Last weekend I was at an ELT conference inwards Brussels talking most online dictionaries in addition to digital literacy. Just earlier my session, I got chatting to i of the other presenters. It turned out that he was presenting at the same fourth dimension equally me then wouldn't endure able to come upward to my session. I briefly explained that I'd endure talking most how, alongside the proliferation of online lexicon sites about, it's of import for teachers to aid their students honor sites that are relevant in addition to useful.
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| Photo credit: Alexdi at English linguistic communication Wikipedia |
He started telling me enthusiastically most a site he loved to operate alongside his students called wordhippo.com. He explained that it contained a whole wealth of information, non simply definitions, but lots of synonyms in addition to antonyms too. It wasn't a site that I'd come upward across, then I quicky checked it out. I was using a distich of telephone commutation words equally examples inwards my session, then I looked upward i of these, sensible, equally a quick betoken of comparison:
Definitions for skilful speakers:
I similar a shot recognized the definitions that popped upward equally coming from oxforddictionaries.com; they were word-for-word identical. Now lots of lexicon sites quite legitimately license information from large lexicon publishers, but an warning bell started to tinkle when I couldn't honor the source of the definitions credited anywhere on the site. Ethical in addition to legal concerns aside though, from a pedagogical perspective, I was to a greater extent than worried past times the fact that the definitions were quite clearly aimed at native/expert speakers, non learners. Unlike learner's dictionaries, which carefully aeroplane the aeroplane of the linguistic communication inwards definitions - typically using a restricted 'defining vocabulary' to ensure that the words inwards a definition are less hard than the give-and-take itself - native speaker dictionaries aim to explicate the nature of a give-and-take inwards a agency that volition endure useful to an skilful speaker of English, but which is oftentimes completely inaccessible to an average learner.
Compare these definitions for the start feel of sensible:
"chosen inwards accordance alongside wisdom or prudence; probable to endure of benefit" (wordhippo.com; originally from oxforddictionaries.com?)
"reasonable, practical, in addition to showing goodness judgment" (ldoceonline.com)
A bewildering plethora of synonyms:
When I searched for synonyms of sensible, I was faced alongside a listing of 49 possible options, inwards no clearly discernible order, ranging from the predictable (and useful) reasonable and logical, to obscure in addition to sometimes downright baffling suggestions such equally sagacious, cognizant and consequent. I tin simply run across those slotting inwards naturally to an intermediate learner's essay, can't you?! Any thesaurus or listing of synonyms tin endure a flake of a minefield for fifty-fifty advanced learners, but the longer they are, the to a greater extent than obscure the options in addition to the less information given most each one, arguably the to a greater extent than confusing in addition to problematic they become. The thesaurus facilities available alongside several of the online learner's dictionaries at to the lowest degree create to a greater extent than restricted sets of relatively high-frequency alternatives, which students are quite probable to recognize in addition to to a greater extent than realistically brand operate of. My personal favourite is the 'Explore thesaurus' characteristic at macmillandictionary.com which for each feel of a give-and-take provides a manageable listing of synonyms in addition to related words along alongside their definitions to aid students run across correct away how the words are similar, in addition to maybe to a greater extent than importantly, different. At the start feel of sensible, for example, they offering practical, rational, logical, realistic, rightly, sound and mature.
Why attain nosotros dear the hippo?
I felt a flake bad dissing a site that a beau professional clearly enjoyed using. As I explained to him though, equally skilful speakers, it's tardily to acquire drawn inwards past times what appeals to us equally fans of the linguistic communication rather than what mightiness endure useful for our students. I acknowledge that equally a linguistic communication nerd that juicy long listing of quirky synonyms was fun. I enjoyed skimming through all the words in addition to picking out the ones I wouldn't convey idea of in addition to fifty-fifty the ones I'd never heard of - refractory as a synonym of difficult anyone?
When you're looking for an online lexicon to operate alongside or recommend to your learners, y'all mightiness inquire the next questions:
- Is the source of the content clear?
- Is the content designed for linguistic communication learners?
- Is the content clear, accessible in addition to useful for your learners?
Chances are, that'll Pb y'all to the sites of the 'big five' learner's dictionaries. There are lots of fascinating lexicon in addition to vocabulary-related websites out at that spot which all convey their attractions in addition to uses, but if you're looking for a reliable, appropriate, well-presented resources for your students, I recollect it's notwithstanding hard to shell the one-time favourites.
The 'big five' learner's dictionaries online:
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