Useful Reference Library

This thesaurus is aimed chiefly at those who are taking their first steps in learning the English language or who are trying to improve a basic grasp of the language. Most of the words listed here are commonly used by English speakers, both in writing and in daily conversation. English has a rich vocabulary and it is sometimes difficult to know which word to use. Often a single word has several meanings, which vary slightly from each other or which refer to completely different things. Sometimes, when speaking or writing, you may find you have used a particular word several times already and you want to find another word for the same thing. This is where a thesaurus can be helpful. Users of this thesaurus will find several alternatives are listed for each word. Where a particular word has a number of possible meanings these are numbered, beginning with a sample phrase to make clear what the particular meaning is. Each entry ends, where appropriate, with a short list of words (labelled OPPOSITE) that have the opposite meaning. The following example illustrates how entries in this thesaurus are arranged: open 1 the door is open undone, unlocked, unfastened, ajar OPPOSITE: shut, closed, fastened 2 be open with someone frank, honest, candid, straight, direct OPPOSITE: reserved, secretive 3 open to attack vulnerable, susceptible, exposed OPPOSITE: protected, invulnerable

From the introduction to the Useful Dictionary of English: This is a dictionary for 'slow learners'. There are many individuals who never want to stop learning, but the process for them is a slow one. I do hope that the user-friendly approach in the page layout will be an encouragement to such a group. This is a dictionary for unconfident readers. Many individuals have lost confidence in reading for a variety of reasons. I do hope they will find this book becomes a guide and stimulates them to start reading again. This is a dictionary for poor spellers. I am told this group is far larger than may at first be imagined. Even professionals need help from time to time in this direction. This is a dictionary for dyslexic friends. Being dyslexic myself I knowing that in all walks of life – from successful businessmen to those involved in the media, from 'celebrities' whose names are unknown outside their immediate circle – being dyslexic is a genuine problem. The thoughtful way that our Designer, Steve Carroll has interpreted the needs of dyslexic people I hope will be a great help. This is a dictionary for children and students. In more recent days, I have enjoyed the privilege of becoming an Ambassador for Birmingham University and expressing my concern for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who now have an opportunity to move to higher education. Not only that group, but all children and students can benefit from making this Dictionary their regular companion. Of course, there is a whole range of dictionaries which the wise student will make use of – and likewise use them and commend them. But they tend to be 'resource' and 'reference' books. We desire that this "Useful Dictionary" will be a friend for life. This is a dictionary for overseas visitors, those for whom English is a second language, I hope this Dictionary will be of great help. A great deal of thought has gone into this Dictionary and my only regret is that I did not produce it 30 years ago, when I first entered publishing. Robert Hicks, Dyslexic Publisher

This introduction to English grammar is aimed equally at those who are taking first steps in learning English and at native speakers or who are trying to improve a basic grasp of the grammatical rules that underpin the English language. It is grammar that gives any language its character and its practical usefulness, and an understanding of grammatical rules and conventions is as important as mastery of the vocabulary to achieve any degree of fluency. English has a complex grammar and it is sometimes difficult to know which form of words to use. Sometimes the rules are logical and predictable, but on many occasions words do not behave as they might be expected to. Furthermore, often the speaker or writer must choose between two equally acceptable alternatives, the correct use of which depends entirely upon the context or the degree of formality involved. What may be acceptable in everyday conversation, for instance, may not be so acceptable when written down. Knowing how to choose the best option is where a guide like this one can prove indispensable. The text of this book is subdivided into sections comprising several units, each of which tackles a potentially problematic aspect of English grammar. Care has been taken in each unit to explain the topic in simple terms and with numerous examples illustrating how the rules of grammar are applied in real life. Where useful, additional information is added in boxes under the heading Grammar Extra. Cross-references guide the reader to relevant information elsewhere in the text.

Verbs and tenses are one of the most difficult parts of the English language for learners. There seem to be so many different tenses and structures that are not simple. I have compiled this book to help make verbs easier to understand. The book is in five parts: Chapter 1 The basics Here we look at the main terms used to describe different kinds of verb, eg transitive and intransitive. Chapter 2 Tenses In this section, we explain the wide range of tenses in English, as in for example I work, I am working, I worked, I have worked, I had worked, I will have worked. This section ends with a summary of the different tenses. Chapters 3-13 Other kinds of verb Here we consider other kinds of verb: auxiliaries (eg do, can, may); questions and negatives; the passive (eg The car was driven by Daniel); conditionals (with if); phrasal verbs, eg break down, make up; the infinitive; participles; reported speech; and the subjunctive. Chapter 14 Useful verbs Here we look at some common verbs (eg come, do, make go, put, set) and their phrasal verbs, together with their definitions and examples of usage. Chapter 15 Irregular verbs A list of irregular verbs in English. Additional features throughout the book include 'Grammar extra' panels with further useful information, eg the different words that go with do and make, the difference between been and gone and between bring and take and different words to use instead of say. Cross-references guide you to relevant information in other locations in the text. I hope this short book will not only increase your understanding but also improve your use of English verbs.

William Shakespeare's standing as one of the great writers in the English language is universally recognized and unlikely to be seriously challenged now or in the foreseeable future. Although relatively little is known for certain about his life and personal beliefs, and only little more about the circumstances in which he wrote his celebrated plays and poetry, his influence upon literature, language and the wider culture remains profound and far-reaching. The emotional power of Shakespeare's language combined with the originality of his plots and the strength of his characterization has ensured the continuing popularity of his plays with succeeding generations of readers and theatre-goers. The work of a practical man of the theatre, the thirty-six or so tragedies, comedies, tragic-comedies, romances and histories credited to Shakespeare's name continue to be widely performed four hundred years after their creator's death. Even today theatre directors around the world continue to contrive new interpretations of his dramas, finding new ways to keep the stories exciting and relevant to contemporary audiences. As his fellow-playwright and friend Ben Jonson observed in his famous epitaph for Shakespeare, 'He was not of an age but for all time.' All this is despite the sometimes archaic Elizabethan phraseology and imagery that pepper the texts, alongside references to customs and traditions long since fallen into disuse. The meaning of many of the words in Shakespeare's lexicon is no longer immediately familiar and texts are often accompanied by glossaries explaining more obscure terms. Other words that were actually coined by the author have long since been absorbed into the language, testament to the unique literary legacy the man himself left.

Jane Austen ranks high among the most loved of all English writers. In contrast to many other celebrated authors her reputation rests upon a relatively small output, of around half a dozen major novels and a few other fragments, but her lasting influence upon the subsequent development of the English novel is undisputable nonetheless. Austen's own life was one of upper middle-class rural gentility and this is the orderly, prosperous and close-knit world that is depicted in her writing, which deals almost exclusively with the personal relationships and social entanglements of characters sharing a similarly refined country background. It was a small canvas upon which she chose to work but it allowed her to focus upon her characters in minute detail and to bring them fully and delightfully to life. Although her talent as a novelist was not widely remarked upon during her own lifetime, with one or two notable exceptions, Austen has since been justly praised both for her delicate rendering of character and for her close observation of the social milieu she took as the subject of her greatest works. Over the years, many critics have waxed lyrical about the 'Austen touch', an elusive descriptive term that attempts to draw together the different strands of Jane Austen's style. Prominent features of her writing include great elegance, balance and sensitivity, as well as subtlety of tone and effect and a gentle, ironic wit, which prevents her stories descending into sentiment, as they might easily have done in the hands of a less accomplished stylist.

Charles Dickens was the most popular writer of his generation and his many novels and short stories are still widely read and enjoyed around the world. To modern readers he occupies an exalted position as perhaps the leading commentator writing in English upon the times in which he lived. Although Dickens did sometimes set his tales in earlier centuries, most of his books were set in contemporary Britain and many of them depict life as experienced by the poorer sections of society. The realism of his depictions of poverty-stricken industrial and urban life were much informed by his own childhood experiences of deprivation long before he established a highly successful literary career as a prolific novelist, magazine editor and performer of his own writings. The plight of his protagonists, not always happily resolved and to modern eyes occasionally melodramatic and sentimental, evoked a deeply emotive response in readers at all levels of society and sometimes served as a key influence in changing social policy. Because many of his novels were written in parts for publication in relatively cheap monthly magazines they became available to a much wider readership that would not normally be able to afford the complete stories in book form. Dickens's great literary reputation is based on many factors but perhaps the most important of these is his unmatched skill at characterization. The hundreds of characters he created include some of the best known in world fiction, and many of them have become icons personifying aspects of flawed humanity. The fact that their stories are typically told with great humour and sympathy and in language that is at once poetic and authentic makes them much more than mere ciphers for social criticism, however. Many decades after the author's death, the term 'Dickensian' still denotes a style that combines biting social observation with strong characterization and convincing descriptive power.

Students of English often have difficulties knowing which preposition goes with a particular verb. Do you know which preposition to use with the following verbs: accuse of or for? depend on or at? escape from or off? include in or into? listen to or through? wait for or to? This is where this dictionary will help you. By looking up the verb you will find the preposition, a definition and an example: smile verb smile at turn up the ends of your mouth when you look at (someone) to show you are pleased, happy, amused, etc.: Debbie smiled lovingly at her new baby. Some entries have style markers (formal) or (informal) to help you know the context when to use the verb: protrude verb protrude from (formal) stick out from (somewhere): An umbrella protruded from her bag. sponge verb sponge off or on (informal) get (money, food, etc.) from (someone): Steve's friends are fed up with him sponging off them. Some entries have notes: protest verb protest about or against or at argue against (something); refuse to agree or accept (something): Animal-rights activists have protested against killer-whale shows. Note: the American usage of omitting 'against' is becoming more popular in British English. I protest at the government's actions. The verbs in this dictionary are mostly non-phrasal verbs that are used with certain prepositions. The verbs are usually used in a literal sense. This is different from phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs are verbs used with a preposition or adverb whose meaning cannot be deduced from the meanings of the individual words. It usually has a figurative, or non-literal, meaning. For example, if you walk into a room, you enter a room by walking – that is a non-phrasal verb. If you walk into a job, you get a job easily, without having to make much effort – that is a phrasal verb. This dictionary will help you find the correct preposition where one is needed. It contains about 3000 entries.

Why do we describe something as "A-1", "a lame duck", or "straight from the horse's mouth"? Why is someone's behaviour said to be "beyond the pale"? What is the original meaning of the word "treacle"? This book explores the intriguing origins and development of about 800 words and expressions in English. The story of the development of English provides an endless source of fascination not only for native speakers but also for students of English as a foreign or second language. I hope therefore that something of the rich heritage of the language will be discovered and enjoyed in these pages.