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[Lucy]

Hello everyone.

I am currently looking for an English-English dictionary. So far I found the 2 biggest brands besides Oxford's one. They are Merriam Webster and American Heritage.

I searched Amazon.com and it features the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

I only want to buy either one. Which one would you people recommend??? Don't say Oxford because I already the its English-Chinese one. I want to buy an English-English one.

Anyone please comment OK?



Lucy

[Charlemagne 8]

Lucy,
Merriam Webster would be my choice.

What exactly is an "English - English" dictionary?
Usually mentioning two languages implies a dictionary of translations. While there are many phrases and idioms peculiar to the various English speaking countries, and even peculiar to the regions within those countries,  I wouldn't think it would need an entire dictionary.

Maybe I don't understand. Maybe it doesn't matter if I do or don't. I like Merriam - Webster.

CVIII

[JimH]

I was going to say, but didn't, "Webster's Third".  That was what an old literate friend, now gone, believed.  I have two copies.  In the U.S., you can find them for $10 or $15, used.  Would you like one?  I will find one for you and send it.

[equalizer]

awwww, now this is something to look at.

just goes to show how cool JRiver Staff is.

[Lucy]

Hello!

C8: I am VERY sorry my English is poor for you to understand . English-English means translating English words into English( for example: explaining "thin" as skinny or slim instead of saying "THIN IS THIN").

The reason that I want to buy an English-English dictionary is that I already have several English-Chinese dictionaries (translate an English word into Chinese word). They don't have English explanations. Sometimes I think the Chinese explanation is not that accurate. So I would rather want to know the real English explanations. C8, I am sorry I have made you confused.  

I already have the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (Translating English words into Chinese). But I still consider this dictionary to have few words. Maybe I should try The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2 Vol. Set; Thumb Indexed Edition)
? No, it is too expensive - $100 and I don't want to carry 2 volumes wherever I go.

JimH: Thank you for your advice. I do think Webster is better. It has an online free dictionary http://www.m-w.com The definitions there are rich. I am glad you would not mind finding Webster's Third for me, but I am afraid I can't afford the shipping cost since I bet that such a dictionary should be over 5 pounds.

But I have a good news for all of you. If you people want to keep a hugh dictionary in your computer, there comes the   Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged CDROM (ISBN 0877794685
). I guess that's the CD version of the dictionary JimH is talking about. The CD version is $48.97 from Amazon.com. Hardcover $83.3.

Well, Webster does offer a $30 subscription for its unabridge dictionary online (yearly). Just a few minutes ago I signed up for its 7 day free trial. I tried the dictionary by typing "Hong Kong". Well the unabridged version tells me Hong Kong is a Brtitish Colony. Then I looked "Hong Kong" up in the free collegiate dictionary online. It can tell me that Hong Kong was former British colony and now a speical administrative region of China.  Also, the unabridged can't show "soviet union", but the collegiate one can tell me that soviet union is "country 1922-91 E Europe & N Asia bordering on the Arctic & Pacific oceans & Baltic & Black seas; a union of 15 constituent republics capital Moscow area 8,649,512 square miles (22,402,236 square kilometers) "

Well, I am pretty sure that there are more new information in the Collegiate version than the unabridged version. But the unabrdiged one does offer more detailed explanations on verbs and adjectives. For example the collegiate dictionary only shows the meaning of "abandon" but the unabridged shows example sentences too like "abandoned the estates when he inherited them -- Charles Dickens". The UnA also shows more detailed history of words.

Interesting thing: collegiate can tell "roosevelt" as"Theodore 1858-1919 26th president of the U.S. (1901-09); acquired Canal Zone and began Panama Canal; awarded 1906 Nobel prize for peace for ending Russo-Japanese War " while the unabridged cannot tell.

However, I would not expect a dictionary to do all the things for me. If I want to know more about "roosevelt" , why dont I look it up on an encyclepedia (hard to spell)?

So, in conclusion, it's likely I pick the Webster's Third CD and probably an encyXXXX CD.

[ibusinesslawyer]

http://www.dictionary.com

[Charlemagne 8]

Lucy,
You have great English. Much better than my Chinese.
You said

explaining "thin" as skinny or slim instead of saying "THIN IS THIN"

Also try a Thesaurus. Webster has some of those, too. The purpose of a thesaurus is to provide synonyms for words. Sometimes it has a large number of synonyms for a word. Try it. Even if it's not what you're looking for, it's a handy tool.

Main Entry: syn·o·nym
Pronunciation: 'si-no-"nim
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English sinonyme, from Latin synonymum, from Greek synOnymon, from neuter of synOnymos synonymous, from syn- + onyma name -- more at NAME
Date: 15th century
1 : one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses      
2 : a symbolic or figurative name : METONYM
3 : a taxonomic name rejected as being incorrectly applied or incorrect in form -- compare HOMONYM
- syn·o·nym·ic  /"si-n&-'ni-mik/ also syn·o·nym·i·cal  /-mi-k&l/ adjective
- syn·o·nym·i·ty  /-'ni-m&-tE/ noun

There were two Roosevelts. Theodore was first. Franklin came along after. I think they were distant cousins. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR, was the President during World war II. He was elected to four terms and was the last president to do so. The law regarding term limits was changed toward the end of his fourth.


Here's a link:  (probably one of many)

\http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/

and a picture:

\http://home.bellsouth.net/coDataImages/p/Groups/64/64865/folders/46212/334150Roosevelt.jpg

[Lucy]

I finally purchased the Encyclopedia Britannica 2002 Standard edition software which includes Britannica encylcopedia (75000 articles) and a built-in Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary and thesaurus software.


I bought it from Ebay.com. Price is REALLY INEXPENSIVE.The whole set costed me only US$10 plus US$8 shipping fees. It is still lower than that of retail price.

I have also bought a resume software from Ebay (Winway Resume version 9). US$11 with $12 shipping.

I am waiting to receive the softwares.

Anyone has ever bought things from Ebay.com?

[zevele10]

Yes ,tons
but only records and books .

[Lucy]

I am quite uncertain whether to buy records / CDs at Ebay........I am afraid that the CDs would have scratches that don't play well.

Interesting thing: INTERNET AUCTIONS - Business with the anonymous of the anonymous. Our world is incredible.......

[tullio]

Because your basic English is so good, I think you would enjoy and profit from two collections aimed directly at people like you.

The first is the NTC series published by McGraw Hill and editied by Richard Spears (and others).  They have titles like:"NTC's Dictionary of Everday American Expressions" and "NTC's American Idioms Dictionary."  

The other series is by Charles Funk who was the editor of a famous American dictionary called Funk and Wagnall's.  These books have titles like "Horse Feathers and Other Strange Words" "Heavens to Betsy," and "A Hog on Ice."  They give both the origin and usage of hundreds of odd and eccentric American expressions.  I can't recall the publisher (maybe Harper and Row).

I'm writing this from memory, which is not what it used to be, but I'm sure you can find them by title at Amazon or Barnes and Noble,

I gave some of these books to friends of mine in Italy and Denmark, and they all said that they were extremely helpful in expanding their understanding of colloquial American English.  They could finally understand movie dialog.

[Lucy]

Thank you Tullio.

Yes. I heard of the NTC series you mentioned from Amazon.com. I was thinking of buying it, but at that time I visited Amazon.com I aimed at buying books on resumes and application letters and so I did not purchase the idiom books.

I have spent $150 on Amazon.com buying books on job interviews, resumes, and cover letters (I will graduate this June). Yes, I wanted English ones. The medium of communication during most job interviews in Hong Kong is English. Those books are helpful.  It was after reading those books that I found myself silly in my past interviews!

Plus, I spent a day on last Sunday visiting my cousin and learned how to put on cosmetics. She was the first runner-up of a beauty contest ten years ago. But somehow I think I look more uglier after I put on make-up ?