Dictionary as a Second English Teacher

Today’s English
May10th, 2017

The teacher who comes with you throughout your life to clarify your doubts about any word in English is a dictionary, everyone’s second teacher.  Don’t you know how to pronounce a word? Aren't you clear about its spelling?  Wanna try the unknown uses or meanings of a known word? There comes your second English teacher to guide you on your way.

The days we used to keep a standard dictionary on our study table and look for an uncertain word turning several pages patiently alphabetically are gone! Nowadays any online dictionary or its mobile app with just a few strokes on the keyboard finishes it off.

Here are few things about a dictionary you may be interested in:

1. How many words are in English in total? The Second Edition of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains 2,28,132 words in total,  (full entries for 171,476 words in current use, and 47,156 obsolete words. To this may be added around 9,500 derivative words included as subentries.)  Webster’s Third New International dictionary includes 5,00,000 words. The number of words will often change in the case of online dictionaries since they are constantly updated with new words.

2. How many English dictionaries are in the world? Amazon.com alone sells more than 2,00,000 different kinds of dictionaries! So the actual number is uncountable!

3. Which is the first dictionary in English language? The first English dictionary was published by Robert Cawdrey in 1604. However Dr. Johnson was the first one to produce a standard modern dictionary on15-04-1755 with 42773 words which are explained with 1,14,000 quotations taken from the works of great writers such as Shakespeare, Milton and Dryden.

4. When you refer to a standard dictionary, words mentioned as archaic, old-fashioned, obsolete, slang and disapproving should not be employed in speech and writing in English.

5. Wanna download an offline dictionary for a ready reference on your mobile? Choose “English Dictionary -offline by vivio” the best mobile dictionary app that works well without internet connection, available on google play.

Do you know how Dr.Johnson defined the word life in his dictionary? His exact definition with 15 meanings is given below:

“LIFE,/. plural //T/fi. [Iipun, to live. Sax.]
1. Union and co-operation of foul with
body. Geneſis.
2. Preſent ſtate. Cowley.
3. Enjoyment, or pcfTeflion of terreflnai
exiſtente. Prior.
4. Blood, the ſuppoſed vehicle of life. Pope.
5. Conduct ; manner of living with reſpect
t to virtue or vice. Pope. .
6. Condition ; manner of living with reſpect
to happineſs and miſery. Dryden.
7. Continuance of our preſent ſtate. Locke.
8. The living form ; reſemblance exactly
copied. Brown.
9. Exact reſemblance. Denham.
10. General ſtate of man. Milan,
11. Common occurrences ; human affairs
; the courſe of things. y^fcjjam.
12. Living perſon. Shakʃpeare.
13. Narrative of a life pafl. Pope. .
14. Spirit ; briflcneſs ; vivacity ; reſolution. Sidney.
15. Animated exiſtence ; animal being. Thomſon.”