Dictionary Reviews

I got this from a library sale, thinking it was likely another skim the surface books, instead was delighted to find it so much more. If it has to do with Castles you will find it in here. It has a guide to the notable Castle of Britain for those on the tour, giving you details about its layout and history. It covers the architecture and its reasons and purposes, it goes into the feudal system and how lords, barrons, knights were made and ruled.

Compact, but incisive book that is well written in an interesting fashion for those just now wishing to learn about all aspects of Castle life, weapons and warfare, but also a handy reference guide to writers working with that period.

Highly recommended WISE WRITERS AND READERS History Pick.

I bought a used version... 1983 printing, 249pages, 5.5" by 8" hardcover.

From the cover: "A guide to everything there is to know about exploring castles in England, Scotland and Wales." ...Believe it, this book has a glossary of hundreds of details about castles with black & white sketches for most entries.

If you are a castle enthusiast like I am, you will learn a great deal of castle architecture, history, daily life, etc. I keep it by my bed and browse thru it sometimes before I go to sleep.

Finally back in print! (1961 edition). A goldmine of information with over 5,000 entries! Clear, brief, authoritative, easy to use. Facts, definitions, clear distinctions and the Church's traditional teaching - without speculation, trendy opinions, compromise or dissent. This book belongs in every Catholic home, school and parish! The best we have ever seen

There are numerous Catholic dictionaries out there, but this one, in my opinion, is the best you can get. Clear and succinct language, many entries, lots of information -- all in a handsome paperback edition and for a reasonable price.

Refreshing approach, this reverse dictionary! Outstanding aid for collectors, and a MUST HAVE for studio ceramists. Anyone in need of an easy reference guide to ware types chocked full of nit-picking details on the whats and wheres and howtos ... and whys ... will cherish this book's offerings. And, potters rejoice, for a book by a potter for potters. And historins? They are treated to a treasure trove. Hats off to the author. Hope he/she has more on the way.

Reverse dictionaries, references that list subjects by their common descriptions rather than by their common "names" (brands, manufacture, location, etc.), are handy indeed, and needed for most all subjects. Hooray, then, that someone has finally come up with a reverse dictionary for ceramics, where one can, for instance, look for PORCELAIN, get a DETAILED DESCRIPTION, and then be treated to where one can find EXEMPLARY PIECES. That this dictionary has been put together by a long-time practicing ceramist adds unusual and very helpful richness.
Highly recommended for anyone's library.

Having been a student of the Cherokee language for many years, I must go out on a limb... I must say this one book is THE gateway to understanding the sheer complexeties of the Cherokee language. I recomend it to anyone with a sincere desire to learn my mother tongue.

This dictionary is very well done, albeit a bit complicated, but then the cherokee language can be complicated. The sections on grammer seem very complete.

This booklet is geared for children but is ideal for the adult who wants to team up with a youngster to learn a few basic Chinese characters. Approximately forty simple characters are introduced along with instruction on how to read Chinese sentences. Storybook- type illustrations are reminiscent of those found in fairy-tale books and the English explanations, which are usually accompanied with a brief story, are written such that a second-grader can easily follow along. Particularly enjoyable were the explanations on why some of the characters are written the way they are. There is also instruction on how the Chinese words are spoken.

If you want a quickie tour of some basic Chinese characters try Julie Mazel Sussman's "I Can Read That." Her pocketbook teaches you how to recognize 71 Chinese characters that are frequently encountered by tourists. But if you have a young son or daughter, or grandchild, and would like to explore this beautiful language together them this book is definitely the one you want.

when i frist saw this book i didnt think it was going to be helpful so i kept looking around for books to hepl me learn. But one day when i was in a book store i saw it and fliped through it, and saw that it looked helpful and had all the information you would need to learn some of the basic chinese characters.I highly sugest getting this book if you are looking to learn to wright Chinese.

"The volume is a fine collection of studies in generative phonology, using the latest methods to investigate a variety of interesting phenomena in the sound patterns of Chinese." William S-Y.Wang, Academician, Academia Sinica, Taiwan Professor (Chair) of Language Engineering Department of Electronic Engineering City University of Hong Kong

This remarkable collection of linguistic studies will be a challenging introduction for the beginning student and a valued resource for the advanced scholar.

Russell T. Blackwood John S. Kennedy Professor of Philosophy Emeritus

I use this book with my adult ESL students. It is clearly written and extremely effective in reinforcing English grammar in an intelligent fashion. The content level is perfect for Non-English speaking older students. It addresses issues that a more mature student can relate to such as Geography or Current Events to cement a grammar concept rather than using balloons or puppies. It,also, employs different techniques and examples to do the same thing. I feel that my students are more interested in learning by using this book and that often the content encourages other English speaking activities.

I RATE THIS BOOK 5 STARS BECAUSE IT IS A GREAT BOOK FOR BOTH THE BEGINNER AND THE ADVANCED ESL LEARNER OR STUDENT. AS AN ENGLISH MAJOR, I LIKE READING AND SKIMMING THROUGH THE PAGES OF GRAMMAR BOOKS AND WHAT NOT THAT I COULD GET MY MIND TO ABSORB INFO, AND THIS BOOK DOES EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO GET OUT OF A GREAT TEXT---LEARN AND LET IT STAY THERE IN THE PERSON'S BRAIN. THIS DEFINITELY IS A GREAT TEXT.

If you have some problem of English pronounciation,
You should use it.
Because it is really useful for them, and
it is really helpful.
So, you should use it if you have some problems.

Conventional wisdom in the ESL/EFL world holds that pronunciation should not be taught at the beginning level. It's just too technical, requiring complicated descriptions and explanations for which beginning students don't have the vocabulary.

But if there were a way to make the material accessible? Even beginners need to communicate clearly -- intelligible speech fosters successful academic, work, and social interactions, and that's got to be encouraging for the student! Judy Gilbert's well-planned approach makes clear pronunciation truly accessible to beginners. The book -- rightly so -- limits the pronunciation points to those that are most urgently needed for intelligibility. The principle areas covered are: (1) the alphabet: using letters to spell out loud for clarification, (2) decoding spelling/reading words: using simple spelling rules to predict the pronunciation of a word, (3) syllable number: developing awareness of the number of syllables in words and phrases, being sure not to add unnecessary syllables or to omit necessary ones, (4) syllable stress: lengthening stressed vowels and reducing unstressed ones, (5) word connections: linking words together (this improves both listening comprehension and the smoothness of the student's speech), (6) the music of English: the pitch contours and rhythm of the language, and (7) articulation: t/d, s/z, l/r/n, and th.

There are some very cool things in this book for pronunciation teachers and learners. For example, there are tongue shape drawings looking from the back of the tongue to the front and out the mouth. Can't picture it? You'll have to see it to believe it! Along with the traditional front and side views, this new perspective really helps you visualize what's going on inside your mouth to produce a specific sound. I only wish there were drawings for all the American English vowels and consonants!! (But then it wouldn't be a beginning textbook, would it?)

I also like the vowel pronunciation rules. Example: the letters 'ai' are pronounced like the first letter [a] in the combination. Think: straight, complaint. Then, in the appendix, a percentage is given for how often the rule works, in this case, 95% of the time. This will give the student the confidence to guess how a new word is pronounced, take 'restraint', for example, but not stress out when the rule doesn't work, as in 'plaid'.

There are many helpful graphics in the book. Two of my favorites are the extra-wide bolded letters for stressed vowels (I think you can visualize that) and the diminishing letters for continuant sounds (Thatsssokay. The storezzznearrrMain [the second and third s's, z's, and r's have decreasing font sizes]).

I've been looking for a book like this for a long time. Mostly, I do corporate accent and pronunciation training and executive speech coaching with foreign-born clients who have a high intermediate to advanced command of English. But occasionally, I am asked to train employees who have a lower level of English. This is definitely the book I'll choose for them! Trainees can apply the basic concepts they learn to company-specific vocabulary and technical terms.

I only wish all learners of North American English could start out with this book...

Why is this book going out of print? It is the most down-to-earth dictionary of English that I have ever seen, with numerous excellent examples to illustrate usage. It is perfect for English language learners. I teach college English and writing, and every student who has seen this has been excited by it. The entries include information necessary for ESL students, such as countable and uncountable nouns, subtle differences in meaning, and idiomatic expressions. I keep it near my desk at all times, and prefer it over the standard Webster's or Random House dictionaries when working with students.

I bought this dictionary in May 1990 in Singapore.

The way the content presented is the best I had ever seen. This dictionary is written in ordinary, everyday English that is easy to understand. It has an excellent Guide to the Use of the Dictionary. Every explanation comes with at least one example that is taken from actual texts wherever possible. The extra column in the dictionary, right beside the explanation of a word, creates a visual attraction to the reader. This extra column is used to give two different types of information: grammar notes and semantic relationships (similar or opposite) for the word that is being explained. I love it.

CoBuild is the appreviation of Collins Birmingham University International Language Database. This dictionary was developed and compiled in the English Department at the University of Birmingham as part of a language research project commissioned by Collins Publishers.

Currently, I am looking for its enriched and/or, if any, CD-ROM version. Unfortunately, it seems that the publisher stopped publishing this great dictionary.

I consider myself extremely lucky when in 1998, while in Norway, I was offered this dictionary by the University of Tromso. I have always been fascinated by words and have collected quite a number of dictionaries, including what I had till then considered the best dictionary: Hornby's. But Collins is better because it offers more words and meanings and because it is also a handy encylopedia, an indispensable reference book you should always keep opened on your desk. (Buy a nice book stand to protect this treasure.) Also, I have always felt more comfortable reading the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), which Collins uses (rather than that used in, e.g. American dictionaries).
Unfortunately, after 5 years of constant use and abuse of this dictionary, I will have to buy a new one. I understand, though, that the 1998 edition has not been replaced with a new one.

Kaz Dziamka, Editor
The American Rationalist

Collins English Dictionary is by far and away the most marvellous dictionary I have ever used. As a Linguistics Major, and an active member of International Training in Communication, I find myself constantly referring to dictionaries - and Collins is the most favoured, of the many that I own.

Its invaluable for general knowledge, crossword puzzles, quizzes and for the sheer joy of reading!

I can't understand why it should be out of print - and I fervently hope that the publishers will see fit to reprint. [The 1979 version I find superior to the Millennium version.]