Product Description

The authoritative guide to American English as it's really used today. The Cambridge Dictionary of American English CD-ROM contains the full text of the printed dictionary, as well as spoken pronunciations for every word in the text to the entry where that word is defined; tools that allow users to add their own notes to the dictionary; and sophisticated lookup tools that let learners search by grammar code, part of speech, and usage label as well as by word. The CD-ROM can also be linked with Microsoft® Word to allow fast lookups from word processing documents. Based on the Cambridge International Corpus, a database that includes more than 200 million words of spoken and written American English, the paperback edition contains more than 40,000 definitions of words and phrases. Entries are organized by meaning, and words with more than one meaning are clearly marked with a boxed guideword, so there's no guesswork involved in finding the right entry. Definitions are written using a carefully controlled 2,000-word defining vocabulary, so they are clear and easy to understand. Authentic, full-sentence examples show learners how words are typically used. More than 3,000 common idioms are defined, and an Idioms Index makes it easy to find them. Language Portraits provide in-depth explanations of difficult grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation. The dictionary also includes coverage of important Canadian and British words and meanings.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #977950 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Paperback
• 1087 pages

Review
'CDAE is a fine achievement. Its careful organisation, clear definitions, cogent examples and crisp typography will attract the interest of English learners everywhere.' Professor David Crystal

The CD-ROM version is a fast reference with the ability to search for phrases within the definitions. I was impressed with its ability to pronounce words out loud for students. One of the greatest language problems teachers face, pronunciation, could be greatly reduced with this instrument.' American Language Review

'The immediate attraction of this dictionary is that it comes with a CD-ROM which adds a great dimension to browsing. Browsing for pronunciation is instantly converted from misery to fun and if not addictive, is definitely moreish.' SATEFL Newsletter, Jan 2001

Customer Reviews

CD ROM needs improvement
I found this product to be comprehensive and well organized. Much to my dismay, the CD-ROM does feature a very limited number of audio files for correct pronuciation. In general, I found the CD-ROM (probably the thing I am more interested in) to be below expectations. How long will we have to wait until technology will reshape the way dictionaries are made? I would actually pay the same money for a CD-ROM only version - paper dictionaries tend to be bulky!