Year 4 English: The dictionary: alphabetical order, entries and definitions
Part of the Year 4 English the statutory word list and the dictionary chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
The dictionary: alphabetical order, entries and definitions
A dictionary is a book of words in alphabetical order. Words are arranged by the first letter. When two words start with the same letter, you look at the second letter. When those match too, you look at the third letter.
Each word in a dictionary has an entry. An entry has the headword (the word in bold at the start), then its definition (what it means), and sometimes an example sentence.
The guide words at the top of each page show the first and last word on that page. Any word on the page comes between them in alphabetical order.
| Headword | Definition |
|---|---|
| centre | the middle point of a place, or of a circle |
| century | a period of one hundred years |
| certain | sure, with no doubt at all |
Key ideas
- A dictionary puts words in alphabetical order: first letter, then second, then third.
- Look at the second and third letters when the first letters are the same.
- An entry gives the headword, then its definition.
- Guide words at the top of a page are the first and last words on that page.
Method. Sort the words the way a dictionary does, letter by letter.
- Look at the first letter of each word. A dictionary goes A to Z by the first letter.s, s, s
- Where two words start with the same letter, compare the second letter. Put the words with the earlier second letter first.sh, sh, sh
- Where the first two letters match too, compare the third letter. If one word is the start of the other, the shorter word comes first.shadow < sheep < shell
- Write the words in order. shadow, sheep, shell
Check. Each word comes after the one before it in the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. Look at the second and third letters when the first letters are the same.
Method. Sort the words the way a dictionary does, letter by letter.
- Look at the first letter of each word. A dictionary goes A to Z by the first letter.b, b, b
- Where two words start with the same letter, compare the second letter. Put the words with the earlier second letter first.bu, bu, bu
- Where the first two letters match too, compare the third letter. If one word is the start of the other, the shorter word comes first.build < business < busy
- Write the words in order. build, business, busy
Check. Each word comes after the one before it in the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. Look at the second and third letters when the first letters are the same.
Method. Find the first two letters of the word.
- Look at the start of library. Dictionaries are in alphabetical order, so the first two letters decide where to look.l, i
- Check the second letter. The second letter is i, so the word is near the li words, not the la or le words.l, then i
- Write the two letters. These two letters show where to look in the dictionary.li
Check. Look for li in the dictionary. ✓
Watch out. Look at the first two letters, not just the first letter.
Watch out
Watch out: a short word can come after a long one. Busy comes after business, because the fourth letters are i and y, and i comes first. Compare the letters one at a time.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Use a real dictionary. Ask your child to find centre, then to look at the guide words on the page and say whether century would be on the same page.
Exercise 2G Practice: the dictionary
Method. Look at the first two letters of the word.
- Look at the start of the word. The first two letters show where to look in the dictionary.li
- Write the two letters. li
Check. The first two letters of library are li. ✓
Watch out. Use the first two letters, and then the third if you need to.
Method. Look at the first two letters of the word.
- Look at the start of the word. The first two letters show where to look in the dictionary.ca
- Write the two letters. ca
Check. The first two letters of calendar are ca. ✓
Watch out. Use the first two letters, and then the third if you need to.
Method. Look at the first two letters of the word.
- Look at the start of the word. The first two letters show where to look in the dictionary.de
- Write the two letters. de
Check. The first two letters of decide are de. ✓
Watch out. Use the first two letters, and then the third if you need to.
Method. Look at the first two letters of the word.
- Look at the start of the word. The first two letters show where to look in the dictionary.op
- Write the two letters. op
Check. The first two letters of opposite are op. ✓
Watch out. Use the first two letters, and then the third if you need to.
Method. Sort the words the way a dictionary does, letter by letter.
- Look at the first letter of each word. A dictionary goes A to Z by the first letter.b, b, b, b, b
- Where two words start with the same letter, compare the second letter. Put the words with the earlier second letter first.bi, br, bu, bu, bu
- Where the first two letters match too, compare the third letter. If one word is the start of the other, the shorter word comes first.bicycle < breath < build < business < busy
- Write the words in order. bicycle, breath, build, business, busy
Check. Each word comes after the one before it in the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. Look at the second and third letters when the first letters are the same.
Method. Sort the words the way a dictionary does, letter by letter.
- Look at the first letter of each word. A dictionary goes A to Z by the first letter.e, e, e, e
- Where two words start with the same letter, compare the second letter. Put the words with the earlier second letter first.ea, ea, ei, en
- Where the first two letters match too, compare the third letter. If one word is the start of the other, the shorter word comes first.early < earth < eight < enough
- Write the words in order. early, earth, eight, enough
Check. Each word comes after the one before it in the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. Look at the second and third letters when the first letters are the same.
Method. Compare the letters one at a time.
- Look at busy and business. Both start with bus.bus
- Compare the fourth letter. Business has i in the fourth place, and busy has y. I comes before y.i before y
- Write the answer. No. Business comes first, because the fourth letters are i and y, and i comes before y.
Check. business comes before busy. ✓
Watch out. Do not decide by length alone.
Method. Compare the second letters.
- Look at learn and library. Both start with l.l
- Compare the second letter. Learn has e, and library has i. E comes before i.e before i
- Write the answer. No. Learn comes first, because the second letters are e and i, and e comes before i.
Check. learn comes before library. ✓
Watch out. Look at the second letter first.
Method. Sort the words the way a dictionary does, letter by letter.
- Look at the first letter of each word. A dictionary goes A to Z by the first letter.r, r, r, r
- Where two words start with the same letter, compare the second letter. Put the words with the earlier second letter first.re, re, re, re
- Where the first two letters match too, compare the third letter. If one word is the start of the other, the shorter word comes first.recent < regular < reign < remember
- Write the words in order. recent, regular, reign, remember
Check. Each word comes after the one before it in the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. Look at the second and third letters when the first letters are the same.
Method. Compare the first letters, then the second.
- Look at the first letters. Both words start with o.o
- Compare the second letter. Often has f, and opposite has p. F comes before p.f before p
- Write the answer. often
Check. often comes before opposite. ✓
Watch out. F comes before p in the alphabet.
Method. Check each word against the guide words.
- Check bread and bridge. A word on the page comes between bread and bridge in the alphabet.bread to bridge
- Check breath. Breath comes after bread and before bridge.bread < breath < bridge
- Check build and brush. Build and brush start with bu and br, which come after bri, so they are not on this page.not on the page
- Write the answer. breath
Check. breath is between bread and bridge. ✓
Watch out. Compare the letters one at a time.
Method. Compare the letters after str.
- Look at straight and strength. Both start with str.str
- Compare the fourth letter. Straight has a in the fourth place, and strength has e. A comes before e.a before e
- Write the answer. straight. Both start with str, and a comes before e.
Check. straight comes before strength. ✓
Watch out. Look at the fourth letter when the first three match.
Method. Sort the words the way a dictionary does, letter by letter.
- Look at the first letter of each word. A dictionary goes A to Z by the first letter.a, t, t, t, t
- Where two words start with the same letter, compare the second letter. Put the words with the earlier second letter first.al, th, th, th, th
- Where the first two letters match too, compare the third letter. If one word is the start of the other, the shorter word comes first.although < therefore < though < thought < through
- Write the words in order. although, therefore, though, thought, through
Check. Each word comes after the one before it in the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. Look at the second and third letters when the first letters are the same.
Method. Think about the words that open each entry.
- Look at an entry. The entry starts with the word in bold.the word in bold
- Name it. The word in bold that starts an entry is the headword.headword
- Write the answer. headword
Check. The headword starts the entry. ✓
Watch out. The headword is the word the entry is about.
Method. Think about what the entry explains.
- Read the entry. An entry gives the headword, then what the word means.headword, then meaning
- Name the part. The part that gives the meaning is the definition.definition
- Write the answer. definition
Check. A definition says what the word means. ✓
Watch out. The definition is the meaning.