tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post5974824905828765665..comments2024-03-04T01:47:18.750-05:00Comments on Lemurian Congress: Words, Words, WordsAdam Thorntonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-83717688221308552632009-02-07T22:23:00.000-05:002009-02-07T22:23:00.000-05:00I do have an Unabridged Oxford at home - and I use...I do have an Unabridged Oxford at home - and I use it. I look up words all the time. I read a lot of stuff - varied stuff, and sometimes I don't know what a word means, so I look it up. I use online dictionaries as quick reference, but I prefer good old book dictionaries.Hildahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02606429468531084214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-1275567655239150392009-01-30T13:07:00.000-05:002009-01-30T13:07:00.000-05:00There is a cute T-shirt with a dinosaur/thesaurus ...There is a cute T-shirt with a dinosaur/thesaurus theme. View it at this link: <BR/><BR/>http://www.snorgtees.com/thesaurus-p-543.html?osCsid=db877fe92e67b185b1b5962f983450e0 <BR/><BR/>Saw this company's ad in the online NY Times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-68970765349796774992009-01-29T15:52:00.000-05:002009-01-29T15:52:00.000-05:00I use the Thesaurus far more than the Dictionary a...I use the Thesaurus far more than the Dictionary as well...my spellchecker takes care of most spelling tasks and I'm literate enough to know most usage rules. The Thesaurus is there to add colour or to find exactly the RIGHT word.<BR/><BR/>I find online dictionaries -- either software or online -- to be really awful for reference. They're convenient, certainly, but if I'm REALLY curious about a word I use my enormous Oxford paper dictionary.<BR/><BR/>But I don't have the space, budget, or upper-body strength for an unabridged either. :)Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-81530679055517530952009-01-29T13:03:00.000-05:002009-01-29T13:03:00.000-05:00I remember reading William Zinsser's indispensible...I remember reading William Zinsser's indispensible “On Writing Well,” which included a discussion of his work on the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary. I thought it was a fascinating insight into the work of the “traffic cops” who (literally) “define” what our dictionaries will define.<BR/><BR/>What a responsibility it must be to begin the process of removing words from common usage! I suppose it’s on a par with deciding which new words are worthy of listing.<BR/><BR/>These days, I turn to the thesaurus more than to the dictionary. Like you (“because I want to communicate my ideas in as specific and unambiguous a way as possible, especially if I'm writing an essay…”) I sometimes need a better word than the one I was going to use.<BR/><BR/>I don’t have room for an unabridged dictionary, nor for the obligatory wooden stand. I assume (perhaps wrongly) than an unabridged dictionary never shrinks (?). However, it can certainly become outdated all too soon after its purchase. I am not always content with Microsoft’s idea of dictionary and thesaurus, but they usually suffice.<BR/><BR/>Nonetheless the hunt for the right word continues!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com