Of course none of you have not been familiar with a dictionary. It is hard to believe that anyone of you has not possessed one. This kind of book like all of you know it contains a comprehensive list of words which is arranged alphabetically. Actually there are numerous kinds of dictionary. The first one that you owned when you were younger might be a beginner's dictionary. This dictionary only lists basic words that most children need to know. Another kind of dictionary is a picture dictionary. Usually this dictionary is coupled with pictures in the hope that the pictures can describe more clearly on a word sought. Next is a thematic dictionary. This dictionary usually contains words which are specific to a theme. The most common examples of the dictionary are: The Medical Dictionary, The Business Dictionary, The Law Dictionary, The Biology Dictionary and whatnots. There are more kinds of dictionary than we can ever remember, but the most interesting kind of dictionary is advanced learner's dictionary. Why interesting? Because according to my personal opinion, no other kinds of Dictionary would help you improving your English skill both at vocabulary and grammar. Of course, it doesn't mean that I downplay other kinds of dictionary in improving one's linguistic skill, but if you are a serious learner of English you will find the dictionary useful and attractive at once, and it is freaking worth having.
In the market, you will readily find various advanced learner's dictionaries from various publishers. Amongst them which are very renowned including those from Oxford, Cambridge, Longman and Merriam-Webster's. Don't get mistaken, this dictionary may not be the vastest dictionary in terms of vocabulary, but it has rich features that an average dictionary may not have. The definition used to describe a word is built on the most 2,000-3,000 basic words, so students will not struggle to find another word that he does not understand in a definition of a word he intends to understand. Another helpful feature is the comprehensive examples of sentences in which a word is applied. This feature, of course, will help student understand the all shades of meaning in a word better, thus he can apply it in the actual use more confidently.
the vast collection of phrasal verbs and idioms contained in this dictionary, of course, will enlighten students in mastering phrases which are not to be translated literally word after word. The pictures together with pieces of information that come with them are superb auxiliary tools to make a learner better understand a word relating to an object that is usually difficult to imagine.
Those are only a few out of many features from an advanced learner's dictionary that will make your time of English learning more effective as well as more enjoyable! ;)
