Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Rating:
Summary: Good content - bad handling of the software and cd-rom
Review: Because of my eyes I bought the book with the CD-ROM. The explanations are well done and really helpful (they earn a 5). The size of the text is good for my eyes too. But the handling of the program is a nuisance.

If you reduce the size of the window the size of the frames and letters remains unchanged and you end up hiding parts of the content. If you want to use all the features you need a full sized window.

There is virtually no thesaurus or I am not able to use it.

Last but not least: when I had completely installed the program I put the book and the CD-ROM in a cupboard far away to leave my desk tidy, believing it was for ever. Unfortunately at Longman's they want to control you and they force you to insert the disk into the cd-rom player from time to time. As it happened to me, when you mostly need an explanation you may have to frantically search in your cupboards for the cd-rom.
5 for the explanations, 2 for the handling: 3 stars for the CD-ROM.

Rating:
Summary: This is a masterpiece of dictionary
Review: I'd never come across a dictionary like this one. I'm Japanese, a non-native speaker of English. I had used an English-Japanese dictionary until I encountered it in a bookstore.

This may sound as if I were an agent from Longman, but you will be surprised by plenty of usage, many examples of words, beautiful artwork, and its handiness.

This is the very masterpiece of dictionay!

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of handy dictionary
Review: I'm a 37-year-old Japanese who is learning English almost everyday. This is the best dictionary I've ever met in my life. It has plenty of usage and examples of words, beautiful illustrations, and handiness at the same time.

This may sound as if I were an agent from Longman, but I'd recommend this to anyone who learns English.

THIS IS THE VERY MASTERPIECE OF HANDY DICTIONARY!

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of handy dictionary
Review: I'm a 37-year-old Japanese who is learning English everyday. This is the best dictionary I have met in my life. This has plenty of usage and examples of words, beautiful illustrations, and handiness at the same time.

This may sound as if I were an agent from Longman, but I'd recommend this to every English learners.

This is the very masterpiece of handy dictionary!

Rating:
Summary: Definetly, the best dictionary...
Review: I'm still trying to find any defect to this dictionary, but I couldn't yet... If you are a non-native english speaker, you have to get this one... does phrasal verbs drives you crazy??? All phr verbs are there... Usage notes of frequently used words are great as well as the illustrations!!!... the samples following the definition of the words are great to understand them... although I'm still learning, I know this book has improved my english...

Rating:
Summary: Must-have for any non-native English speaker
Review: I've been using this excellent dictionary since the last 8 years. Actually, I can undoubtedly say that this is the BEST dictionary I have ever used for learning English! It's very simple and user-friendly.
Features include:

- Clarifications of the use of a word in a spoken compared to written English.
- Graphs to show the difference in frequency of the use between words in speech and writing, between synonyms etc.
- Highlights thousands of phrases and collocations in the nearest possible way.
- Color and black-and-white illustrations from the parts of a car to the sounds !
- Over 80,000 words and phrases with easy-to-understand definitions.
- Pronunciation key with the proper stress in the word syllabus.
- Signposts in longer entries to help you find the meaning that you need.
- References to other words and phrases, and to pictures and usage notes.
- Words that are often used together are shown in dark type, and followed by an example or an explanation e.g. under the word (argument) you will find (have an argument) (get into an argument) (win / lose an argument) etc.
- Grammatical information is shown in brackets, or in dark type before an example.
- Shows the difference between British and American English including: the pronunciation & spelling differences, words & meaning, differences in grammar, and differences in phrases & collocations.
- Appendix contains Tables (Numbers, Weights & measures, Military Ranks, Word formation, The verb "be", Irregular verbs, Geographical names,
- 3rd Edition comes in 1668 pages, published in 1997.

This is a full discipline for teaching English, not just an ordinary dictionary ! It's essential for your desk, especially if your mother tongue is not English.

Rating:
Summary: my dictionary
Review: My nephew just immigrated from China and asked me to get a dictionary for him. I told him that I would get the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.

I bought the dictionary when I was a student in London about ten years ago. I tried a number of dictionaries before I was introduced this one. My landlady used to show my dictionary to other foreign students as I used too often to keep in a good shape.

Well, I don't use it as much as I used to but I highly recommend it to any foreign student. You cannot afford not having it ! In fact, I bought one for my niece and I will buy one for my nephew too. I am sure that it will be the best gift for them ever.

Rating:
Summary: Not only for ESL/EFL students
Review: This dictionary is an excellent resource for both learners of English and native English speakers. I do a lot of proofreading in my job, and often need to check correct usage of words including which preposition to use. The inclusion of American and British spelling and pronunciation differences is also invaluable.

What is especially useful for learners of English in addition to the example sentences are: the notes on whether certain words are formal, informal, colloquial or offensive; the tips on politness; and the frequency of use of certain words in spoken or written English.

Rating:
Summary: The absolute best dictionary out there for ESL students.
Review: This is not a "junior dictionary." This dictionary is a 100% up-to-date state of the art dictionary with a comprehensive listing of any word you might encounter as well as a key for how to use it in a sentence. With that key, students can figure out how to use the word properly in speech and composition. The dictionary itself is a learning tool because the definitions of the 60,000+ words included are limited to a 2000-word vocabulary, giving the student practice while learning new words. Additionally, the dictionary has many illustrations and diagrams which list thematic vocabulary (for example everything that is under the hood of a car or everything that is in a fully-equipped kitchen). The definitions are clear and precise: look at the definition for the word "piece." In that definition you will find a flow-chart with questions like, "Is it solid?" "Is it thin?" and so on, leading the learner to words like "drop, dash, squirt, wisp, chunk, slice, slab, segment, grain, speck...." My reading students, whose first language is English, love this book also, because the defining vocabulary is within their range. It is comprehensive enough that even teachers will find definitions of unfamiliar words (for example, I just learned that "chock" is a block of wood used to wedge under a tire). This book is the best investment a student can make. It is also an investment that every teacher should make in service to his/her students

Rating:
Summary: songkyu kim (a korean reader in the u.s.)
Review: THIS IS NOT JUST AN ENGLISH DICTIONARY. THIS IS AN ARTWORK ON LINGUISTIC SCIENCE! YOU WILL BE AMAZED TO SEE EACH AND EVERY WORDS WITH NATURALLY,SCIENTIFICALLY STRUCTURED EXAMPLES WITH VERY SPECIAL CARE. IT'S WELL WORTH CHECKING IT OUT AS SOON AS YOU CAN,ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER! ONCE YOU'VE FOUND WHAT'S INSIDE IT, MAN, YOU WILL LOVE IT! I BET YOU WILL PROUDLY CALL IT THE BEST ENGLISH DICTIONARY IN THE WORLD YOU'VE EVER FOUND!