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DICTIONARY FOR TODAY’S YOUNG LEARNERS OF ENGLISH:
AN ACTIVE
LEARNING DICTIONARY
Learners Publishing 2003 
ISBN 981 4070 35 1
WHAT IS ALD?
An Active Learning Dictionary is an attractive dictionary
compiled and designed specifically with the needs of the up-and-coming
young English-learner in mind – its target reader is the upper-primary
to lower-secondary student, who should find it an easy-to-use, informative
and helpful source.
WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT ALD?
The dictionary is in a handy A5 format (and at 460 pages is not
a heavyweight in the schoolbag) with a bright-looking text in clear,
easily readable fonts, enlivened by a second colour, tinted panel
notes and neat illustrations.
The entries are compiled in a user-friendly style, with large-type
headwords picked out in the second colour, followed by the
word-class label (noun, verb, preposition and so on). The
headword is shown divided into syllables, with standard IPA phonetics
on the line below, so that the one pronunciation guide reinforces
the other. Extra help with tricky pronunciations may be given in
the form of a ‘rhyme’ note, for example: ‘meant
rhymes with sent’; ‘sew rhymes with toe’.
Inflections – verb parts, plurals, comparative and superlative
forms – are given wherever there is irregularity or help is
needed (for example with benefit, benefiting, benefited,
where there can be doubt over consonant-doubling).
Definitions are numbered, with each starting on a fresh line, and
are supported by plentiful examples of use in italic type.
The definitions vary between the ‘whole-sentence’ style
and ordinary dictionary style. The compilers have used whole sentences
where they can be especially helpful, for example to show the typical
subject of a verb, where this changes with meaning:
hurt … 1 to injure a person or animal or cause
them pain: Nobody was hurt in the accident …
2 You hurt yourself when you do something that causes
you to be injured: I fell off my bike but I didn’t hurt
myself … 3 Part of you hurts when it is
sore: My knee hurts … 4 You hurt
a person or their feelings when you do or say something that upsets
them: I felt hurt when Dad criticized me.
The whole-sentence style is often used to show uncountability in
nouns:
glass … 1 Glass is the hard clear material
used to make windows and bottles:… a piece of broken glass
2 a container for drinks made of glass: … a glass
of orange juice.
These come as separate subheadings at the end of the entry and
are of the practical rather than colourful kind, at mind,
for example, you find change your mind and make up your
mind; and at hand there are hand in hand, hold hands,
on hands and knees, and shake hands.
Phrasal verbs also come as separate subheadings and are dealt with
comprehensively; for example, at look the phrasal verbs look
after, look for, look forward to, look out and look up
are included, and go ahead, go in for, go off, go on, go out
and go with are to be found at go.
Numerous tinted panel notes are inserted at the points in the entry
to which they are relevant, and are clearly headed ‘Grammar’,
‘Spelling’, ‘Related Vocabulary’
and ‘Antonyms/Synonyms’ to signal the kind of
help they provide. For example, the plural noun glasses,
which has its own entry independent of glass, is followed
by the grammar note: ‘The noun glasses is plural, but
a pair of glasses is singular: Where is my other
pair of glasses? An antonyms/synonyms note follows, supplying
spectacles as a synonym; and a related-vocabulary note gives
the information ‘The pieces of glass in a pair of glasses
are called lenses: My right lens is stronger than
my left lens.’ Vocabulary-building is catered for
in many other ways; at fish you get three items in the related-vocabulary
note: ‘Many fish are covered with scales; fish breathe
through gills; female fish lay eggs.’
These are placed at the point they refer to in the text; they often
illustrate an example of use (for instance, which button do you
press to turn on this cassette-player?) and are particularly
apposite in showing concepts difficult to describe: fist,
for example, the two different meanings of palm, and ranges
of objects such as types of brushes, lamps, pins and
so on.
- introduction and appendices
The introduction includes a guide to the phonetic symbols and four
pages demonstrating the dictionary’s use and features. There
are five invaluable appendices: British and American English
(help is also given on this in the main text); Irregular verbs;
Word families; Groups and quantities (a wad
of banknotes, a slice of bread, and so on); and Words
confused and misused.
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