Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus
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Book Summary Information
Compiler: Christine A. LindbergForeword: Rick Moody
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-11
ISBN: 0195342844
Number of pages: 1128
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus
Book Review: looks good so far
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for my 10 year old daughter who wants to be a writer and illustrator someday. The "Thematic Lists" in the book will be helpful in brainstorming ideas. It is simply a listing of things in a category. There are lists of Animals, Art, Clothing, Dance, Food, Games, Geography, Music, Mythology, Science, Transportation, and more. They are obviously not complete lists, but will help develop ideas. There is also a listing of "Archaic Words" which list older meanings to words that have totally different meanings today. One example I pointed out to my daughter was the word "learn", the older definition is to teach, as in "what did the teacher learn you today?" Other examples are: let=hinder, buss=a kiss, carl=man of low birth, con=study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing), fourscore=80, plight=solemnly pledge or promise (faith or loyalty). There is also a listing of "Literary Words" to be used in poetry or what I call flowery writing. Some examples of them are: bestrew=scatter, cockcrow=dawn, cozen=swindle crapulent relating to the drinking of alcohol, flaxen=pale yellow, gloaming=dusk, nigh-near, zephyr=a soft, gentle breeze, purl=flow with a babbling sound. There is also a language guide containing grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation, which I myself will find helpful in brushing up on their proper usage. The last feature I find helpful is the notes by the authors describing word usage, words that are confused (such as founder and flounder, or censor and censure), linked words (such as horse and equine, or tetrahedron and four), shades of meaning between opposites (such as success and failure), and other such notes. I have not had time to really explore the book yet, but it looks good so far.
Summary of Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus
This new edition of the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is more exceptional than ever, solidifying its place as the one thesaurus every writer (or aspiring writer) will want to have. It provides more than 300,000 synonyms and 10,000 antonyms, with copious real-life example sentences and careful selection and ordering of the most relevant synonyms. Additional features include notes on American English usage and word spectrums showing the shades of meaning between polar opposites. The text is enhanced with thoughtful mini-essays on favorite words by ten noted contemporary writers--David Auburn, Michael Dirda, David Lehman, Erin McKean, Stephin Merritt, Francine Prose, Zadie Smith, Jean Strouse, David Foster Wallace, and Simon Winchester.This new edition has been updated and enhanced, including a new foreword by award-winning author Rick Moody. Additionally, the second edition introduces new Word Toolkits, which use an exciting visual display of information to demonstrate the nuances in meaning and use of closely related words. Also new to this edition is a center section including thematic word lists, as well as a comprehensive language guide with writing tips. The new features are based on findings from Oxford's groundbreaking language research program and the Oxford English Corpus.
The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is truly (surely, certainly, unquestionably) the perfect tool for discriminating writers of all varieties looking for the perfect word.
Praise for the first edition:
"The best new array of synonyms around."
--William Safire, The New York Times Magazine
"The only problem in consulting this book could be that the original purpose soon is lost while the reader becomes immersed in one fascinating passage after another." --Richmond Times Dispatch
"Practice writing sharper essays with just the right words from the new Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus."-Parade
"A person looking up a word may continue reading for another 15 minutes or so just out of interestThis is probably the best thesaurus yet."--Desert News
"Written by writers for writers, this innovative thesaurus truly advances the time-honored word source."--American Libraries
"A title that breathes fresh life into a genre very much in need of CPR. This work breaks away from the traditional format of simple lists of synonyms and antonyms by offering a number of ingenious and helpful features set within boxes in the text.... Highly recommended."--Library Journal (Starred Review)
"In the jargon of sportscasters The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is a triple threat: It's a freshly conceived guide to finding just the right word, it's published by the greatest name in English reference books, and it offers thoughtful, amusing and provocative mini-essays on 240 favorite words by nine distinguished contemporary writers."
--Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize winning critic and longtime journalist for The Washington Post
"This very readable reference will help writers find the most precise word for their needs.... Current, thoughtful, and attractively formatted, this is an indispensable tool for writers."
--School Library Journal (Starred Review)
"Perhaps the thesaurus's most fascinating feature is lengthy lists of words that link opposites--fat and thin, comic and tragic, interesting and boring. With this book close at hand, no one will call you the thesaurus's ultimate synonym for writer: a hack."
--Village Voice
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