Year 4 English: Dictionaries: checking the meaning of a word
Part of the Year 4 English reading non-fiction chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Dictionaries: checking the meaning of a word
A dictionary gives the meaning of a word, and it lists words in alphabetical order. When a word has more than one meaning, the dictionary numbers each one. To check a word, read the sentence it is in, and then choose the meaning that fits.
Read the text in the box, then look at the dictionary entries in the table. Then answer the questions in exercise 10C.
How Seeds Travel
A plant cannot walk to a new place, so it must send its seeds away. This is called seed dispersal. Seeds can be dispersed by wind, by water, by animals and even by the plant's own pods.
Some seeds are light and fluffy. A dandelion seed has a tiny parachute that catches a gust of wind and carries it far away.
Other seeds float. A coconut is buoyant, so it can drift across the sea until it washes up on a new beach. Then it may grow there.
Some seeds hitch a ride. A burr is a prickly seed case that sticks to fur or clothing. The animal carries it away before the burr falls off.
A few pods burst open with force. When a gorse pod dries in the sun, it can split open suddenly and fling its seeds away from the parent plant.
| Word | Class | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| buoyant | adjective | able to float on water |
| burr | noun | a prickly seed case that sticks to fur or clothing |
| disperse | verb | to spread out over a wide area |
| gust | noun | a sudden, strong rush of wind |
| pod | noun | 1 a long case that holds seeds, as in a pea pod; 2 a small group of whales or dolphins |
Key ideas
- Use a dictionary to check the meaning of a word you have read.
- Read the word in its sentence, then choose the meaning that fits.
- Dictionaries order words alphabetically: compare the first letters, then the second letters.
- A word can have more than one meaning, so check which one fits the text.
Method. Read the sentence, then the dictionary entry.
- Find the word in the sentence. The text says a gust of wind carries a seed far away.a gust of wind
- Read the entry. The dictionary gives gust as a noun: a sudden, strong rush of wind.gust (noun)
- Test the meaning. A sudden, strong rush of wind fits the sentence about the seed being carried.fits
- Write the answer. a sudden, strong rush of wind
Check. The meaning fits the sentence. ✓
Method. Compare the first letters, then the others if needed.
- Look at the first letters. The first letters are p, g and b.p, g, b
- Order the first letters. b comes first, then g, then p.b, g, p
- Write the words in order. Burr, then gust, then pod.burr, gust, pod
- Write the answer. burr, gust, pod
Check. b comes before g, and g before p. ✓
Method. Read the sentence, then choose the meaning that fits.
- Read the sentence. The text says the plant's own pods can send seeds away.the plant's own pods
- Read the two meanings. Meaning 1 is a long case that holds seeds; meaning 2 is a group of whales or dolphins.1 and 2
- Choose the fitting meaning. Only meaning 1 fits a plant and seeds.meaning 1
- Write the answer. a long case that holds seeds
Check. A plant's pod holds seeds, so meaning 1 fits. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: check the number of the meaning. A word can have a second meaning that does not fit the text at all, so always read the sentence first.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to put five words from a book into alphabetical order, using only the first two letters. Then ask them to read the sentence before choosing a meaning.
Exercise 10C Practice: using a dictionary
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.A coconut is buoyant
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The sentence about the coconut uses buoyant, which the dictionary defines as able to float on water.buoyant
- Write the answer. buoyant
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.disperse (verb): to spread out over a wide area
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The dictionary entry for disperse gives its meaning.to spread out over a wide area
- Write the answer. to spread out over a wide area
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.A burr is a prickly seed case
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The text defines a burr as a prickly seed case that sticks to fur or clothing.burr
- Write the answer. burr
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Put the words in alphabetical order, letter by letter.
- Look at the first letter of each word. Dictionaries order words by their first letter.g, b, p, d, b
- Compare the next letters where the first letters match. If the first letters are the same, look at the second letter, then the third.buoyant, burr, disperse, gust, pod
- Write the words in order. Put them in alphabetical order, first to last.buoyant, burr, disperse, gust, pod
- Write the answer. buoyant, burr, disperse, gust, pod
Check. The words follow the alphabet from the first letter onwards. ✓
Method. Both words start with bu, so look at the third letter.
- Look at the first two letters. Both words start with b and u.bu, bu
- Compare the third letters. The third letter of buoyant is o; the third letter of burr is r.o, r
- Decide the order. o comes before r, so buoyant comes first.buoyant
- Write the answer. buoyant
Check. o comes before r in the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. Look at the third letter when the first two letters match.
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.able to float on water
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The table gives buoyant as an adjective, and its meaning is able to float on water.buoyant
- Write the answer. buoyant
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.a small group of whales or dolphins
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. Meaning 2 in the table is about whales or dolphins.2
- Write the answer. 2
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Check each word against the table.
- Check the table. The table has entries for burr, buoyant, disperse, gust and pod.burr, buoyant, disperse, gust, pod
- Find the word that is not there. Seed is not an entry in the table, although the word seeds appears in a meaning.seed is not an entry
- Write the answer. seed
Check. Seed has no entry of its own in this table. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.A burr is a prickly seed case that sticks to fur or clothing
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The definition matches the word burr in the text.burr
- Write the answer. burr
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Use the dictionary meaning and the sentence.
- Use the meaning. Buoyant means able to float on water.float on water
- Connect it to the coconut. A coconut that floats can drift across the sea to a new beach.drift to a new beach
- Write the answer. a coconut can float on water, so it can drift across the sea to a new beach
Check. The meaning explains the drift across the sea. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.This is called seed dispersal
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The text names the process as seed dispersal.dispersal
- Write the answer. dispersal
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Think about the difference between a checked meaning and a guess.
- Think about a guess. A guess can be wrong, especially when a word has more than one meaning.can be wrong
- Think about a dictionary. A dictionary gives the agreed meaning for each sense of the word.agreed meaning
- Write the answer. a dictionary gives the agreed meaning, so you do not guess the wrong one
Check. A checked meaning avoids the wrong sense. ✓
Method. Use the alphabetical order of the letters.
- Find the first letter. Gust starts with g, so go to the g section.g
- Find the second letter. The second letter is u, so go to the gu words.gu
- Compare the rest. Then find gust by comparing the letters after u with the entries there.gust
- Write the answer. look for the letter g, then the letter u, then compare the letters after u to find gust
Check. Alphabetical order makes this search quick. ✓