04
Why is this important?<br>
05
All the English Very often the only advice you hear about these exercises is that you just need to learn English to do them correctly.
No method, no strategy, no nothing. Well, you can’t learn all of English, so we need a better plan.<br>
07
Forget Polish (just for a tiny moment) Let’s say you want to translate ‘świadomy wybór’ into English: ‘świadomy’ in a dictionary will be translated as ‘aware’ and ‘conscious’ there you, go conscious choice however, *aware choice is wrong<br>
08
Let’s compare He is conscious/aware of the choice he has made.
but
He made a conscious/aware choice.<br>
10
What is the full package and where do i get it from?<br>
11
Back to basics This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY<br>
12
So much choice But I don’t mean only print dictionaries! Below there’s a list of some of my favourite online ones available for free:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
https://www.dictionary.com/
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/<br>
13
HOW does this work? All examples: past and sample matura papers
All screenshots: Cambridge Dictionary Online<br>
14
EX. 1 Pliny the Elder, an ancient Roman philosopher, once wrote that the ostrich, being profoundly stupid, sticks its head into the sand at the first sign of danger and considers _____________ invisible. (matura 2018) The ostrich considers [object of the sentence] invisible. The ostrich considers itself invisible.<br>
15
EX. 2 During the last lesson, our chemistry teacher explained how (avoid/spill) _____________________________________ the chemicals in the lab. (matura 2019) The actress didn’t want anybody to recognize her, so she decided to wear a wig.
AVOID
The actress decided to wear a wig to _______________________.
(matura 2017)<br>
16
EX. 2 During the last lesson, our chemistry teacher explained how to avoid spilling the chemicals in the lab. The actress decided to wear a wig to avoid being seen.<br>
17
EX. 3 It is surprising that we think of them _____________ timid or fearful. (matura 2018) It is surprising that we think of them as timid or fearful.<br>
18
EX. 4 Parting from his parents was not easy for my nephew.
HARD
My nephew found ______________________________ from his parents. (matura 2018) My nephew found it hard to part from his parents.<br>
19
EX. 5 After a community group in Shropshire, England, decided to have a donated piano tuned, the tuner made an incredible discovery. Inside the piano, first sold in 1906, there was a hidden pile of gold. The group immediately _____ the find to the authorities, and the gold was taken to the British Museum.
conveyed
reported
notified
informed (matura 2019)<br>
20
EX. 5 English conveyed
reported
notified
informed Polish przekazać
zgłosić
powiadomić
poinformować The group immediately _____ the find to the authorities, and the gold was taken to the British Museum.<br>
21
EX. 5 We are looking for two things:
meaning
they gave it to the authorities or told the authorities about it
pattern
verb + noun + to infinitive<br>
22
EX. 5 CONVEY? The pattern fits: convey sth to sb
The meaning, however, doesn’t because it only works for ideas, not objects.
Option A has been eliminated.<br>
23
EX. 5 REPORT? The pattern fits: report sth to sb
The meaning fits.
Option B it is! The group immediately reported the find to the authorities…<br>
24
EX. 5 NOTIFY? The pattern doesn’t fit.
But the meaning would fit!
Option C has been eliminated. But we could paraphrase the sentence:
The group immediately reported the find to the authorities…
The group immediately notified the authorities of/about the find…<br>
25
EX. 5 INFORM? The pattern doesn’t fit.
But the meaning would fit!
Option D has been eliminated.<br>
26
EX. 5 The group immediately reported the find to the authorities… The group immediately notified the authorities of/about the find… The group immediately informed the authorities of/about the find…<br>
27
EX. 6 It will be a day for great celebration if these storks manage to breed successfully in the traditional way because earlier attempts to encourage stork breeding _______________ out to be a failure. (matura 2019) However, in 1908 the Olympic officials _____ a blind eye to another enhancement product.
A. made C. had
B. kept D. turned (sample matura paper)<br>
29
EX. 6 It will be a day for great celebration if these storks manage to breed successfully in the traditional way because earlier attempts to encourage stork breeding turned out to be a failure. However, in 1908 the Olympic officials turned a blind eye to another enhancement product.<br>
30
EX. 7 The demolition company has destroyed the bridge.
PULLED
The bridge __________________________________ by the demolition company. (matura 2018)<br>
31
EX. 7 The bridge was pulled down by the demolition company.<br>
33
Check the dictionary EX.1 & 2– patterns
EX. 3 & 4 – sample sentences (examples of use)
EX. 5 – detailed English definitions
EX. 6 – idioms, fixed phrases, and phrasal verbs
EX. 7 – synonyms and related expressions<br>
36
The full package in practice<br>
37
The full package in practice<br>
38
The full package in practice<br>
39
Bonus: tricks of the trade All screenshots: Cambridge Dictionary Online<br>
40
Crack the code Now you know that using the dictionary wisely is crucial in preparing for your exams. In fact, I bet that if you continue learning English in the future, you will surely find this method helpful!
But there is still more to learn about using the dictionary to your advantage. For example, STH means something, and SB means somebody.
Let me show you some other special symbols and tricks of the trade!<br>
41
Nouns: C&U This word has the symbol C next to it. It means that the noun is countable. This one has the symbol U, which stands for uncountable. Jane Eyre is a great novel and a classic of [no article] literature.<br>
42
Verbs: I&t This verb is marked with I, which means that it is intransitive. This word has the symbol T next to it. It means that the verb is transitive. I don’t believe ghosts exist. versus I sent 10 messages.<br>
43
Adjectives: gradability The symbols next to this word show what the comparative and superlative forms are. This label means that the adjective doesn’t have other forms.<br>
44
The secret language Pretty helpful too. That’s the phonetic alphabet, which tells you how to pronounce a word.<br>
45
And finally, my last tip…<br>
46
Genius is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration GOOD LUCK!<br>
