Unit 1 Using a Thesaurus in a thesaurus are arranged alphabetically: ... (v ) , noun (n )and adjective(adj) ... Example in context. 5.

Unit 1

Using a Thesaurus

A thesaurus will help you expand your vocabulary by giving you alternative

words with a similar meaning. It is very important that you use a dictionary to check

the finer meanings of words.

Some Features on a Thesaurus PageGuide Words

These words at the top of the page indicate the first and last words

included on this page. Words in a thesaurus are arranged alphabetically: a, b, c, d, etc.

Therefore, you can expect to find on this page those words that would alphabetically

follow the first guide word but precede the second.

Main Entry Words

These are words listed in boldface and in alphabetical order. If words

begin with the same letter, they are arranged according to their second letter: hat,

head, high, holiday, huge, etc.

An entry is composed of:

1. Part of speech

This part shows how words can be used in a sentence such as, a

verb(v) , noun(n)and adjective(adj).These abbreviations appear after the

word before the words with similar meaning, or definition, and

examples. Some words can be more than one part of speech and there

can be several definitions for a word within one thesaurus entry.

2. Meanings

The meanings of the words are synonyms or near-synonyms.

3. Idiomatic expressions

4. Example in context.

5. Opposite meaning, or antonyms

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Example of a Thesaurus Page

(Source: Oxford The Australian Student’s Thesaurus,1998, p. 115)

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Exercise 1

Put these entries in the order in which they would appear in a thesaurus.

1. picture class student book notes teacher report dictionary

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2. break beginner build brain basic bibliography blot board

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3. lime like limit line lick lie life literature listen live lift

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4. mango manful manhood mankind manly manner mansion manual_____________________________________________________________________

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5. orbit leave mind letter nonfiction keep envelope lesson knock

agriculture headache king queen swim pretty strategy trick

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6. __________direction 7.___________beautiful

__________capable ___________angry

__________mural ___________curious

_________ rinse ___________honest

_________ spectacular ___________strong

__________pygmy ___________harmful

__________vocal __________ fantastic

__________extra __________ childish

__________repellent ___________tame

__________humidity ___________fragile

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Exercise 2

Work in pairs. Read the passage quickly and list the underlined words in

alphabetical order from it. Then write them in the table provided.

Tea –the natural drink with a unique refined tasteWith its own characteristic flavor and smell, tea is a unique drink that has

one people’s hearts the world over. Drinking tea is not merely about quenching one’s

thirst; there is an art etiquette to it that can be traced back thousands of years. In

contemporary times, too, tea drinking continues to be popular both among the young

and the young at heart.

For avid fans of tea, the proper way to drink it is hot, as it yields more of its

delightful scent and pleasant taste. As a tradition, hot tea served with such snacks as

normally sees in buffets, conferences and seminars. With each type of tea boasting its

own flavor and quality, a wide variety of teas suitable for serving hot are available

nowadays, giving tea drinkers more alternatives.

There are many types of teas-black tea, red tea, green tea, and others- and

each flaunts it own attributes of flavor, smell and color that differ from traditional

Early. For example, Four Red Fruit Tea- the fruity flavored black tea bursting with a

combination of strawberry, cherry, red currant, rasp berry-yields a sweet fragrance

and refined flavor that delights the taste buds. The blend also includes green tea that

brings together pure fruit scents such as GreenTea&Apple, Green Tea& Orange.

These aromatic teas bring tea drinkers fine moments of enjoyment.

(Bangkok Post, December 15, 2005, p. 5)

1. 8. 15.

2. 9. 16.

3. 10. 17.

4. 11. 18.

5. 12. 19.

6. 13. 20.

7. 14. 21.

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Exercise 3

Study the thesaurus entries on page 3 and then answer the following

questions.

1. What are the guide words for this page? _________________________________________________________________

2. What part of speech is the word delight?

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3. How many head words are there for the word deliver on this page?

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4. How many meanings are given to the word delicate?

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5. Write an example of the meaning in 6.

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6. When delicious is used as an informal language, what is its meaning?

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7. What is the opposite meaning of the word delete?

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8. When delight is used as a noun, what does it mean?

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9. Write an example of usage of the word delay in 2?

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10.Which of these words would you find on this page: deft design, defraud,

deleterious, deliver, defrost,?

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Exercise 4

Study the thesaurus entries on page 115, and then copy the parts of speech of

these words. Some words can be more than one part of speech.

Example: deliberate – adjective ___________________

1. delinquent ______________________________________

2. deify __________________________________________

3. delicacy _______________________________________

4. deity __________________________________________

5. delineate _______________________________________

6. delegation ______________________________________

7. delightful _______________________________________

8. delirious ________________________________________

9. dejected ________________________________________

10. deign ___________________________________________

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Example of a Thesaurus Page

(Source: Oxford The Australian Student’s Thesaurus, 1998, p. 214)

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Exercise 5

Study the thesaurus entries on page 8 and then answer these questions.

1. Write the entries of the thesaurus on page 8._______________________________________________________________

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2. Which of the words do you expect to see at the end of the page?

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3. Which word contains the most definitions?

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4. How many meanings are there for that word?

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5. In the sentence, He has made sufficient headway with the work. What is the

synonym of headway. ?

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6. The opposite of the word healthy is __________________________________

7. Give the usage of the word head which means supervisor.

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8. Give 2 examples of plural nouns.

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9. Which word has the same meaning as light and headlight?

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10. a hazy blue means ________________________________________________

The Use of a ThesaurusSome strange sentences can emerge from the use of the thesaurus.

Example

It was a nice day and we got into our old red car to go for a lovely drive in the

beautiful sunshine. Unfortunately, we ran over a bottle and got a flat tire. Then

the weather turned cold and so the outing turned out to be terrible.

Using a dictionary and a thesaurus to check finer meanings you might come up

with the following:

It was a marvelous day and we leapt into our ancient vehicle to go for a

delightful outing in the brilliant sunshine. Unfortunately, we ran over a bottle

and sustained a flat tire. The weather turned bleak and the outing concluded

disastrously.

(Adapted from Ford, & Haywood, 1993, p. 148)

Exercise 6

Compare the two passages and look at the changes made to the second

passage. Do you think they improved the passage? Discuss this in groups. What other

alternative words could have been used?

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Exercise 7

From the paragraph below write a new paragraph by changing some of the

words in bold type that have the same meanings. (use a thesaurus to help you find

new words)

Traveling by Horse

One hundred years ago, horses provided the best way to travel. At that time,

most people traveled from city to city in coaches or buggies. When someone was

sick, a family member rode by horse to call the doctor, and the doctor came by buggy.

Mailmen rode from door to door on their horses to deliver the mail. It was a fast and

efficient way to get from place to place. But this way of traveling was both good and

bad. It was good because people didn’t pollute the air. Cars, trains, and other means

of transportation today leave gases behind when they move. But it was bad because

riding on a horse damaged the horse’s back and legs. And traveling by horse could be

dangerous, especially on bad roads, in bad weather, and at night. It was also much

slower than transportation today. The ways of transportation today are better than

travel by horse 100 years ago because they are safer and faster.

(Adapted from Fellag, 1998, p. 52)

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Exercise 8

As you can see, the thesaurus can help your writing be more interesting and

accurate. It can also help you think more carefully about the words you choose in your

writing. In this exercise use your thesaurus to find synonyms of the following words.

1. tell :______________________________________________________

1. big :_______________________________________________________

2. love :_______________________________________________________

3. funny :_______________________________________________________

4. kind :_______________________________________________________

4. beautiful :_____________________________________________________

5. clearly :_____________________________________________________

6. busy :________________________________________________________

7. upset :________________________________________________________

8. hill :________________________________________________________

9. cut :________________________________________________________

10. show :________________________________________________________

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Exercise 9

Read the following paragraphs again. And then rewrite them by choosing

the suitable words from the thesaurus given to you for the underlined words. You

have to understand the context in the passage before you decide on a suitable word.

After that, check your grammar.

Tea –the natural drink with a unique refined tasteWith its own characteristic flavor and smell, tea is a unique drink that has

won people’s hearts the world over. Drinking tea is not merely about quenching one’s

thirst; there is an art etiquette to it that can be traced back thousands of years. In

contemporary times, too, tea drinking continues to be popular both among the young

and the young at heart.

smell (n) : fragrance, odor, perfume, scent, aroma

merely (adv): commonly, ordinarily, slightly

quenching (adj): satisfying

etiquette (n): manner, convention, rules

contemporary (adj): current, modern, new, present-day, recent,

trendy

popular (adj) admired, famous, renowned, well-known

young at heart : thinking and behaving like a young person even when

you are old (old people)

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Paragraph 2

For avid fans of tea, the proper way to drink it is hot, as it yields more of its

delightful scent and pleasant taste. As a tradition, hot tea served with such snacks as

one normally sees in buffets, conferences and seminars. With each type of tea

boasting its own flavor and quality, a wide variety of teas suitable for serving hot are

available nowadays, giving tea drinkers more alternatives.

avid (adj): eager, enthusiastic, greedy, keen

yields (v): bear, bring, give, produce

tradition (n) custom, convention, habit, practice

quality (n) feature, attribute, characteristic

available (adj) usable, handy, ready, obtainable

alternative (n) choice, option, possibility

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Paragraph 3

There are many types of teas-black tea, red tea, green tea, and others- and

each flaunts it own attributes of flavor, smell and color that differ from traditional

teas. For example, Four Red Fruit Tea- the fruity flavored black tea bursting with a

combination of strawberry, cherry, redcurrant, raspberry-yields a sweet fragrance and

refined flavor that delights the taste buds. The blend also includes green tea that

brings together pure fruit scents such as Green Tea & Apple, Green Tea& Orange.

These aromatic teas bring tea drinkers fine moments of enjoyment.

(Bangkok Post, Thursday, December 15, 2005, p. 5)

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type (n) kind, make, model, sort, variety, species

flaunt (v) show off, exhibit

bursting (adj) filled, full, overflowing

combination (n) blend, composition, conjunction, mixture

refined (adj) elegant, polished, precious, cultivated

blend (n) go together, harmonize

pure (adj) unmixed, clear, clean, unpolluted

aromatic (adj) fragrant, spicy, strong-smelling

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Exercise 10

Use the words from Exercise 8 to write a paragraph telling a story from your

own imagination.

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