Macmillan Advanced English Dictionary

Author: Macmillan Education Limited
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-11-01
Features: The Macmillan Advanced Learner's Dictionary was only recently completed and published last year (2002), making it the newest English dictionary available on the market. It not only reflects updates in vocabulary but also demonstrates new developments in meaning, style, rhetoric, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics in its definitions. It is a dictionary designed for English learners, ensuring that the definitions are accurate, concise, and practical. Particularly, the definitions are strictly limited to 2,500 common words. This greatly benefits learners by avoiding the need to repeatedly look up unfamiliar words within the definitions. The selection of words in this dictionary is based on corpus data. Core vocabulary is highlighted in red in the main text, and the frequency of usage is indicated by one, two, or three red stars. For high-frequency three-star words with multiple meanings and longer definitions, a table format is used to list their most common meanings in concise language. Taking the three-star word CLOSE as an example, 11 common meanings are listed under its verb form and 17 under its adjective form, with each entry not exceeding six words. This makes it clear and convenient. The illustrations in this dictionary include two sets of color inserts (16 pages in total) and over 1,000 words with illustrations. What makes it particularly unique is that, in addition to schematic diagrams for general nouns (objects, etc.), special illustrations depicting actions are designed for verbs that are difficult to express in words. The dictionary also uses different markers in its definitions to indicate the stylistic features of each word, such as informal or formal language, euphemistic or blunt expressions, humor or seriousness, and old or new usage. It particularly clearly distinguishes between formal, very formal, informal, and very informal usage. This helps learners understand word meanings and context correctly, avoiding misuse. Another unique feature is the "Metaphor" column highlighted in red in the dictionary. It uses vivid metaphors and life-like examples to help readers understand word meanings more accurately and vividly. Special mention should be made of the "Language Tips" insert. It concisely explains the common usage of English in the early 21st century, covering aspects such as discourse, pragmatics, rhetoric, style, word formation, and a comparison between British and American English; as well as many other topics such as the characteristics of computer English and business English.