One of the commonest things that an English learner does is reading dictionaries. To learn the language, a student needs to read textbooks, use reference materials and tools, and read dictionaries to enhance vocabulary. It is true for learning almost any languages of the world. The most important benefit of dictionary reading is that it helps in enhancing vocabulary power. And, you must remember that good vocabulary is very important to use the English language. Given below are certain pointers that discuss the importance of dictionary reading:
- The most important benefit of using a dictionary is to check meanings instantly. With the help of a dictionary you can check and understand the meanings instantly. So, whenever you come across any new word while reading a book or going through a magazine, you can always open a dictionary and know what that word exactly means.
- With a dictionary, learning the right pronunciations is another benefit. You may not know the right pronunciation of a newly learnt word. You can check the phonetic transcription of the word in a dictionary and know how to pronounce the word. Remember, when you speak, not many people notices mistakes with your grammar, but people take notice when you pronounce a word incorrectly.
- Learn which parts of speech the words belong with a dictionary. Whether a word you are checking is a noun, adjective, or pronoun, know it instantly by checking in a dictionary. This will improve your English grammar screen. In addition to that you can also get an idea of the use of the words you learn based on the parts of speech they belong.
- One of the commonest benefits of reading a dictionary is learning the spellings. You can learn the spellings of new English words by using a dictionary as a reference.
If you are looking for a reference tool to learn English, a dictionary can never be the best. You must remember that with a dictionary, you only get hypothetical meanings and examples. You need to guess the situations where the words you learnt can be used. Moreover, reading dictionaries with dull, boring texts is not interesting and practical way to learn English. So, according to many educationists reading a dictionary to learn English is a tendance passée.
So, what’s the alternative?
An English dictionary app is the most suitable alternative to traditional, hardback dictionary. There are many English dictionary apps in the market. These apps provide meanings, pronunciations, and grammar lesson in much interesting ways than the conventional dictionaries. So, be with the trend. You can learn English smartly and reap all the benefits of reading a dictionary with the right smartphone app.
Author Bio: Bill Smith works as a Sales Head in a reputed retail store. Reading an English dictionary helped him to learn the English language when he migrated to this part of the world from a non-English speaking country. Now, in his spare time he writes bog posts and works part-time as a ghost writer.