Thursday, August 25, 2011

Scholastic First Dictionary (Hardcover)

Scholastic First Dictionary
Scholastic First Dictionary (Hardcover)
By Judith S. Levey

Buy new: $11.55
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Customer Rating: 4.2

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Customer tags: childrens dictionary(2), dictionaries

Review & Description

Definitions for approximately 1,500 headwords have been carefully chosen to help build on the vocabulary of young children. Six hundred full-color photographs further illustrate their meanings. Each entry has been designed to provide readers with easy to understand definitions, as well as alternate forms for nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Illustrative example sentences following each headword are clearly written to help show children what words mean and how they should be used. In addition, each entry is followed by a simple phonetic pronunciation guide.How would you define "bump" for a 6-year-old? The Scholastic First Dictionary outlines it as follows: "1. A bump is a round place that is above the area around it. William got a bump on his head when he hit it on a low branch of a tree. When something has many bumps on it, we say it is bumpy. The country road was bumpy. 2. When you bump into something, your body hits something you didn't mean it to hit." Not bad, eh? The chief advantage of this straightforward, inviting dictionary is that it is accessible to young readers--the definitions are written in complete sentences with age-appropriate language, and each word is used in a simple sentence.

Containing more than 1,500 words highlighted by bold, kelly-green type, the Scholastic First Dictionary is targeted to the reading level--and interests--of elementary school students, and not designed to be comprehensive. For example, "knitting" is not in this dictionary, but "kneel," "knife," and "knight" are. "Iguana" is not there, but "igloo" is. Each page of this 224-page volume contains an average of eight words, and includes at least two full-color photos to help illustrate word meanings. The real value of this resource for children is in helping them build basic dictionary skills and as a general guide for early readers, teaching them how to spell words, how to pronounce them, what words mean, how to use them in a sentence, how words change form, and, of course, discovering new words. The crisp, colorful layout encourages hours of contented browsing for the voracious young knowledge seeker. A great gift for any budding reader! (Ages 5 to 9) --Karin Snelson Read more


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Sunday, August 14, 2011

A Dictionary of American Idioms (Paperback)

A Dictionary of American Idioms
A Dictionary of American Idioms (Paperback)
By Adam Makkai

Buy new: $11.39
57 used and new from $1.99
Customer Rating: 4.2

First tagged by Ohioan
Customer tags: dictionaries, american idioms, vocabulary, idioms

Review & Description

More than 8,000 idiomatic words and phrases specific to American-style English are presented in this updated A-to-Z dictionary, complete with definitions and sample sentences. Especially useful for TOEFL test-takers and other students in America for whom English is a second language, this book explains and clarifies many of the similes and metaphors that newcomers to American English find mystifying. It is also useful to native-born Americans who are sometimes confused by regional colloquialisms encountered in reading or on TV. Idioms undergo constant change in every living language, some of them falling out of use, while new words and phrases become part of the standard vocabulary. This dictionary's new fourth edition takes account of the latest idiomatic changes and provides a solid background to informal American English. Read more


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Friday, August 5, 2011

The Weighty Word Book (Hardcover)

The Weighty Word Book
The Weighty Word Book (Hardcover)
By Paul M. Levitt

24 used and new from $1.98
Customer Rating: 4.8

First tagged by Sandy Pedersen
Customer tags: childrens books, dictionaries

Review & Description

By combining fable and pun, the authors have created a refreshing approach to the often dull task of vocabulary-building. This fully illustrated collection of stories offers a witty and wonderful alphabet soup that is designed to introduce children to new and unusual words. Read more


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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (Oxford Paperback Reference)
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)
By P. H. Matthews

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73 used and new from $6.31
Customer Rating: 4.3

Customer tags: linguistics(5), dictionaries(4), language, languages, general linguistics

Review & Description

Here is the most authoritative and up-to-date dictionary of linguistics available, fully revised for the second edition. Written by distinguished authority Peter Matthews, this handy reference includes over 3,150 entries providing worldwide coverage of languages and language families, grammatical terms in English as well as grammatical categories in other languages. Matthews also offers extensive coverage of the theory of language, language history, and important ideas and figures in linguistics. A directory of symbols is included for quick and easy reference. The new edition boasts greatly enhanced coverage of sociolinguistics, making it an ideal reference for those studying linguistics. It also includes entries on notable recent theorists in the field, such as Del Hymes and Peter Trudgill. With entries ranging from "epiglottal" and "morpheme" to "Austronesian" and "Navajo," The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics, Second Edition remains an ideal reference for students and teachers in language-related courses, and a great introduction to linguistics for the general reader with an interest in language and its study. Read more


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