Choosing a Dictionary

 　　Dictionaries range broadly in purpose, size, and price; and choosing one is a very personal decision. The best advice is to make note of the things you and your family look up in a dictionary over a few weeks' time, and then go to a comprehensive bookstore to make the choice. Here are a few things to look for in making your selection.

　　Size

　　Big, complete (unabridged) dictionaries are expensive and take a lot of room in your office or home. They are also difficult for children to use because they are bulky, and it takes longer to look something up because new readers' alphabetizing skills are incomplete. An unabridged dictionary on the coffee table might impress your friends; but unless you use a dictionary on a daily basis, it probably is not a good buy. Perhaps you should look at smaller "college" dictionaries.

　　Pronunciation guide

　　Many people use a dictionary to help them pronounce new words. (One caller to the hot line saw an "etagere" advertised for sale, knew what it was and wanted one, but didn't want to call the seller without knowing how to pronounce the word.)

　　The pronunciation guide should be complete but not contain a lot of unfamiliar¹ symbols that require continual cross-checking--especially with the vowels³. The English vowel² system is complex because we use one letter to spell many different sounds. For example, the letter A has three different sounds in the words at, age, and art. The job for the dictionary makers⁴ is to find three common symbols to represent the different pronunciations.

　　Examples

　　Sample sentences showing common uses of words are very helpful, both in clarifying the meaning and helping⁵ the reader remember the word. The words in the sentences should not be any more difficult than the target word, however, or the reader is sent off on a frustrating⁶ chase through the dictionary. In the words of technology, "A good dictionary should be user-friendly."

　　Usage Notes

　　Many dictionaries comment on the usage of words in different types of situations. Many of the old dictionaries contained only the standard accepted usages. "Ain't" was not to be found and teachers could correct their charges by saying, "Ain't isn't in the dictionary." Imagine the teachers' dismay when dictionaries started including such forms! The dictionaries do comment on the usage--non-standard, colloquial⁷, regionalism are some of the terms used to let readers make their own decisions as to whether they want to use the term.

　　One final comment--forms of speech change much more rapidly than written forms; and many spoken items never make it to the written language (slang, for example). For this reason, you will need to buy several dictionaries during your reading life. Find one that you like, and consider its new editions when it's time for a new one.

1 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

2 vowel   

n.元音；元音字母

参考例句：

• A long vowel is a long sound as in the word"shoe ".长元音即如“shoe” 一词中的长音。
• The vowel in words like 'my' and 'thigh' is not very difficult.单词my和thigh中的元音并不难发。

3 vowels   

n.元音，元音字母( vowel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Note the various sounds of vowels followed by r. 注意r跟随的各种元音的发音。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 colloquial   

adj.口语的，会话的

参考例句：

• It's hard to understand the colloquial idioms of a foreign language.外语里的口头习语很难懂。
• They have little acquaintance with colloquial English. 他们对英语会话几乎一窍不通。