Practical English Collocation Dictionary

Author: Huang Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: In the process of learning English vocabulary, what often confuses Chinese learners is not the meaning of words but their usage, with word collocations being particularly challenging. Many people strive to master English by memorizing words thoroughly, hoping to achieve a breakthrough in vocabulary, only to find that while their word count increases, their ability to construct sentences correctly remains riddled with errors. The primary reason for this is often a superficial understanding or even complete ignorance of word collocations. Additionally, neglecting to learn about word collocations can lead learners to make assumptions about English usage based on their native language habits, resulting in the widespread phenomenon known as "Chinglish." Yet, it is often overlooked that due to significant differences in history, geography, and culture between China and the West, the expression and collocation patterns of Chinese and English are vastly different. Therefore, learning English word collocations becomes particularly crucial for Chinese learners. Inspired by this, we embarked on the task of compiling this dictionary. During the compilation process, we referred to a wide range of authoritative dictionaries, reference books, and textbooks. To enhance the timeliness of the dictionary, we also consulted a number of Western and European newspapers and magazines, ensuring that the example sentences in the dictionary reflect contemporary usage. Due to space constraints, this dictionary includes only the most common and frequently misused terms. The definitions of the entries are concise rather than comprehensive. For each entry, various usages are listed separately, followed by example sentences, making the content clear and straightforward. Each usage is accompanied by one or two example sentences, chosen to be illustrative and typical. Given these features, this dictionary is highly suitable for middle school students, college students, or English enthusiasts of equivalent proficiency as a learning and reference tool.