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A. Varieties of college dictionaries B. Accessing dictionaries electronically C. Elements under a word item D. Complete editions of dictionaries E. Using dictionaries for particular fields F. Features of college dictionaries | ||
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You’re probably most familiar with college dictionaries, often called abridged dictionaries. Although abridged means “shortened”, these dictionaries contain more than 150,000 entries and provide detailed definitions that are sufficient for most college students and general users. College dictionaries also contain separate lists of abbreviations, biographical and geographical names, foreign words and phrases, and tables of measures. Webster’s II New Riverside University Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language are college dictionaries. | ||
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Unabridged dictionaries contain as many as 500,000 entries and provide detailed definitions and extensive word histories(etymologies). These dictionaries, possibly in several volumes and mostly found in libraries, are excellent sources for scholarly inquiries. Unabridged dictionaries include the Oxford English Dictionary and the Random House Dictionary of the English Language. | ||
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A dictionary entry has many elements: multiple definitions, syllabication, preferred spelling and pronunciation (some words have more than one acceptable spelling and pronunciation), and part-of-speech labels. Some entries also include plurals and capitalized forms, synonyms, antonyms, and derivatives. Americanisms and etymologies may be provided along with usage notes, cross-references, and idioms.
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If you prefer using the dictionary on a computer, you can obtain CD-ROM versions of many major dictionaries. In addition, you can access numerous dictionaries, such as WWWebster’s Dictionary, on the Internet. Online dictionaries allow yo0u to enter a search word (you even get help with spelling) to see a definition, and sometimes even an illustration. Online dictionaries also offer additional features, such as word games, language tips, and amusing facts about words. Some online dictionary services allow you to access numerous dictionaries, both general and specialized, in one search.
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Specialized dictionaries provide in-depth information about a certain field. For example, there are dictionaries for the specialized vocabularies of law, computer technology, and medicine. In addition, there are dictionaries of synonyms, clichés, slang, and even regional expressions, such as the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE). There are also dictionaries of foreign languages, famous people’s names, literary characters’ names and place names.
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