Free English Learning Resources: Dictionary

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December 7, 2010

Grammar of English (CD-ROM)

Title: Cambridge Grammar of English: A Comprehensive Guide Spoken and Written English Grammar and Usage
Author(s): Ronald Carter and Michael McCarthy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521674395
Date: 2006
Size: 236 Mb
Format: .iso + Crack
Language: British English

Cambridge Grammar of English is a 'must-have' for any serious learner or user of the English language. Using ground-breaking language research, it offers clear explanations of spoken and written English based on real everyday usage. A clear two-part structure makes the book particularly user-friendly. In the first section, 'From word to grammar: an A-Z', A-Z entries give special attention to the vocabulary-related grammar often neglected in other grammar reference books. The second section is organised into topic chapters covering the more traditional grammatical categories such as tense, sentence structure and parts of speech. [+/-]

The Cambridge Grammar of English has also won a prestigious British Council Innovation Award.

Described by the judges as 'User-friendly and practical... a highly effective resource for English language teachers and learners alike', the Cambridge Grammar of English was praised for the way it uniquely documents current spoken as well as written grammar usage and for its innovative accompanying CD-ROM.

About CD-ROM
The accompanying CD-ROM makes the Cambridge Grammar of English even more accessible with:
• the whole book in handy, searchable format;
• audio recordings of all example sentences from the book;
• links to the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary online for instant definitions of new vocabulary

Attention! The disk is protected by SecuROM ver. 7.18.0003!
- That means you must use the program with CD-ROM at all times or
- use the crack and enjoy the Cambridge Grammar of English without any CD!

Download link:
http://www.fileserve.com/file/6PZpNe8

Just copy the links and use with JDownloader to get Premium Speed!

October 24, 2010

The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals

Title: The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life
Author(s): Dougal Dixon, Barry Cox, R. J. G. Savage, Brian Gardiner
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0020429819
Date: 1993-04
Pages: 313
Size: 34.83 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: English

In a who's who of prehistoric life, readers take a visually spectacular trip through our evolutionary past going back more than 500 million years. All creatures are depicted in full-color paintings based on the latest paleontological information.

Download link:
http://www.fileserve.com/file/wnF4uX9

October 20, 2010

LANGMaster English Reading Courses + Dictionary (13 CD-ROMs)

Title: LANGMaster English Reading Courses + Dictionary
Level: Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate
Publisher: LANGMaster
Size: 6.37 GB
Format: MDF/ISO
Quality: IV32 384x288 15.00fps 2208Kbps
MS ADPCM 44100Hz mono 177Kbps
Language: English

Recommened! LANGMaster COURSES are adapted from the popular Heinemann Readers. These textbooks are designed for English students from beginner to intermediate level. They provide an authentic English context and help improve the fluency and accuracy of your English. [+/-]

Collins COBUILD Student's Dictionary - The only completely recorded multimedia monolingual English dictionary. You can listen to selected text read by native English speakers. It helps you practice your pronunciation. All the headwords including examples of usage, inflected and derived forms are recorded by professional speakers.
Highlited Features - Dictionary:
• 283,000 recorded words
• 50 hours of speech
• 40,000 definitions, 30,000 examples
• Grammar notes, examples, inflected and derived forms, explanations, phrases, phrasal verbs
• All entries spoken by native English speakers
• Search by entry, grammatical form or phrase
• RE-WISE method

Highlighted Features - Courses:
• Full story
• Useful words
• Practice with the story
• Voice recording & play back
• Integrated skills READING, LISTENING, SPEAKING, WRITING
• Interactive exercises
• Full color illustrations
• 20 types of educational activities
• Contextual link into the Collins COBUILD Student’s Dictionary
• LANGMaster COURSES are enhanced with a number of multimedia features that ordinary books do not have - texts accompanied by sound, interactive exercises, a storybook cinema, and a number of full color illustrative pictures.

CD01 Collins COBUILD Student's Dictionary
CD02 (Beginner) John Milne - The Long Tunnel
CD03 (Beginner) Elizabeth Laird - The Garden
CD04 (Beginner) Alwyn Cox - Dangerous Journey (Installation CD for beginner level)
CD05 (Beginner) T.C.Jupp - Rich Man Poor Man
CD06 (Elementary) N.Whitney - The Stranger (Installation CD for elementary level)
CD07 (Elementary) M.R.James - Room 13 and Other Ghost Stories
CD08 (Elementary) O.Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
CD09 (Elementary) Z.Grey - Riders of the Purple Sage
CD10 (Intermediate) B.Stroker - Dracula
CD11 (Intermediate) A.C.Doyle - The Sign of Four (Installation CD for intermediate level)
CD12 (Intermediate) A.C.Doyle - The Specled Band and Other Stories
CD13 (Intermediate) P.Prowse - The Woman Who Disappeared

INSTALLATION:
In each level there is an installation CD that should be installed first. Tha rest can be installed in any order, but at the installation of the first one there is a recommended order. See the notes above to see which are the installation CDs for each level.

October 1, 2010

Oxford Learner's Thesaurus Pack: A Dictionary of Synonyms (ISO)

Title: Oxford Learner's Thesaurus Pack: A Dictionary of Synonyms CD-ROM
Publisher: Oxford
ISBN: 0194752003
Date: 2008
Size: 340 Mb
Format: .iso (not .nrg like others)
Language: British and American English
View the Interface

A learner’s thesaurus of over 15,000 words and expressions from written and spoken. British and American English with CD-ROM. The learner’s thesaurus helps students distinguish between similar words and use them correctly.

The 2,000 entries:
– include between three and ten near synonyms, showing the differences between them in terms of meaning, grammar, register, collocations, and frequency;
– help students understand the differences between familiar words, such as easy and simple, while learning expressions they may not know, such as effortless, painless, and smooth sailing; [+/-]

– provide over 4,000 notes to enable students to distinguish between very close synonyms, choose the best word for the context, and use it correctly; and
– include over 2,000 opposites.

The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus also includes:
– 16 study pages, focusing on specific topics with exam-style exercises;
– 8-page trainer on making the best use of the Thesaurus; and
– a CD-ROM of the complete Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus A-Z pages and indexes, and over 200 practice exercises.

Download links:
http://www.fileserve.com/file/VyqJ8nU
http://www.fileserve.com/file/NvC4y5U
http://www.fileserve.com/file/ac9QMxm

September 27, 2010

English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, 2nd Edition (CD-ROM)

Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, 2nd Edition (CD-ROM)
2007 | Carla Wilson | Macmillan Education | ISO + Patch | 450 Mb

Discover the CD-ROM with the whole of the dictionary plus much more... This new edition has sections on improving writing, language awareness and expanding vocabulary in addition to the main dictionary. [+/-]

Enlarge your vocabulary
• NEW Click on the thesaurus button next to every word to access a list of synonyms.
• Understand difficult words with over 1300 illustrations, animations and photographs, and more than 300 sound effects.
• Create your own wordlists to revise, improve and extend your vocabulary.
• Explore the Language Study pages to develop your vocabulary in particular areas of English, and discover the world with 200 interactive maps in the atlas.

Improve your pronunciation
• Hear the pronunciation of every word in British and American English at the click of a button
• Record, play back and improve your pronunciation, and search for other words that are pronounced in the same way

Personalize your search
• NEW Display only as much information about each word as you want, and add your own notes or translations to every entry in the dictionary
• Use the Super Search to look for groups of words that are of particular interest to you.

Exploit your dictionary
• NEW Over 200 interactive exercises to improve your writing skills
• NEW Connect instantly through weblinks to carefully selected websites offering cultural and encyclopedic information
• Quick Find gives you instant dictionary definitions of words and phrases in documents, email or web pages. Just hover your mouse over the word you want to see.

The MED CD-ROM is Windows Vista compatible.

Download link:
http://www.fileserve.com/file/DsP64n8

September 24, 2010

Guide to English Usage

Title: The Cambridge Guide to English Usage
Author(s): Pam Peters
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 2004
Pages: 621
Size: 4.04 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: British English

The Cambridge Guide to English Usage is an A-Z reference book, giving an up-to-date account of the debatable issues of English usage and written style. Its advice draws on a wealth of recent research and data from very large corpora of American and British English - illuminating their many divergences and also points of convergence on which international English can be based. [+/-]

The book comprises more than 4000 points of word meaning, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and larger issues of inclusive language, and effective writing and argument. It also provides guidance on grammatical terminology, and covers topics in electronic communication and the internet. The discussion notes the major dictionaries, grammars and usage books in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia, allowing readers to calibrate their own practices as required. CGEU is descriptive rather than prescriptive, but offers a principled basis for implementing progressive or more conservative decisions on usage.

• The book is based on extensive, up-to-date corpus data rather than on the author’s personal intuition or prejudice
• It is truly international in scope, differentiating clearly between US, UK, Canadian and Australian usages and referring to other regional varieties as required
• It is clearly and accessibly written, for easy use by anybody concerned with accurate communication in English, whether as a student, a writer, or in other business and professional spheres

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Practical English Usage, 3rd Edition (full-color)

Title: Practical English Usage
Author(s): Michael Swan
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 2005, 3rd Edition
Pages: 689
Size: 238 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High, OCRed
Language: English

Recommened! The world's most trusted guide to problems in English - now in a new paperback edition. A dictionary of problem points in the English language as encountered by learners and their teachers. Common problems are solved with practical, clear information in over 600 entries. Suitable for teachers of English or higher-level students of English (working alone or in class). [+/-]

Key Features:
• Thoroughly revised following extensive research with current users of the book
• New features make it easier for users to find their way around the book
• All the most popular entries are retained, but almost all the entries have been modified to make them clearer and more effective in solving readers' problems
• Explanations and examples now based on current corpus research
• New entries on 'Kinds of English', covering standard English and dialects, correctness, spoken and written English, formality, and variation and change
• Over 600 entries listed alphabetically - cover all the important problems
• Information on grammar, vocabulary, idiom, style, pronunciation, spelling
• Clear simple explanations
• Examples of everyday usage and common mistakes
• British-American differences

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September 23, 2010

The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English

Title: The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English: The Slang, Jargon, and Lingo That are Revolutionizing the English Language
Author(s): Grant Barrett
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Date: 2006
Pages: 450
Size: 3.46 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: American English

This book is the result of hunting on the Internet for unrecorded words. In these pages, you’ll find words you’ve never seen before—even though they’ve been around for decades. You’ll find old words with new definitions. You’ll find foreign words tiptoeing into foreign Englishes, sports jargon butting into politics, street slang bouncing out of California, and Spanish moving comfortably into mainstream American English. From dozens of countries, from politics and sports, slang and jargon, humdrum to extraordinary, new and old, what you’ll read is language that deserves a little more attention.

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A Dictionary of Catch Phrases, 2nd Edition

Title: A Dictionary of Catch Phrases: British and American, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day
Author(s): Eric Partridge
Edited by: Paul Beale
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 1986, 2nd Edition
Pages: 640
Size: 4.45 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: British and American English

A catch phrase is a well-known, frequently-used phrase or saying that has `caught on' or become popular over a long period of time. It is often witty or philosophical and this Dictionary gathers together over 7,000 such phrases. Some reviews of this classic edition: "This delightful book will tell you the history of such phrases as "back to square one", "as the actress said to the bishop", "the bee's knees", "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed", and thousands of other catch phrases, British and American, from the sixteenth century to the present day." - Richard Boston, The Guardian

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Shorter Dictionary of Catch Phrases

Title: Shorter Dictionary of Catch Phrases
Author(s): Rosalind Fergusson (From the work of Eric Partridge and Paul Beale)
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 1994
Pages: 123
Size: 1.64 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: British and American English

Have you ever wondered about the origin of phrases such as "everything but the kitchen sink" and "long time no see"? Then this is the book for you. The Shorter Dictionary of Catch Phrases is a condensed version of Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Catch Phrases concentrating on those phrases that may be found in current use. All of the entries have been rewritten; many are new and 25% are U.S. phrases or of U.S. origin. This will be the "bee's knees" for serious students or lovers of language.

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September 22, 2010

My First Golden Dictionary (full-color)

Title: My First Golden Dictionary
Level: Beginner
Compiled by: Tina Thoborn
Illustrated by: Jean Chandler
Publisher: Western Publishing
Date: 1988
Pages: 23
Size: 29.29 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High, full-color
Language: English

Presents 167 English words in alphabetical order which are illustrated and used in sentences.

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September 20, 2010

Longman Interactive American Dictionary (CD-ROM)

Title: Longman Interactive American Dictionary
Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
ISBN: 0582247950
Date: 2006
Size: 370 Mb
Format: .iso
Language: American English

The Longman Interactive American Dictionary is the first truly interactive American Dictionary in the world. It includes video, color animations, sound, language practice, and interactive exercises, and is ideal for classwork, projects, and homework. Features include:
• 80,000 words and phrases, with 50,000 spoken pronunciations.
• Comprehensive cultural entries from Bill Clinton to Grand Central Station.
• Interactive recording facility for pronunciation practice. [+/-]

Dictionary
Written specially for students of American English, the dictionary contains almost 80,000 words and phrases, and covers all you need to know about American language and culture. Over 50,000 of these words give a real-life pronunciation, and there is a facility which allows you to record your own voice; so you can listen to the pronunciation given, record your own version, then see how it compares with the original.

Common Errors section
The Common Errors section will help you avoid common mistakes which many learners of English make. You can use it to help you with your homework, or to find out more about a word or phrase. Every entry in this section shows two examples of the word in use - one using it correctly, and one using it incorrectly.

The Grammar Book
You can use the Grammar Book to help you study new language areas, or review and practise language. Some sections within the Grammar Book have short, full colour animations attached to them, which are a fun way of consolidating your knowledge of certain grammar points.

Videos
There are 10 videos on the "Longman Interactive American Dictionary", each illustrating grammar and use in true-to-life situations. You can use the videos to extend your vocabulary, practise your listening comprehension and improve your written English. Each video has a script which scrolls down automatically as it plays, so you can follow the words as you hear them.

Exercises
To help you get the maximum from the "Longman Interactive American Dictionary", we have included over 500 specially written exercises concentrating on each of the main sections.

There are exercises to:
- see how well you have understood the dictionary entries
- test your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar
- give you practice in using words from the Common Errors section correctly
- help you get the most out of the pictures
- help you get the most out of the videos

Verbs
This section contains conjugations of all the verbs in the dictionary for all 'persons', and the most common tenses in both simple and progressive forms. You can use it to help you check your spelling and increase your grammatical accuracy.

Pictures
In this section, there are many attractive photographs and drawings to help you learn and remember new words. Each picture has the word being illustrated at the top, and some also have short descriptions of what is in the picture.

So, there's plenty on the "Longman Interactive American Dictionary" to keep you occupied and help you to learn English. But, because this dictionary is on CD-ROM, it's fun to use and will keep you amused even while you're learning! Also, if you've got a multimedia computer, you can use the Longman Interactive American Dictionary at home as well as in the classroom.

System Requirements
PC Minimum Specification:
• 486 IBM-compatible personal computer
• 8 MB RAM
• At least 10 MB free space on hard drive
• Double-speed or faster CD-ROM drive
• Soundblaster-compatible audio card and loudspeakers
• Windows 3.1 or later

Mac Minimum Specification:
• 68040 or greater processor
• Apple System Software version 7.0 or later
• 8 MB RAM
• Double-speed or faster CD-ROM drive and external speakers

Download links:
LIAD.part1.rar
LIAD.part2.rar

September 11, 2010

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Title: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
Editor: Anne H. Soukhanov
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Date: September 9, 1994; 3rd Edition
Pages: 8,652
Size: 40.9 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: American English

Almost a quarter of a century ago a new dictionary bearing the name American Heritage appeared. That book was notable because it did four things and it did them well. It faithfully recorded the language in easily understood definitions. [+/-]

It provided guidance toward accuracy, precision, and grace in the use of English that intelligent people need and seek in a dictionary. It traced, whenever possible, the development of English words to their origins and keyed many to an Appendix of Indo-European Roots. And it presented complex lexical data in a typographically attractive design accented by thousands of photographs and line drawings in spa cious margins.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edi tion, builds upon this distinguished, innovative foundation. The pages of the Third Edition, a lexicon of more than 200,000 boldface forms, hundreds of thousands of meanings, and nearly 4,000 pieces of art, reflect the rich and varied texture of American English as it has been use over time by a broad group of educated speakers.

This Dictionary is the product of four years of work by 175 contributors. In preparing the Dictionary, our editors have had access to a database containing hundreds of millions of lines of text that could be searched for any word in context.

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Longman Photo Dictionary of American English (Book+Audio, only 103 Mb)

Title: Photo Dictionary of American English
Level: Beginner and above
Author(s): N/A
Publisher: Longman
Date: June 4, 2002
Pages: 146
Size: 103 Mb
Format: PDF (18Mb) + MP3 (85Mb)
Quality: Very good, 44kHz/128kbps
Language: American English

Photo dictionaries give students instant understanding of basic words and are ideal for adult students at the first stage of vocabulary building. The new Longman Photo Dictionary of American English uses clear, contemporary color photos to make learning new vocabulary fun, and new words easy to remember! Suitable for both classroom use and home reference, this dictionary teaches real language in real contexts to help beginners master over 3,000 key words. [+/-]

• Over 3,000 essential words grouped contextually or thematically include 94 different topics from everyday lifeThe Kitchen, The Supermarket, Public Transportationto specific interests such as Technology, Sports, Hobbies, and more.

• Over 1,000 full-color photos give students the visual context essential for understanding the accurate meaning and uses of each word.

• Classroom conversation activities cover basic grammar points and stimulate conversation by helping students practice the new vocabulary by describing people, objects, and situations.

• Extra writing practice with controlled exercises at the back of the book recycles all the words through word searches, crossword puzzles, matching activities, and so on.

• An alphabetically organized Wordlist offers useful phonetic pronunciations and quickly guides students to photos of words they don't know.

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Longman Dictionary of Common Errors, 2nd Edition

Title: Longman Dictionary of Common Errors, 2nd Edition
Author(s): N.D. Turton and J. B. Heaton
Publisher: Longman
Date: July 29, 1996/ 11th printing 2003
Pages: 384
Size: 107.67 Mb
Format: PDF in rar
Quality: Excellent, OCRed
Language: British English

The Longman Dictionary of Common Errors provides learners and teachers of English with a practical guide to common errors and their correction. It contains the words and phrases which regularly cause difficulty for foreign learners, regardless of nationality and language background. [+/-]

Arranged alphabetically for ease of use, the entries deal with those errors that regularly appear in the written English of learners at the intermediate level of proficiency and above. Each error is accompanied by a correction and a short, simple explanation.

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Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Title: Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
Author(s): Jack C. Richards and Richard Schmidt
Publisher: Pearson Education
Date: 2002; 3rd Edition
Pages: 606
Size: 1.94 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: British English

This dictionary includes the core vocabulary of both language teaching and applied linguistics. The field of language teaching is concerned with the development of language programmes and courses, teaching methodology, materials development, second language acquisition theory, testing, teacher training and related areas. The dictionary includes terms from the following areas of study in the field of language teaching: [+/-]

• teaching methods and approaches in language teaching
• curriculum development and syllabus design
• second language acquisition
• the teaching of listening, speaking, reading and writing
• computer assisted language learning
• teacher education in language teaching
• English grammar and pronunciation
• language testing, research methods, and basic statistics

The dictionary also includes terms from the field of applied linguistics. For the purposes of this book, “applied linguistics” refers to the practical applications of linguistics and language theory and includes terms from the following areas of study:
• introductory linguistics, including phonology, phonetics, syntax, semantics and morphology
• discourse analysis
• sociolinguistics, including the sociology of language and communicative competence
• psycholinguistics, including learning theories

Download link:
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Longman Dictionary of American English (CD-ROM)

Title: Longman Dictionary of American English CD-ROM
Level: Intermediate to High-Intermediate
Author(s): Natasha Haugnes and Beth Maher
Publisher: Longman
Date: 2004
Size: 235 Mb
Format: .iso
Quality: High
Language: American English

The world's best-selling learner dictionary of American English has been completely revised and updated! Still the only intermediate-level dictionary completely based on authentic spoken and written English, the Longman Dictionary of American English now offers even more outstanding features, including Thesaurus Boxes and a full-color picture dictionary. [+/-]

Real Language
• Completely revised and updated coverage, including terms from business, technology, and the media, ensure that students learn the most current language.
• 52,000 words and phrases.
• Interactive CD-ROM with full contents of the dictionary.

Real Clarity
• The Longman Defining Vocabulary, limited to the 2,000 most common English words, guarantees that definitions are easy to understand.
• 3,000 key words are highlighted so that students know exactly which words to learn first.
• Easy-to-see signposts get students to the right meaning quickly!

Real Help
• Fully integrated thesaurus explains thousands of synonyms and antonyms.
• Spoken phrases are highlighted to help students differentiate between spoken and written forms.
• Full-color picture dictionary brings words to life.
• Learner's Handbook section contains Writing, Grammar, and Communication Guides to help with common errors and vocabulary acquisition.

Hardware Requirements
PC minimum requirements: 486 66MHZ Windows 95/98/NT, 16 Mb RAM. MPC compatible. Audio board (e.g. Soundblaster) Quad speed CD-ROM drive.
MAC minimum requirements: 68040 CPU, 8MB RAM, 8-bit, 256-color display. Dual speed CD-ROM.

Download links:
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Longman Pronunciation Dictionary Study Guide

Title: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary Study Guide
Author(s): Clare Fletcher
Publisher: Longman
Date: 1991
Pages: 55
Size: 1.12 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: British English

The activities and exercises in the guide aim to help familiarize users with the conventions used in the dictionary, and to give practice in recognizing and transcribing a range of English pronunciation, drawing attention to typical features of spoken English. A full key for self-study is also provided. The additional recorded material provides models of English pronunciation, gives passages for listening practice and transcription and includes answers to certain exercises from the study guide. It is aimed at advanced students of English, teachers of English (native and non-native speakers) and students doing basic courses in phonetics.

Download links:
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September 8, 2010

TheSage's English Dictionary and Thesaurus (Freeware)

Title: TheSage's English Dictionary and Thesaurus: A Comprehensive and Easy-to-use Language Reference System
Publisher: Sequence Publishing
Price: Absolutely 100% free of charge
Date: 2009
Size: 8.5 Mb
Format: .exe
Language: English
Website: www.sequencepublishing.com/thesage.html

TheSage's English Dictionary and Thesaurus is a professional software package that integrates a complete dictionary and multifaceted thesaurus of the English language into a single and powerful language reference system. TheSage can look up words directly from almost any program (IE, Word, Firefox, Outlook, Thunderbird,... ) and is 100% portable. [+/-]

TheSage allows you to look up words directly from most applications, offering multiple detailed definitions each coupled with its own thesaurus.

TheSage downloads at 8.52MB; about average for today and fairly tidy, considering that, with more than 200,000 definitions, 50,000 usages, and 70,000 phonetic transcriptions in the dictionary and nearly 1,400,000 word associations in the thesaurus, it would definitely be in library-stand territory, if it were printed on paper. But there's really no way for a paper dictionary to do a fraction of the things TheSage does. For instance, there's an encyclopedia of historical, geographical, political, and biomedical information.

Operating system: Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/NT

Download link:
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August 30, 2010

Encyclopedia of American Education (Vol.1 A to E)

Title: Encyclopedia of American Education (Vol.1 A to E)
Author(s): Harlow G. Unger
Publisher: Facts On File
Date: 2007; 3rd Edition
Pages: 1,403
Size: 9.92 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High
Language: American English

Education in the U.S. has changed significantly since 1996 when the first edition of this volume was published, so it is no surprise that Facts On File updated it. The surprise rests in the number of entries that did not change. The work still includes about 2,500 entries in about 200 subject areas. [+/-]

Topics range from history to current issues, from leading figures and movements to legislation and Supreme Court cases, from administration to adolescence. About 50 new articles deal with distance learning and other emerging trends. Approximately 500 articles have been updated. Some statistics were revised (although the number of California State University campuses was not updated). Library has some very current information, while Children's literature is severely out of date.

Entries range in length from a couple of sentences to several pages. Length does not necessarily correlate with current importance; for instance, Missionary education movements is longer than Minority education, and Military education is longer than Migrant education. The humanities are covered more extensively than the sciences. Individual colleges and historical aspects of education outweigh research and reform (e.g., there is no index listing for statistics, and ethnography is missing entirely). Literacies are under-represented; computer literacy is included but media, visual, and information literacies are excluded. There is no mention of young adult literature, which continues to be a controversial and important topic. Except for those appended to new entries, lists of references contain few current titles.

Several appendixes follow the entries: a sketchy chronology of significant educational benchmarks (none for the 1980s), a list of significant U. S. Supreme Court decisions in education, a list of education majors and degrees, and a topical bibliography of generally older resources.

Despite some gaps this set covers much ground and is useful for many libraries, but should not be considered the definitive source or the only purchase in this area. Given the limited amount of updating, libraries may choose not to replace the previous edition.

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