Dictionary Reviews

"The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus" is an excellent compact sized lexicon, one which I've found to be the most useful desktop reference book in my office. Word definitions are clear, concise and easy to understand. Synonyms appear directly following each word's definition, rather than in a separate list. For me, this is probably the best overall feature of "The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus," because it makes it much easier to look up a word, understand its definition, and see its synonyms without thumbing through different sections of the book. Page layout is pleasing, with two columns set reasonably large and easy to read print. There are several useful appendices in the back, including: signs and symbols; heat index and wind chill; metric/English conversion; countries of the world; and Presidents of the United States.

"The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus" is the little brother to the 1,800 page "The Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus." Despite its relatively diminutive size, this desktop version, which claims to have "over 150,000 entries, synonyms, and senses," has consistently proven itself comprehensive enough for the kind of reading and writing I do on a daily basis. Only on rare occasions have I found it necessary to pull out my unabridged dictionary to find a word not listed in "The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus."

For those needing a compact dictionary and thesaurus which offers a good degree of comprehensiveness and excellent portability, "The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus" is an excellent choice.

This dictionary is a great 2-in-1 reference tool. You can look up a word's meaning for greater clarification and get synonyms at the same time. The definitions are clear and concise; you don't need to look up the definition since they're in layman's terms. It's also pretty complete. I hate looking something up and not being able to find it in the dictionary; that's hardly ever happened to me with this one. They also have many different reference charts in the back which have come in handy, some of which I've actually copied and taken home. It's almost like 3-in-1 rather than 2-in-1, actually--those charts give this dictionary a flavor of the Columbia Encyclopedia.

The only thing they left out (which I wish they hadn't) is word origin. But if you want it all (or close to it), this is the one.

It's simply wonderfull! More than 500 nursery rhymes, lullabies, riddles with intresting notices about origin. A real treasure for me and for my site: www.filastrocche.it.

This is the seminal publication on nursery rhymes, IMO. The Opies have been collecting information about nursery rhymes for more than 50 years. The second edition of their OD of NR was published last year (1997) and is greatly updated on the first. It includes indepth analysis of over 550 nursery rhymes. I've been unable to find a NS of my knowledge that isn't included in there.

It makes a great present for a new-born, or his/her parents more like!

I tried reading this book but I just could never seem to get hooked into it! Ya know what I mean? Honestly I couldn't even see a story line, it was that bad! It is just so danged wordy! But the worst thing (in my humble opinion)is the book's price! Yeppers I tell ya this publisher has just priced it way out of reach for this bubble headed reader! I dunno, maybe it's just me but I do declare I'd almost just as soon read World Book volume A to Z cover to cover or something like that ... (course I'm kiddin that would be SO silly!)

Blondie

This is, quite deservedly, hailed as the definative dictionary of the English language. It differs from most other dictionaries not only in its breadth but also in its approach to the art of defining - it shows how words in the language ARE and HAVE BEEN used, as opposed to how they SHOULD be used. It is a vital addition to any personal library.

Stavropoulos' English-Greek dictionary undoubtedly stands out among the crowd. While most other English-Greek dictionaries are little more than bilingual word lists (table=trapezi), this dictionary strives to answer the real questions that one is asking when looking up a word in a dictionary: "what does it mean, how is it used, what compound expressions is it part of, and how are these translated?"

It is the only English-Greek dictionary I have seen which follows this "intelligent" approach. As such, I would highly recommend it (and its Greek-English companion volume) to anyone looking for a good dictionary.

This dictionary is now a standard one volume easy to use English-Greek (modern Greek) dictionary. Although it is not large in size [882pg. and 12cm(wide)*19cm(tall)] it is updated, easy to use and at a very reasonable price.

This little book has just about any word you might look up, and omits those you won't (e.g., "cat"). In addition, it provides example sentences and explanatory notes for many words (e.g., "further" vs. "farther"). All this in a small and inexpensive package. This is perhaps the only dictionary you'll need.

What a relief it is to know that one does not have to carry around the Oxford English Dictionary to keep one's head above water with the English language. I am often at a loss for the correct spelling or usage of a word that I think is the right one. Common business dictionaries often fail to provide the material for creative writing, and usually fail to provide useful examples. And, of course, it helps to have something handy when someone else decides to show off their language skills.

This little gem, "The Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Words" is intended to fill this particular gap. Only 1-1/2" thick, the paperback is just the size for slipping into a briefcase or portfolio. It provides all the basics; pronunciation, parts of speech, and concise definitions, and sample sentences. It covers both technical as well as English usage. So if you are occasionally non-plussed by the appearance of elucubrate or exactly how to use sardonic, this is the handy reference for you.

If you are looking for a quick laugh, and then forget about what you laugh or learn about after you close the book, this is not the one to buy. I learn a lot of daily French talking from this book, as well as how French people think. To me, it is not just a comics book; it became my friend.

These cartoons are great--the teenagers are sullen and cranky, the characters find themselves in embarrassing situations, just like real life. I've used the French edition of this series, too, and this German version is just as good. You learn useful words such as "das Handy" (cell phone) and phrases like "im Internet surfen" (to surf the Internet. Very effective and a lot of fun.

Though this dictionary is a handy-sized book, it is as much useful and valuable for Japanese student as LDOCE (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). If every Japanese high-school student has it and use it every day, their ability to speak in English would be tremendously improved.

I need to know if this book is writting in english-spanish or english-english or both. thanks

Granted, it is hard to mess up a translation dictionary but this one works well. 67,000 words! There hasn't been a word I couldn't find in English. Of course, it's harder to find words in greek since Greek ain't easy! This should be the dictionary you buy if you need one! Also, get a greek verb dictionary. It is a must! Just don't get 201 Modern greek verbs by Christides!

Ìé÷áëéò

This dictionary is great for anyone who wants to learn some new greek words. You need to learn how to read the Greek alphabet but after that its a great resource. It has commen used words as well as hard to find ones. In my opinion its better then other Greek dictionaries I have used. It could help you perfect your Ellinika.

Of the several large Italian-English dictionaries I own (some purchased in Italy), this one most often has what I am looking for. It is particularly rich in sense indicators, but just seems to have more of the common words and expressions I look up to find. There are more comprehensive dictionaries, such as those from Garzanti and Zanichelli, but this is my first stop if a handier paperback fails me. Beware, however, there are many lumping errors in the codes for the verb tables in the back of the book (where the conjugation of the verb in question is almost-but-not-quite like the model).

My next dictionary (if the Paravia comes up short) is the new bilingual dictionary published by Hoepli in Italy. It's a modern design with lots of grammar help usually found only in monolingual dictionaries written for Italians.

First, note that Amazon seems to have the price listed incorrectly. I've seen the book in bookshops, AND checked the Oxford University Press website: the price should be only $60.00, and NOT a whopping $150.00. I've tried to contact Amazon to get the price corrected.

I'm very familiar with this dictionary from my school; it has spoiled me for other dictionaries. It's quite large and hefty, so you wouldn't want to lug it very far from your desk until you install wheels. I'm constantly surprised at the many colloquial English expressions for which it provides translations. (It does not neglect most common slang, including obscenities, either). The dictionary provides plenty of very handy examples in colloquial Italian sentences. For example, I was delighted to find "Why can't you keep your big mouth shut?!" - " Perche non puoi tenere chiusa quella boccaccia?!"

In short, this dictionary is a delight for those in love with language, and who are falling in love with Italian. Great for browsing; you're sure to find yourself going off on one tangent after another.

Like most really good foreign language dictionaries, this one leans towards British useage - but will often provide "Americanisms." (This feature can come in handy; how else would you find a translation for "gobsmacked?")

The Oxford compares favorably to the "Harper Collins Sansoni Italian Unabridged Dictionary" (which I have at home); the latter, for instance, generally does not provide example sentences.

A must have for all those teachers who are teaching basic vocabulary words at any level.

This book has over 800 pages full of of pictures. Some of the words in here I don't even know in English. But if you want to know the Japanese words for the human anatomy, electrician's tools, musical instruments, etc., it's in this book. The book conveniently groups words together into sensible categories like plants, mammals, supermarkets, and airports. It has an index in the back in both English and Japanese for quick reference. The only drawback to this dictionary is that it doesn't Romanize the pronounciation of Japanese words, so for a Westerner unfamiliar with the Japanese alphabet, reading these words is very difficult, if not impossible. However, I highly recommend this book to anyone who comes to visit Japan. This is the easiest, most comprehensive dictionary I've seen to date.