COMPARISION OF DICTIONARIES


In task number 3 we are going to compare different dictionaries and talk about their advantages and disadvantages.
For this task I have chosen the word ‘really’ and I have compared the following dictionaries:
  1. Oxford Dictionary: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/
  1. Webster Dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/
  1. WordReference: http://www.wordreference.com/es/
I prefer the Oxford Dictionary because it gives full of information. In this dictionary we can find different definitions classify by the function of the word (in this case adverb and exclamation) with some examples and phrases, and at the end, it shows the pronunciation of the word. I think this is the ideal way to learn the meaning of a word. The only disadvantage I could find is that it’s a bit messy with too much information but it’s great when you get used to it.

However, from my point of view, the Webster Dictionary is the most innovative as it includes the first known use of the word, synonyms and even definitions for learners and kids which is wonderful for me being an Early Childhood Teacher. The disadvantages as I see are; the amount of advertisements around the definitions and the number of buttons. At first sight, it looks difficult to use.

Finally, the WordReference Dictionary is likely the most frequently used. It gives a short definition, it lets you listen to the pronunciation and you can see the translation in many languages. I use this one in my English lessons at the English School. It’s quite convenient although I know it isn’t the best option. It’s simple and organized but, as we all know, it’s better if we don’t translate things and just learn an English definition and we understand it in context. This is the way we learn our mother language.

Looking up the same word in the Learner's Dictionary (http://www.learnersdictionary.com/) I found that this one is thought for students so it’s clearer. The definitions are simpler and it has examples in different contexts what let us see the position of the word in different sentences.

To sum up, there are many dictionaries online but as we learned, is advisable to use a monolingual dictionary however the choice of dictionary depends on the type of information we want to find.

To finish this task I have tried the quiz ‘Learner’s Vocabulary Quiz’ that the Learners Dictionary has. It’s about synonyms and I found it quite interesting, I think I’m going to use it with my students from time to time.

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