Dictionary Reviews

To catch a real pronunciation of words, I often use Collins Cobuild English Dictionary CD-ROM, Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary CD-ROM, and occasionally Merriam-Webster's free on-line dictionary .... In most cases, the pronunciation of Merriam-Webster is most euphonic. And from a comparison with Cambridge Dictionary CD-ROM, it can be roughly infered that Merriam-Webster has an Briticism, and the tones in Collins Cobuild CD-ROM tend to be American (but seem a bit monotonous).

However, Collins Cobuild CD-ROM supplements a shortage of Cambridge Dictionary CD-ROM in thesaurus part (Cambridge Dictionary CD-ROM offers only related words, not synonyms). Furthermore, Collins Cobuild CD-ROM offers a lot of real sentences and examples to help reader define a word more accurately. This is exactly why I choose Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners rather than a reputed Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary or Random House Webster's College Dictionary. By the way, both Webster's Unabridged Dictionaries have CD-ROM versions. If any opportunity, I'd like to try to explore any one of them.

This dictionary provides clear definations of words and real-world examples to show how they are actually used by native speakers. The CD-ROM is easy to install and use. It pronounces each word in both British and American accent. I find this feature very helpful. At a click of a button, it also provides words related in meaning, a feature helpful for esl students to expand their vocabulary. It, however, doesn't replace a good thesaurus. Advanced students should also have an english dictionary for native speakers (for example, New Oxford American English Dictionary or Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary)handy, in case the word they are looking for cannot be found in this dictionary.

Overall, this is a very good reference for esl students. Its CD version is easier to use than those of some other recent learner's dictionary. Its paper edition has a clear layout and you can find the info you need quickly. I am currently using this dictionary with the Longman Dictionary of Contemparary Dictionary (4th edition).

i find it extremely useful. whenever i looked a term up, i always found it. its easy enough to understand having only a minimum of statistical background, but it is also informative enough to be useful. :) its a winning combination.

This book provides concise, understandable definitions of statistical terms used in medicine and biomedical sciences. Other acronyms and related nonstatistical terms are included, making this work a comprehensive and highly utilitarian reference book for anyone who writes, edits, or attempts to digest biomedical studies. Examples, graphs, and formulas are included when appropriate and necessary, but this book cannot be confused with a medical statistics textbook - it is far too friendly and utilitarian to be confined to use only by statisticians. This is biomedical statistics for the nonstatisticians among us.

Those two authors share space in this magnificent reference volume on English Literature. The sturdy, oversized Guide presents over one thousand pages of information on authors, novels, poetry, drama, and literary terms. There are interesting biographies of prominent writers and obscure ones, from Mrs. Humphrey Ward to William Faulkner.

Good plot summaries are provided for a wide range of novels. If you are a fan of Anthony Trollope, you will find no less than twenty five of his books discussed. You have to be careful, however, if you are reading the plot of a book in order to decided whether or not you want to read it - the ending is always given away. The Cambridge Guide explores many literary terms: Meter; the Bloomsbury Group; positivism; and post-structuralism. There are also entries on Literary Journals - yes, the New York Review of Books is here as well as Granta.

The Cambridge Guide is written for the average layman and avoids academic jargon. I decided to try the entry on "deconstruction" as the extreme test of explaining difficult concepts. It's hard to say: either they failed the test, or I failed it.

This book has become one of my prized possessions, and I would have been willing to buy it at twice the price charged.

The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English provides a wide array of supplementary reading material to accompany lecture notes or for students to grasp overall concepts of a particular work, author, or literary movement.

This textbook is awesome for serious students who would really like to graspe latin better. It contains the answer key to all the exercises as well as tips for teachers on presenting the material. If you own the student edition, consider the teacher's guide to help you along your way!

As a Latin tutor with over three years experience with teaching this language, and several years of learning it, this text was a surprise. Not only did it offer me better ways to use the Cambridge readers with my pupils, it also provided me with new information that I found interesting for myself. This manual combines grammar with the easy learning tool of an ongoing storyline, as well as providing application skills and ideas, with some baitable history as well. It helps me not only teach my students better but keep them wanting to learn. Anyone looking forward to teaching, or even learning, this language, should most certainly have this book close at hand.

Although it says for ages 4-8 my 2 year old adores this book and has (after only one week) completely memorized the Japanese, French, and Russian sections. In my opinion, toddlers as well as older children would benefit from this book.

My children love this book! They are excited about learning the different languages and ask for things using the numbers they have learned. Evans has done a great job with the difficult pronunciations and Roche's illustrations are fun.

We run a vocational school to teach people to become professional dog trainers and we recommend this book to all of our students. It covers all breeds (not just AKC breeds), and covers just about everything about dogs including basic medical info. Great for dog lovers and professionals alike. Lots of color pictures and very organized and easy to use/find info.

If you are a dogs-lover (like me), and want to know every important information on all the dog breeds, them this is the book for you. Well, that's it: the really most complete book ever on dogs. A most usefull work to have at your library.

I have many gardening books but this is definatly my favorite. My copy has been used so much it is starting to fall apart. It contains excellent information on what to plant were. I would definatly recomend it.

This book has revolutionised my gardening methods. Within a year of buying it 15 years ago, my garden became healthy and productive. Riotte has taught me how to match plants which are able to protect each other from pests and diseases without the use of sprays, chemical or organic. Her methods have built an invisible wall around my garden which keeps pests confined to my neighbors' yards without crossing into mine.

Had I never read another gardening book or watched any gardening show, this book alone would have made me a successful organic gardener. I highly recommend it to beginning or advanced organic gardeners alike.

Too bad the Cassell's Contemporary Italian/French/Spanish/German series are now out of print. I have them all the they are the best grammar books I own. I am a language buff and own several grammars and these can't be beat! I had been looking for the Cassell's Contemporary Italian recently and discovered the Langenscheidt Pocket Grammars are the Cassell's Contemporary series in new editions. They are identical. Though it looks now as if the Langenscheidt French Grammar is now out of print. Snatch any used copies of this available. They are well worth it!

I've found everything I was looking for in a French grammar book. I find it easy to locate various areas of study. I see lots of practical usage entries that I haven't gotten to yet. I look forward to using this book for many years.

Too bad the Cassell's Contemporary Italian/French/Spanish/German series are now out of print. I have them all the they are the best grammar books I own. I am a language buff and own several grammars and these can't be beat! I had been looking for the Cassell's Contemporary Italian recently and discovered the Langenscheidt Pocket Grammars are the Cassell's Contemporary series in new editions.

I purchased this book while studying German at a local university. It was a real help to me. What the text book does not cover, this handbook does. If you are serious about studying German, then you need this handbook.

I have been looking for this title for some time now and have had no luck. I own the Cassell's Contempory French, Spanish, and German and think they are wonderful. After searching through italian grammar books on Amazon, I discovered that the Langenscheidt Pocket Italian Grammar was formatted the same as the other Cassell's titles I own. Once I check the Langenscheidt French/Spanish/German Grammars, they were identical to the Cassell series, right down the the page numbers and listings in the table of contents. The Cassell's Contempory Italian is now Langenscheidt Pocket Italian Grammar...

This is a great book for improving your Italian. You need to know at least some basics of grammar to use the book effectively. However it is a complete review grammar, followed by lots of special sections (how to write letters, how to write essays etc etc). There is information in here that I haven't seen anywhere else. I recommend this very highly, for example, over the Proudfoot grammar. If you find a used copy, I suggest that you snap it up!