Collins English Mini Reference Library [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION Collins English Mini Dictionaryhas been specially prepared to take account of the very latest changes in the English language, and to present words and their meanings in the clearest possible style. It is invaluable for practical everyday use in school, home, or office. All entry words are printed in colour, making it exceptionally easy and quick to find the word you are looking for. The meanings are short but are written in clear modern English and are separated by numbers to identify different senses of the word. Practical help is given with spelling, and all inflected forms of words which can cause difficulty are shown. So, for instance, beg has its forms begging and begged given because the consonant doubles, while the entry for benefit shows benefiting and benefited because, while the consonant does not double in this case, confusion as to whether or not to double the t can arise. Inflected forms of words such as bawdy, where the y changes to an i before -er and -est, are also given. Throughout the dictionary, any area of possible spelling difficulty is dealt with in this way. Pronunciations are shown in a clearly readable style, for any word that is likely to be unfamiliar or to present difficulty. These are given in square brackets after the main entry word. The Collins English Mini Dictionary is thus specially designed to give practical help with all areas of today's English. In addition, it is very up-to-date and reflects language as it is encountered today. A selection of the latest new words to have been included in the dictionary is printed at the back of the dictionary text. INTRODUCTION The word "thesaurus" comes from a Greek word meaning "treasury" or "storehouse", and a thesaurus is a treasury or storehouse of words for you to draw on. It provides Usts of synonyms - words which mean the same, or almost the same, as the one you already have in mind, so that you can choose an alternative. There are many reasons why you might want to look for a different word to use. Perhaps you want to avoid using the same word more than once, or perhaps the one that comes to mind first is not precise enough to convey the exact meaning of what you want to say, or is too informal for the style in which you are writing. The Collins English Mini Thesaurus is arranged in a single alphabetical hst of main-entry words, like a dictionary. To find exactly the right word for your purpose, look up the word which is your starting point. There, you will find a selection of alternatives which can be used to replace it. If the original word has more than one meaning, the alternative words are grouped in separate numbered lists. For many basic words you will also find antonyms, words that mean the opposite. All the main-entry words and the numbers that identify different senses are printed in red so that it is quick and easy to find what you are looking for. In addition to giving practical everyday help in all contexts and situations where good English is required,the thesaurus, especially when used in conjunction with one of the Collins range of dictionaries, will enable you to broaden your command of the language.