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Daily 
Warm-Up
5
Nonfiction: Current Events
Word of the Year
One of the most famous dictionaries in the world is the 
Oxford Dictionary. Its trust and reliability for the 
spelling and usage of words is without equal. But how 
does a word get into this dictionary?
Scholars and others use a variety of methods to 
investigate potential new words. One way is to collect 
them from the Internet. Words are also obtained 
through technical journals, song lyrics, and other sources.
When words begin to show up in various ways, with 
increasing frequency, they are then scrutinized more 
carefully. Formerly, words that might be useful to 
writers were considered as potential new entries. That 
has changed, and now the words have to appear first in 
oral language to then be considered.
In the past, words had to be used for several years 
before being included in a dictionary. In today’s digital 
age, however, words are sent worldwide in minutes, 
and usage increases in scope much more quickly.
The Oxford Dictionary has an annual “Word of the 
Year.” A word-of-the-year selection team, consisting of 
lexicographers, dictionary editors, and consultants, 
chooses the word. They use the Oxford Dictionary’s 
New Monitor Corpus, a research program that collects 
around 150 million words of current English in use 
each month, using automated search criteria to scan 
new web content.
The Word of the Year for 2013 is selfie. It is the term 
used when a person takes his or her own photo using a 
phone, tablet, or other device. The word was first 
noticed in 2003. In 2013, the use of the word grew 
tremendously and was selected. Past Words of the Year 
include sudoku, podcast, carbon footprint, and unfriend.
Text Questions
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 1 . If the prefix lexico- means “word or words” and the suffix -graph means “written,” what can you conclude 
the word lexicographer means?
a. a person who searches for words
b. a dictionary
c. a person who compiles a dictionary
d. a person who creates words
 2 . Which of the following does not play a role in the selection process for Word of the Year?
a. current usage
b. increasing frequency
c. use on the Internet
d. words students need to know
 3 . Why are new words added to the dictionary?
a. to expand the size of the dictionary
b. to help people who are learning to speak English
c. to keep current with the Internet
d. to reflect current usage and growth of oral language
 4 . What does the word technical mean as it is used in the text?
a. referring to a particular science or profession
b. showing technique or skill
c. according to principles or rules
d. including specific or formal points
 5 . Based on the criteria described in the passage, what word would you suggest for Word of the Year? Why?
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