A Dictionary of the English Language

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/a-dictionary-of-the-english-language

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the creator?Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), English writer, poet, critic, and lexicographer
2. What is the publication date?April 15, 1755
3. What is Samuel Johnson's dictionary and why is it important?It is a giant book that lists all English words and their meanings, published in 1755. It helped make spelling and grammar more consistent for everyone.
4. How many words were in Johnson's dictionary?It had about 114,000 words.

Lexicography: The practice of compiling and writing dictionaries.
Etymology: The study of the origin of words and how their meanings have changed over time.
Prescriptive vs. Descriptive Linguistics: Prescriptive rules dictate how language should be used, while descriptive linguistics observes how it is used.
Standardization: The process of establishing norms and consistency in language usage, spelling, and grammar.