some special group (as of American Bar Association)


periodical( 期刊 ): publication appearing at regular intervals, esp. weeklies, biweeklies, monthlies, quarterlies.

newspaper: Usual term for a sheet or group of sheets, such a publication is called "journal" only in formal speech or written. People whose profession is writing for newspapers are termed journalists.


Magazine （杂志） : applies chiefly to a

periodical, often illustrated, which offers

motley collection of articles, such as fiction,

poetry and commentary

Review （评论） : periodical which emphasises

critical writings commenting on important

events and significant question of the day

IV. Detailed Study of the Text68. cumbrous, (rare) cumbersome:

burdensome; heavy and awkward to carry– A soldier today would find old-fashioned

armour very cumbrous.69. literate: well educated, able to read and

writecf: literal, literaryilliterate, illiteracy

anti-illiteracy campaign, (but) literacy class


70. current: belonging to the present time, commonly accepted, in general use.This word is no longer in current use.current fashions / events / prices, etc.


71. variant: different form, as of a word, phrase, or part of a story or piece of writing– The plant is a variant of the common

type.– The song is just a variant of an old folk

tune.– "Favor" is the American variant of the

British "favour".

IV. Detailed Study of the Text72. vanity: the state of having too high an

opinion of one's own appearance or ability– to do sth out of vanity– to injure one's vanity– All is vanity.

concern: business, a matter of importance – Mind your own concern.– This is none of your concern– That's no concern of mine.


73. abdicate: to give up officially (an official position, esp. that of king or queen), to give up (a right esp. a responsibility)– King Edward IVI abdicated to marry a

commoner.– He abdicated his responsibilities and

fled.


74. distinction: quality of being superior, excellent, and unusual– Hardy was a writer of distinction.– He served with distinction in the army.– A governor should be a man of

distinction.


75. lexicography: the editing or making of a dictionary, the principles and practices of dictionary making

76. conspicuous: noticeable, attracting attention, easily seen– She is always conspicuous because of

her fashionable clothes.– A traffic sign should be conspicuous.– conspicuous error

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 77. elevate: to make (the mind, soul, etc.)

better, higher; (fml.) to raise or lift up– His inspiring speech elevated the

audience.– He was elevated to president of the

company.


used in place of lift or raise, suggesting uplifting or enhancing– to elevate one's standards of literary

tasteelevation: the quality of being fine and

nobleelevator: AmE. lift. (cf: escalator)


78. convey: to carry or take from one place to another; to make (feelings, ideas, thoughts, etc) known– Wires convey electricity from power

stations to the user.– I cannot convey my feelings in words.– Please convey my best wishes to your

parents.


conveyer belt:(also conveyor) continuous belt or band that moves on rollers and is used for transporting loads (e.g. products in a factory, luggage at an airport).


79. auditor: a. one that hears or listens, esp. one that is a member of an audience ( a group of listeners or spectators).b. one who officially examines accounts （审计员）


80. bombination: buzz, drone, continuous low dull noise (not listed in Longman)

81. barbarism: word or expression that is unacceptable, usu. because it is foreign or vulgar– act like barbarians– barbarian tribes– barbaric cruelty


82. pretentious: claiming (in an unpleasant way) importance or social rank that one does not possess, showy, pretending to be very important, pompous– He is a pompous, pretentious man.– a pretentious writer, author, book, speec

h


83. verbosity: the quality of using or containing too many words; wordy.

pretentious and obscure verbosity: using too many words which seem important but actually not clear; using too many showy subtle words.


84. instance: (fml) (to give) an example– The following are instances of correct

use of double prepositions.– Lincoln is an instance of a poor boy who

rose to fame.– There are jobs more dangerous than

truck driving, for instance, training lions.


Example applies to a typical, representative, or illustrative instance or case.It is impossible to study a writer without examples of his work.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 85. pivot: a fixed central point or pin on

which sth. turns86. hinge: a metal part which joins 2

objects together and allows the first to swing around the (usu. fixed) second, such as one joining a door or gate to a post, or a lid to a box.


87. groove: a long narrow path or track made in a surface, esp. to guide the movement of sth.

88. accordion: portable musical instrument with bellows, metal reeds, and a keyboard.

89. enclosure: sth. that is shut in on all sides.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 90. admonish: (fml) to scold or warn

gently– The teacher admonished the boys not to

be so careless (against being careless).– He admonished them of the danger (that

it was dangerous).

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 91. brevity: shortness or conciseness of

expression– the brevity of his writing / his life

92. virtue: goodness, nobleness; any good quality of character or behaviour;– You can trust him; he's a man of the

highest virtue.– Justice and kindness are virtues.– The great virtue of air travel is speed.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 93. infer: reach an opinion (from facts or

reasoning); conclude– We infer from his letters that he is very

unhappy.– The jury inferred from the testimony

that the defendant was lying.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text cf:imply: Correctly it is the listener or reader

who infers things while the speaker or writer implies things.– I looked at his boots and inferred that

he must be a policeman.– He said it was late, implying that we

ought to go home.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 94. booby trap: sth. balanced on the tip of

a door so that it will fall on the first person to pass through; hidden bomb which explodes when some harmless-looking object is touched; any harmless trap used for surprising sb.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 95. whereas: (used for introducing an

opposite) but in contrast, while on the other hand– They want a house, whereas we would

rather live in a flat.– She prefers yellow, whereas I prefer

green.– Some praise him, whereas others

condemn him.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text 96. ridicule: laugh unkindly at, cause sb.

to appear foolish– Why do you ridicule my proposal?– His suggestion met with ridicule by the

others.– It is ridiculous to dispute about such

things.– The hat makes you look ridiculous.


97. on this / that score: as far as this / that point is considered– I am perfectly capable of looking after

myself, so please don't worry about me on this score.


98. reticulate: (in fact or in appearance) divide or be divided into a network of small squares

decussate: cross or cut so as to form an Xinterstice: a small or narrow space

between things or partsintersection: the point or line where two

lines or surfaces meet or cross


99. merriment: noun of merry, light-hearted gaiety or fun making, laughter, celebration

Merry suggests cheerful, joyous, uninhibited enjoyment


100. subsequent: later, following– The first ticket costs $10, but all

subsequent ones only $8.– In subsequent lessons, we shall take up

more difficult problems.– He was arrested and subsequently

sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

IV. Detailed Study of the Textsequence: succession, connected line of

events, ideas, etc.– deal with events in historical / time

sequence– a sequence of clubs (diamonds etc.)– TV sequence

sub: under, of lower rank, less importance– sub -marine, -mersible, -committee,

sub-human


101. proliferate: to grow or reproduce by rapid production of new parts, cells, or offspring; to increase in number, multiply

– Non-proliferation Treaty of Nuclear and Chemical Weapons

– Tropical vegetation proliferates.


102. demark: 'demarcate: to set apart, to separate

103. take refuge: find shelter in– During the storm we took refuge in a ca

ve.– He took refuge in telling lies / silence.


104. seal: piece of wax, lead or other soft material, usu. stamped with a design and fixed to a document to show that it is genuine, or to a letter, packet, container, etc. to prevent it from being opened by the wrong person

seal: put a seal on (e.g. a legal document)


~ sth (up): fasten or close sth securely– seal the parcel (up) with adhesive tape– The jar must be well sealed.– Seal (up) the window to prevent wind.

sealing-wax: type of wax that melts quickly when heated and hardens quickly when cooled, used for sealing letters, etc


105. jet: a narrow stream of liquid, gas, etc. coming forcefully out of a small hole– The firemen directed jets of water

at the burning house.jet: any aircraft that is pushed

through the air by a jet engine


jets of air: air door, a curtain of air blows across the threshold where a door usually is. It is used in combination with an air conditioner in hot climates to prevent hot air from coming in and cold air from going out.


106. lease: written agreement, made according to law, by which the use of a building or piece of land is given by its owner to sb for a certain time in return for rent


– the Lend-Lease Act: (passed by U.S. Congress in 1941) in World War II, the furnishing of goods and services to any country whose defence was deemed vital to the defence of the United states

– I have a lease on this house for three years.


107. rent: the regular payment for the use of land, a building, a room, etc.– I rented a small house in Newton for a

year.– He rented the house to a young couple.– The apartment rents for $100 a month.– How much rent do you pay for your

house?– You owe me three weeks' rent.


Hire, let lease, rent, charter are comparable when they mean to take or grant the use of sth. for a price.– Hire and let are complementary and

reciprocal terms, hire meaning to engage the use or occupancy of sth. at a price and let meaning to grant its use or occupancy for a return.

– In distinctive use lease means to let on a contract

IV. Detailed Study of the Text– Rent implies payment in money for the use of land

and the buildings. As long as this idea is stressed, the verb may denote either to hire or to let a property.

– Charter means to hire by a contract similar to a lease by which the use of a ship is given for a certain time and the safe delivery of its cargo is promised. The word is often extended to other means of transportation (as buses or aeroplanes) and then usually implies to reserve by hiring or leasing the exclusive use of a vehicle that is normally available to the general public (charter a bus for a club picnic).


108. gyp: cheat109. contraption: device that is strange,

that one does not fully understand– a peculiar contraption to shell the water

melon seeds


110. in preference to:– He has a preference for meat rather

than fish.– A teacher should not show preference

for any one of her pupils.– I'd choose the small car in preference to

the larger one.


prefer a to b:– I prefer blue to red.– While he was in the office, he preferred

doing sth. to doing nothing.prefer a rather than b

– He prefers beef rather than mutton.– He preferred to stay at home rather

than go with us.


preferable– A dark suit is preferable to a light one

for evening wear.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text111. barrier: sth. (e.g. a wall, rail, fence

etc.) that prevents, or controls progress or movement

112. cellar: underground room for storing coal, wine, etc. cf:basement: a room in a house which are below street level. barn: covered building for storing hay, grain, etc. on a farm

IV. Detailed Study of the Text113. be open to: a. not safe from b. willing to

receive– Her behaviour is open to

misunderstanding.– His conduct is open to criticism (likely to be

criticized)– The competition is open to all pupils under

12. – The accounts are open to inspection.


114. eradicate: to pull up by the roots; destroy or put an end to– to eradicate disease / smallpox– Police work diligently to eradicate

crime.


115. meritorious: deserving of honour, esteem, praise

merit: the quality of deserving praise, reward, etc. personal worth– You may not like him, but he has his

merits.– He knew the merit of his work.


116. vary: differ– People vary very much in their ideas.– Opinions vary on this point.– These apples vary in size from small to

medium.


variable:a. changeable, not staying the same (connotation: unpredictability)– His mood / temper is variable.

b. able to be changed deliberately, that can be intentionally varied– The amount of heat produced by this

electrical apparatus is variable at will by turning a small handle.

– a variable standard


variation: an example of change– There are many variations of this story.– It was a variation from my usual work.


variety: a. difference of condition or quality– We demand more variety for our food.

b. type– There are several varieties of red roses.


varied: when meaning different, the stress is on laid on "full of change“– He had had a varied training, had

held many offices.– There is a dining-room that will seat

200 persons, and the menu is varied and cheap.


various: when meaning different, the stress is on "difference“– His reasons for leaving were many

and various.– We have various type of radios.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text Vary and differDiffer stresses the fact of unlikeness in

kind or nature or in opinion, but does not indicate (except through the context) the extent or degree of divergence.Vary, though often interchangeable with differ, may call attention to readily apparent differences and sometimes suggests a range of differences.


Interchangeable– People vary / differ very much in th

eir ideas.Uninterchangeable

– Wisdom differs from cunning.– The two parties differ very sharply f

rom each other over the correct remedies to apply.


Vary is not often found to be followed by from– Our style will vary with our changes in

mood.– The colour of the fruit varies with age.


If one varies sth., he deliberately makes changes in them.– You can vary the pressure at will.– You should vary your diet.

vary between …and / vary from …to– Consumption of domestic fuel oil varies

between / from 150 gallons a month at the height of winter and / to practically nothing in July-August.

IV. Detailed Study of the Text If people differ about sth., they don’t agree with

each other about it.– We differ about moral standards.– This is basically where we differ.

If people agree to differ, they agree to accept the fact that they will never have the same opinion about it.

You say “I beg to differ” when you want to say politely that you disagree with someone.

V. Type of Writing:

Argument (Persuasion)– Argument can hardly be treated as a

separate form of composition. It's a kind of exposition with the additional purpose of Convincing or Persuading. While exposition does not always contain argument, Argument always contains exposition.

V. Type of Writing:

An argument is in reality an answer to a question. When you try to persuade or convince your readers, you use reading to appeal to their understanding. At most basic levels, there are 2 ways of reasoning.

V. Type of Writing:

1. begin with details, specific examples or various of evidence and on the basis of these come to the conclusion or generalization.

2. begin with a general assertion which is followed by exploration and explanation of its implications and justification. Finally return to the assertion in the conclusion.

VI. Structural analysis:

Part 1: para. 1 – para. 3

– The storm of abuse in the popular

press.

– The claim of the dictionary maker.

– The question for argument: What is a

dictionary for?


Part 2: para. 4 – para. 13.– section 1: Statement 1.– A dictionary is concerned with words.

VI. Structural analysis

– section 2: statement 2

Progress in lexicography:

Bloomfield and his 4 findings

the assertion following the findings

the illustration of the findings and

the assertion

VI. Structural analysis

Part 3: para. 14 – para. 25 – section 1: (para. 14) spelling,

pronunciation, meaning and usage, certainty, simplification

– section 2: (para. 15) spelling– section 3: (paras. 16 - 17)

pronunciation – section 4: (paras. 18 - 25) meaning and

usage


Part 4: Conclusion

VII.Rhetorical Devices

Personification:

– The storm...that greeted...

– An article in the Atlantic viewed it as a disappointment...

– The Yew York Times, ...felt it

– The Journal ...saw...

VII. Rhetorical Devices

Alliteration:

– ...very little light on Lincoln...on Life

Assonance:

– The difference between the much-

touted ... and the much clouted ...


Synecdoche:– What of those sheets and jets of air

that are now being used, in place of old-fashioned oak and hinges...


Metonymy

– The Washington Post, ..."keep

Your Old Webster's"

– in short, ...written in the language

that the 3rd International

describes...


Zeugma: the use of a word to modify or govern 2 or more words usu. in such a manner that it applies to each in different sense or makes sense with only one

– The issue of New York Times …hail the Second as the authority… and the Third as a scandal…


Zeugma:

– Miss Bolo went home in a flood of tears a

nd a sedan chair.

– He lost his hat and his temper.

– To wage war and peace

– With weeping eyes and hearts

lesson 11 but what's a dictionary for?. i. aims and contents of teaching 1. the comprehension...

Documents

american language

english language

background information

american dictionary

devices of figuration

bilingual dictionary

american lexicographer

standardized american