--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Will I have to use a dictionary to read…" description: "\"Will I have to use a dictionary to read your book?\" asked Mrs. Dodypol. \"It depends,\" says I, \"how much you used the dictionary before you read it.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/alexander-theroux-14881_book_will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read_227360.png" --- # Will I have to use a dictionary to read your book?" asked… ![“Will I have to use a dictionary to read your book?" asked Mrs. Dodypol. "It depends," says I, "how much you used the dictionary before you read it.” quote by Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/alexander-theroux-14881_book_will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read_227360.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/alexander-theroux-14881_book_will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read_227360.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/alexander-theroux-14881_book_will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read_227360.png) > “Will I have to use a dictionary to read your book?" asked Mrs. Dodypol. "It depends," says I, "how much you used the dictionary before you read it.” [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding a text depends on prior familiarity with its language and concepts. **In simple terms:** Reading depends on how well you know the words. Key Takeaway Build vocabulary before tackling complex works. Themes learning language reading Mood curious analytical Type educational reflective When to use this quote - studying a new language - reading academic texts - preparing for literature class Key Concepts lexicon comprehension context Questions to Reflect On - How does prior knowledge affect comprehension? - When is a dictionary most helpful? A Different Perspective If the text uses obscure references, a dictionary may still be needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Mrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-mrs-1078745/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-asked-330505/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dictionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictionary/) [Dictionary Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictionary-read-922668/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Use Dictionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-dictionary-2292816/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Used Dictionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used-dictionary-2309679/) ## Related quotes > [I used to keep a dictionary and work with it and then I realized there are more words that exist in the English language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-used-to-keep-a-dictionary-and-work-with-it-and-then-i-realized/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I used to just sit down and read the dictionary, and I read the Bible and Shakespeare from cover to cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-used-to-just-sit-down-and-read-the-dictionary-and-i-read-the-bible/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [Don’t you love the Oxford Dictionary? When I first read it, I thought it was a really really long poem about everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/don-t-you-love-the-oxford-dictionary-when-i-first-read-it-i-thought/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“If the reader needs a dictionary to read your book then the dictionary may turn out to be a more interesting read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-scott/if-the-reader-needs-a-dictionary-to-read-your-book-then-the/) [Ken Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-scott/) > [Did you just use juxtaposition in a sentence?" "Yes, Sage" he said patiently. "We use it all the time with art, ... That, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/did-you-just-use-juxtaposition-in-a-sentence-yes-sage-he-said/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“I knew how to use a dictionary, and if I was going to be spending time around Nero Wolfe, I would have to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-knew-how-to-use-a-dictionary-and-if-i-was-going-to-be-spending-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I use the dictionary all the time when I'm reading or working on scripts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-preston/i-use-the-dictionary-all-the-time-when-i-m-reading-or-working-on/) [Carrie Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-preston/) > [A lot of people use the dictionary to find out how to spell words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-kumin/a-lot-of-people-use-the-dictionary-to-find-out-how-to-spell-words/) [Maxine Kumin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-kumin/) > [“Is it in the book?” I asked as I exchanged a look with both men. “Only you can tell me that. I don’t have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-pressey/is-it-in-the-book-i-asked-as-i-exchanged-a-look-with-both-men-only/) [Rose Pressey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-pressey/) > [“I read the first chapter of A Brief History of Time when Dad was still alive, and I got incredibly heavy boots about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-read-the-first-chapter-of-a-brief-history-of-time-when-dad-was-2/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“A book?" he asked. "Yeah, remember before television and computers we used to do this thing called reading?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/a-book-he-asked-yeah-remember-before-television-and-computers-we-used/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [“And what did Maurice buy when he first got paid? A Russian-English dictionary! Maurice bought a novel and began to try to read it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-hopkinson/and-what-did-maurice-buy-when-he-first-got-paid-a-russian-english/) [Deborah Hopkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-hopkinson/) > [“use words that fit the context, to learn when to use high-flown language and when to use down-home words, and generally quit putting on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/use-words-that-fit-the-context-to-learn-when-to-use-high-flown/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [Never use google translate because it gives you a verb, but use a dictionary cuz it gives you a knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-use-google-translate-because-it-gives-you-a-verb-but-use-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I shuddered at the mention of Mrs. Steiger. "What's that about?" Ranger asked. "Mrs. Steiger is the Antichrist." "Damn," Ranger said. "I left my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-shuddered-at-the-mention-of-mrs-steiger-what-s-that-about-ranger/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) ## More by Alexander Theroux > [There is no loneliness like that of a failed marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/there-is-no-loneliness-like-that-of-a-failed-marriage/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [Yellow is vagueness and luminousness, both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/yellow-is-vagueness-and-luminousness-both/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [“...we are willing to lose ourselves in another as we exchange fates with one whom we love but on whom our heart is nevertheless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/we-are-willing-to-lose-ourselves-in-another-as-we-exchange-fates-with/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [Adultery is the vice of equivocation. It is not marriage but a mockery of it, a merging that mixes love and dread together like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/adultery-is-the-vice-of-equivocation-it-is-not-marriage-but-a-mockery/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [The particular source of frustration of women observing their own self-study and measuring their worth as women by the distance they kept from men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/the-particular-source-of-frustration-of-women-observing-their-own/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [ The parrot holds its food for prim consumption as daintily as any debutante, \[with\] a predilection for pot roast, hashed-brown potatoes, duck skin, butter,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/the-parrot-holds-its-food-for-prim-consumption-as-daintily-as-any/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [Nothing is quite as bad as being without privacy and lonely at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/nothing-is-quite-as-bad-as-being-without-privacy-and-lonely-at-the/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [The urge for Chinese food is always unpredictable: famous for no occasion, standard fare for no holiday, and the constant as to demand is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/the-urge-for-chinese-food-is-always-unpredictable-famous-for-no/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [Faculty Meetings are held whenever the need to show off is combined with the imperative of accomplishing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/faculty-meetings-are-held-whenever-the-need-to-show-off-is-combined/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [“. . . it is called 'camel case' or 'intercapping' -- of writing small letters next to large in the same word, as in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/it-is-called-camel-case-or-intercapping-of-writing-small-letters-next/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [Hypocrisy is the essence of snobbery, but all snobbery is about the problem of belonging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/hypocrisy-is-the-essence-of-snobbery-but-all-snobbery-is-about-the/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [September: it was the most beautiful of words, he’d always felt, evoking orange-flowers, swallows, and regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/september-it-was-the-most-beautiful-of-words-he-d-always-felt-evoking/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [We all end up living secret lives. We create what we are willing to admire and admiring what we shouldn't confess to the secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/we-all-end-up-living-secret-lives-we-create-what-we-are-willing-to/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [It's true, you can never eat a pet you name. And anyway, it would be like a ventriloquist eating his dummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/it-s-true-you-can-never-eat-a-pet-you-name-and-anyway-it-would-be/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) > [“That night God and Satan fought long hours for his soul. And God conquered. It was only left to be determined which of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/that-night-god-and-satan-fought-long-hours-for-his-soul-and-god/) [Alexander Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) [Explore all 45 Alexander Theroux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Will I have to use a dictionary to read your book?\" asked Mrs. Dodypol. \"It depends,\" says I, \"how much you used the dictionary before you read it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexander Theroux" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read-your-book-asked-mrs-dodypol/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read-your-book-asked-mrs-dodypol/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/alexander-theroux-14881_book_will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read_227360.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/alexander-theroux-14881_book_will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read_227360.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/alexander-theroux-14881_book_will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read_227360.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Will I have to use a dictionary to read your book?\" asked Mrs. Dodypol. \"It depends,\" says I, \"how much you…” — Alexander Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alexander Theroux", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-theroux/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Will I have to use a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read-your-book-asked-mrs-dodypol/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-theroux/will-i-have-to-use-a-dictionary-to-read-your-book-asked-mrs-dodypol/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```