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1997-02-22
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1. Introduction
PC DICTIONARY is a program to enhance your
word power. It has a data base of 64,000 of the most
frequently looked-up words with concise definitions.
You can get access to words with a few keystrokes dir-
ectly from your word processor. The system is menu-
driven and has on line instructions. It has a list
of 800 word parts with extensive word-root defini-
tions. This is one of the most effective systems to
master word power.
2. Features:
* Comprehensive Data Base: The PC DICTIONARY has
over 64,000 most frequently looked-up words with
concise definitions. It also has a list of 800
word parts that wll allow you to unlock the
meanings of 40,000 related words that are derived
from these parts.
* Menu Driven: The PC DICTIONARY is fully menu
driven. All you need to do is "load and go". It
enables you to get access to words/definitions
with a few keystrokes. You need only to enter the
first few letters of the word.
* An Ideal Tool to Prepare Word Lists: You can se-
lect the displayed words for printing with two
keystrokes. This can save you up to 95% of the
time required to prepare word lists by the tradi-
tional method of longhand writing or typing.
* An Excellent Tool to Prepare for SAT, ACT, GRE,
and any Civil Placement Test: PC DICTIONARY
is designed specifically for these purposes. It is
also a good tool for school, office, and home use
-- whenever you need to get access to words.
* Average Response Time: 0.4 second.
* Memory Requirement: 128 KB.
* System Requirements: PC 386 or higher, with
one hard disk drive; Win 3.x or Win95.
* Recommended by the National Library Services for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
3. System Installation Guide
To load the system from A: to C:
STEP #1: Start Microsoft Windows.
STEP #2: Choose File, then Run
(Win95: click on Start, then Run)
STEP #3: Specify the location of the source files for DIC and type
"install".
Ex: a:install
Ex: b:install
Ex: c:\aol30\download\dic32\install
STEP #4: The installation program will prompt you to enter the
destination drive/directory; and click ok to approve it.
Ex: c:\diction0 (default directory)
Ex: d:\diction0 (if your hard drive is d: )
STEP #5. The installation program will prompt you to enter the source
drive/directory.
Ex: a:
Ex: b:
Ex: c:\aol30\download\dic32
STEP #6. The installation program will finish the installation
automatically. You will find a new icon for PC Dictionary
in the Work Group "Accessories".
To run the program: double click the newly created icon.
Appendix A.
Printed vs. Computerized Dictionary
(or "Why PC DICTIONARY?")
Why not use a regular printed dictionary? If all you want
to do is look up one or two words, that might be okay. How-
ever, PC DICTIONARY has a number of features that make
it faster, easier and more practical to use for vocabulary
improvement - and word power can give you a winning edge in
many areas of your life.
Since the purpose of a regular printed unabridged diction-
ary is to record the historical usages and meanings of
words, including obsolete ones, it is a museum of words ra-
ther than a useful tool for an average modern-day reader.
PC DICTIONARY provides concise definitions and can help
the user remember words or prepare word lists for examina-
tions.
Since PC DICTIONARY has the capability to print out,
it can replace a very expensive and space-consuming Braille
dictionary for the sightless that have a PC and a Braille
printer.
Word Roots
PC DICTIONARY provides extensive word root defini-
tions. About 95% of English words are derived directly or
indirectly from Latin and Greek, which are word-root-based
languages that used word roots to represent pictures 5000
years ago. Just as a picture is worth 1000 words, studying
words by referring to their word roots offers a great ad-
vantage.
Linguistic studies have shown that a person can signifi-
cantly improve his verbal skills by mastering about 200
word roots. Unfortunately, most dictionaries list word ori-
gins in the form of Latin or Greek words, which are obscure
to most readers, rather than the actual word roots.
PC DICTIONARY uses word roots extensively. Although
every word definition is not based on a word root, PC DIC-
TIONARY uses about 650 word roots and 150 prefixes. Con-
cise definitions, sense-development, and examples of words
are presented in each entry. Individual word root defini-
tions are provided where appropriate. Great effort has been
made to bridge the meanings of the root and the word. This
enables the user to harness the power of word roots without
any knowledge of Latin or Greek.
Word Power
Word power plays an important role in many areas of your
life. It is essential that you enhance your word power.
Studies show that a person can significantly improve his
or her scores on verbal tests by mastering about 200 word
parts and 800 important words.
The importance of word power can be confirmed by the fol-
lowing statements of some well known scholars:
"Vocabulary is the best single indication of intelli-
gence." - Dr. Lewis E. Terman, who devised the famous Stan-
ford-Binet IQ test.
"An extensive knowledge of English words accompanies out-
standing success in this country more often than any other
characteristics which the Human Engineering Laboratory can
isolate and measure." - Mr. Johnson O'Conner, Director of
Human Engineering Laboratory, Stevens Institute of Techno-
logy, Hoboken, New Jersey.
"In colleges research has long since shown that the stu-
dents with high vocabulary ratings get better marks in
every subject, even including mathematics and engineering."
- Dr. Wilfred Funk, who established the "Word Power" column
for the Readers Digest.
Verbal Test Preparation
Almost all colleges and universities require students to
take a verbal test, such as ACT (American College Testing
Program) or SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) as partial re-
quirement for admission. When a student graduates from a
college and applies for admission to a graduate school, he
needs to take another verbal test, such as GRE (Graduate
Record Examination.) If he decides to apply for a position
with a government agency (municipal, state, or federal),
he will be asked to take a placement test to demonstrate
his verbal skills.
A good computerized dictionary can help prepare for these
tests, if it has the capability to print out the selected
group of words with definitions. PC DICTIONARY does this.
Blind PC Users
The recent development in speech synthesizers and Braille
printers has made it possible for many of the 1.4 million
blind people in this country to perform office work effec-
tively. PC Dictionary is designed to be compatible with
most software systems that drive speech synthesizers and
Braille printers.
Appendix B.
Word Power Challenge
The following is a list of 20 power words with important word
roots. How many of them do you know? Take a challenge and test
yourself. The definitions are excerpted from PC DICTIONARY.
(Time limit: 10 minutes.)
ambivalence ameliorate amicable assiduous
commiserate conspicuous dearth debilitate
decadence deprecate derogatory despot
devious querulous recalcitrant repudiate
repugnant reticent trepidation voracious
Definitions:
ambivalence n. Condition of having two conflicting feelings about
something. (ambi -: both.) (val -: to be strong.)
ameliorate v. To relieve, as from pain or hardship; to make better.
(a -: to.) (mele -: better.)
amicable adj. Friendly; peaceful. (am -: friendly; a friend.)
assiduous adj. Diligent; devoted; attentive. (assiduity, n.)
(as - or ad -: to.) (sid -: to sit.)
commiserate v. To pity. (com -: with.) (miser -: to feel pity.)
conspicuous adj. Clearly visible; remarkable; outstanding. (con -:
together.) (spic -: to see.)
dearth n. Scarcity; lack; dearness. (dear -: precious.)
debilitate v. To weaken; to make feeble. (de -: away.) (bil -, var.
of bal -: strong; strength.)
decadence n. A process of deterioration; decline; decay.
(decadent, adj.) (de -: down.) (cad -: to fall.)
deprecate v. To plead against; to express disapproval of. (de -:
away.) (precat -: to pray.)
derogatory adj. Degrading; disparaging. (de -: away.) (roga -: to ask.)
despot n. An absolute monarch. (var. of demspot -.) (dems -:
house; a tribe.) (pot -: power; master.)
devious adj. Out of the regular track; tricky; roundabout.
(de -: off.) (vi -, var. of via -: a way.)
querulous adj. Habitually complaining; faultfinding. (quer -:
to seek.)
recalcitrant adj. Not complying; difficult to manage. (recalcitrate,
v.) (re -: back.) (calcitra -: to kick.)
repudiate v. To refuse to acknowledge; to disavow. (re -: back.)
(pud -, var. of ped -: foot; to push with foot.)
repugnant adj. Offensive to taste or feeling; disgusting.
(re -: back.) (pugn -: to fight; to oppose.)
reticent adj. Reserved; not communicative; inclined to be silent.
(re -: again.) (tice - or tace -: to be silent.)
trepidation n. Nervous uncertainty of feeling; alarm. (trep -:
to tremble.) (tre - or ter -: to be frighten.)
voracious adj. Eating with greediness; greedy. (vor -: to eat;
to devour.)
rating:
10 to 12: very good;
13 to 17: excellent;
18 to 20: outstanding.