What we read
The study skills page that follows Unit 9 of Bixby and Scanlon (2013, p. 96) gets us to think about and gives some suggestions on using a thesaurus.
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My response
To be honest, I don't often use a thesaurus, even though it's very convenient. And what I liked most on page 96 was actually Bixby and Scanlon's question 2 in the "Getting Started" section at the top. Why I liked this is because it focuses attention on skillful use of a dictionary, which seems to me a more important skill set in writing. (And I've now written my quota of cleft sentences.) I have, consequently, also added that question below.
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Bixby and Scanlon's questions
In a comment, respond to these questions.
- Do you use a dictionary to help you when you are writing?
- What type of dictionary do you use?
- What do you use it to check? That is, how does it help you?
- Which type of thesaurus would be most useful for you? (e.g., paper or online? alphabetical or topical?) Why?
- What are the potential disadvantages of using a thesaurus?
- How might we avoid these possible disadvantages?
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Reference
- Bixby, J, & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. London: Macmillan Education
Of course I do, I use oxford advance learner dictionary because this contains academic word list, grammar usage and variety of examples.
ReplyDeleteI use it to check word collocations and meanings because these are really difficult to remember but it is easy to make mistakes
I prefer online version of thesaurus for the reason that I can find words easier than open paper dictionary.
The potential disadvantages of using a thesaurus is that we might not remember the word after we found it. This could lead us to remember just simple word because we know that we have a useful dictionary. From my viewpoint, no need to avoid this disadvantage because it was subjective
I always use a paper dictionary because I always get in to no-signal area so I used to the book form more than the digital form. In addition, I use dictionary to check the meaning of a particular word which appear in books, passages or something else I am on.
ReplyDeleteI think online thesaurus will useful to me because it will be easier to find words than the paper one.
I think thesaurus are helpful in any meaning but it will have disadvantage if we choose the wrong word to fit in our work before check those words meaning carefully. So we need to chack it before using a word from thesaurus to avoid mistakes.
I always use a dictionary for writing but most sources I used are online sources. I will look for the words'synonym the most to see other word that would match my expression. So, the online thesaurus would be useful and easy for me to access. And I prefer both alphabetical and topical type. I also agree with Beer's idea for the disadvantages.
ReplyDeleteI always use dictionary when I write, or read. I usually use a application on my use for it is the most convenient dictionary to reach and to search. When I read I use a dictionary to look for meanings of words. But when I write, I usually use it to find a more accurate synonym of a word I can think of. I rarely use it to translate a Thai word to English.
ReplyDeleteI never use a thesaurus that is in topical order, I wonder if it is easier to use.
One thing that is important is to pick the right word. Some words have two or more meanings depend on the context. Some two words have the same meaning but use in different context. We should look for the word in a sentence as well to make sure it really is the appropriate word to use.
I've already admitted that I rarely use a thesaurus. Maybe that's a habit I should think about changing. What I do do is what Kumar does: I use a dictionary when I'm writing. Sometimes I want to check the exact meaning of a word to make sure I'm expressing my idea exactly the way I want to, and occasionally I just want to check a spelling, especially if Google or Word have underlined it but I think it's OK.
ReplyDeleteKumar is right that it can be distracting to stop and check a dictionary, so I don't do it too often, but sometimes I need to. What I more often do is check a dictionary when I'm revising, and perhaps this would also be a good time to use a thesaurus to look for ways to improve my word choice.
And I would always choose an online version. All of the dictionaries I use today are online, mostly they are online versions of paper dictionaries that I've used for many years. My favourite is the massive Oxford English Dictionary, which is 24 very large volumes in paper: it is much easier to use online, and a lot a easier to read than the tiny print of the weighty paper version I used to use, but the paper volumes do look impressive on your bookshelves - mine now decorates my brother's home. I don't think he ever actually uses them, and I wouldn't, except as an exercise in nostalgia.
And I was happily surprised to discover only a couple of days ago that my favourite reference grammar, which isn't actually the one I recommend for students, is now available in a Kindle edition! My paper version of Huddleston and Pullums 1,880 page book weighs a few kilos, so is good exercise for wrists when I refer to it, but a Kindle version will be far more inviting. Unfortunately, it costs $250! (Dollars, not Baht!). Maybe for my next birthday I'll buy that for myself.
Getting back to our topic. I recommend the thesaurus that comes with Oxford Dictionaries, which also has a very good section on basic grammar.
Yes, I always use dictionary when I don't know the word in English. Usually, I use English-English dictionary because I think the explanation is clearer than a translation in Thai word and there are examples of the sentences that are very useful in order to use the word correctly. I use Oxford dictionary and Cambridge dictionary to check the meaning and also the spelling of the word.
ReplyDeleteThe type that organizes words by topic is more useful for me because it help me know the type of word that should be use in the context that I want to use.
The disadvantages are that thesaurus contain many synonyms of the words that some words are not quite accurate in terms of the meaning of the word you look up.
I often use an online dictionary on my phone to help my writing and mostly I use the alphabetical type, because I can bring it everywhere and it is much more convenient than the paper dictionary. I use it to find a meaning of a word that I can't translate or don't understand when I'm reading and I also use it to find English word that I want to use in my writing.
ReplyDeleteI think, the potential disadvantage of using a thesaurus is that you may get a word that is not appropriate or match with your work or sometimes get a wrong word that may affect the meaning and understanding of your writing. So, we should wisely choose the proper words for your work.
1) I usually use two types of dictionaries when I am writing. The first one is an English-English dictionary; the other is an English-Thai dictionary. I use these dictionaries to check the meaning of English vocabulary to ensure that I use the right words.
ReplyDelete2) I have never used a thesaurus, because I think that a dictionary would be more useful for me when I need to understand meaning of English words. A dictionary also help me know part of speech of English words.
3) I think that a thesaurus is for native English speakers. It is not help me to understand meaning.
Um, I can use the dictionary when I don't know the vocabulary mean. I used it many time because it can help me to design the correct sentence. The dictionary when I used it in the past is Oxford dictionary because it can be easy to understand and it found word very easy but now I can use the phone talking dictionary because it very fast to use it more than dictionary.
ReplyDeleteType of the thesaurus or dictionary when I use to help my writing skill was the book of the artist or the artist's article because I'm art student.
Yes, I always use a dictionary. I often use application dictionary from my phone. When I don't know the meaning or the spelling, I will search them.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the online thesaurus is the most convenient and useful because of how fast it is. Some websites also show the ways how to use the words or the examples.
The disadvantages of using a thesaurus are not pretty much but can cause some bad effects to you, for example, you will accustomed to search the words and will be hard for remembering those words. So, the way to avoid these possibility are using it as less as possible and try to remember the words as many as you can.