First of all purchasing a good English/X and X/English dictionary is an investment in your future. For "generic" purposes X represents any foreign language (French, Spanish, Japanese, etc.) Here is the "key" to using a dictionary for a vocabulary word/expression.
1. Look up a word in X for the English word. Write down ALL the possibilities.
2. Now look up all the possibilities for the primary English meaning. You will find a lot of surprises!
3. OR take a word in X and look up all the English possibilities. Write them all down.
4. Now look up each possibility to see the primary meaning in X.
5. There are no "shortcuts!" After you have done 1 & 2 OR 3 & 4, select the best word, based on the context, or exactly how that word is to be used. You must also know the part of speech of that word.
Then to verify what you have done, post on this Help Forum for feedback/proofreading, etc.
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