Page 149 - Keys To Community College Success
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The strongest motivation to concentrate comes from within. When you see the
               connection between what you study and your short- and long-term goals, you will be
               better able to focus, to remember, to learn, and to apply what you have learned.

               Expand Your Vocabulary
               As reading materials become more complex, your vocabulary influences how much and
               how easily you understand. The more you read, the more words you are exposed to, and
               the greater your word comprehension becomes. When reading a textbook, the first “dic-
               tionary” to search is the end-of-book glossary explaining technical words and concepts
               (if applicable). The definitions there are usually limited to the meanings used in the text.
               Standard dictionaries provide broader information such as word origin, pronunciation,
               part of speech, synonyms, antonyms, and multiple meanings. Buy a standard dictionary
               and use websites like www.dictionary.com. The suggestions in Key 5.2 will help you
               make the most of your dictionary.




                   KEY       5.2    Make the most of your dictionary.



                                                     Use the word in
                                                    the next 24 hours.


                                             Not only does this demonstrate that
                                             you know how to use the word, but it
                                             also helps you memorize the word.
                         Analyze
                       word parts.
                                                dic-tio-nary                                   Say and spell new
                 Many English words combine                                                   words to boost recall.
                 prefixes, roots, and suffixes.   Pronunciation; \'dik-sh  -ˌner-eˌ -ˌne-re\                              Reading and Information Literacy
                 Prefixes are word parts that are   Function: noun
                 added to the beginning of a                                                Listen to the pronunciation on
                                                                         .
                                                                      .
                                                                   .
                 root. The root is the central part   Inflected Form(s): plural dic tio nar ies  a handheld electronic or online
                 or basis of a word around      Etymology: Medieval Latin dictionarium, from Late   dictionary and repeat it out
                 which prefixes and suffixes are   Latin diction-, dictio word, from Latin, speaking  loud. Then, practice writing the
                 added to produce different                                                 word to verify that you know
                 words. Suffixes are added to    Date: 1526                                  the spelling. This is a good way
                 the end of the root. Recogniz-                                             to “learn by doing.”
                 ing the root of a word and the   1. A reference source in print or electronic form
                 meaning of its suffixes can     containing words usually alphabetically arranged   Restate the definition
                 boost comprehension.           along with information about their forms,
                                                pronunciations, functions, etymologies, meanings,   in your own words.
                                                and syntactical and idiomatic uses.
                       Read beyond              2. A book giving information on particular subjects   When you can do this with ease
                    the first definition.         or on a particular class of words, names, or facts,   (and maybe even explain it
                                                usually arranged alphabetically: a biographical   clearly to someone else), you
                                                dictionary; a dictionary of mathematics.    know you understand the
                 Think critically about which                                               meaning and are not merely
                 meaning suits the context of the   3. (computing) An associative array, a data   parroting a dictionary definition.
                 word in question and choose the   structure where each value is referenced by a
                 one that makes the most sense.  particular key, analogous to words and definitions in
                                                a physical dictionary.





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