The Facts on File Student's Dictionary of American English (Facts on File Library of Language and Literature) - Hardcover

Barnhart, Author Cynthia A

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816063796 ISBN 13: 9780816063796

Publisher: Facts on File, 2008

Synopsis

The first purpose of any student's dictionary is to provide the basic information necessary to be able to understand a meaning, decipher a pronunciation, make a correct syllable break, and employ vocabulary appropriate to a particular situation. The Facts On File Student's Dictionary of American English is designed to provide such information as accurately, concisely, and clearly as possible. Its modest entry list of about 90,000 words includes the vocabulary most of us use every day in ordinary writing and encounter in reading a newspaper, novel, magazine, or online article. The dictionary also includes a selection of widely used new terms in English, from science and technology to contemporary American culture. The design is exceptionally user-friendly. Each entry of the standard vocabulary has been evaluated and revised according to current usage.

About this title

About the Author

Cynthia A. Barnhart was the editor of new words for The World Book Dictionary; the general editor of The American Heritage Dictionary of Science, the Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, and the Second Barnhart Dictionary of New English; and Senior General Editor of the Third Barnhart Dictionary of New English. She was Senior Editor of the reference division of Cambridge University Press for seven years. She resides in Garrison, NY.

From Booklist

This dictionary, intended for middle- and high-school students, is a straightforward reference tool that would be useful in classrooms or for individual students. The preface states there are approximately 90,000 entries for English terms that would typically be found in newspapers, magazines, or online articles, as well as a selection of new terms in science, technology, and contemporary culture. There are also definitions for some proper names, acronyms, and place-names. Entries are concise, focusing on core meanings and providing pronunciation, inflected forms, parts of speech, and usage labels. Idioms, etymologies, equivalents, and examples may also be included. The font size is small and, though not difficult to read, isn’t appealing for younger students. Reluctant readers might find the format daunting and not easy to use because of the density of the content per page. There are no illustrations, nor are there any of the reference materials generally found in dictionaries intended for this audience—weights and measures, lists of states and presidents, maps, and so on. Many newer words, such as blog and wiki, are not defined. On the other hand, DVD, rap music, and hip-hop have definitions. This is a decent dictionary for its intended audience, though there are many others in this category that fit the bill just as well and are more attractively presented. Grades 6-12. --Terri Tomchyshyn

Edition details

• Publisher: Facts on File
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0816063796
• ISBN 13: 9780816063796
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 726