| Containing 6000 basic words and 6000 common idioms and phrasal verbs, Spears's latest book will be in demand by ESL students, teachers, and foreigners traveling in the United States. A former linguistics professor, Spears has written or edited over 30 dictionaries, including NTC's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions, and is currently editorial director of the dictionaries and reference department at Contemporary Books. Here, he places phrases in their normal alphabetical positions and again "at the entry of each non-initial, major word in the phrase." For example, Spears defines "clockwork" as "the moving parts inside a clock or mechanical device, such as a wind-up toy" and gives two examples "(as) regular as clockwork" and "go like clockwork." Both phrases can be found listed separately, in alphabetical order, with definitions. Each entry includes a pronunciation guide using the International Phonetic Alphabet, basic definitions, examples where needed for clarification, lists of transitive and intransitive verbs, spelling rules and words with spelling irregularities, and words with pronunciations that vary depending upon usage. Spears is careful to use simple words in each definition. Recommended for all libraries with a demand for ESL materials. Laurie Selwyn, San Antonio P.L., TX
About the Author
Richard A. Spears, Ph.D., is a reference editor and former linguistics professor who has written more than 30 dictionaries, including NTC's American Idioms Dictionary (ISBN: 0-8442-0273-8) and NTC's American English Learner's Dictionary (ISBN: 0-8442-5859-8). |
