The American Heritage Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs [Hardcover]

Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2005

The ability to understand and use phrasal verbs—verbs that are followed by one or more particles, acting as a complete lexical unit—is essential to the full comprehension of English. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs lists and defines thousands of phrasal verbs, such as look up as used in the sentence “She looked up the word in the dictionary.” Extremely useful to both learners of English as a second language and native speakers of English, this completely new reference work draws on the authority of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, while incorporating new material for thorough, up-to-date coverage of phrasal verbs. Each fully defined phrasal verb is entered in an A–Z format and is followed by helpful example sentences that place the verb in context and show how the verb fits into the sentence structure. For example, at button up, meaning “to fasten all the buttons on a garment,” full sample sentences illustrate two acceptable constructions, “button the sweater up” and “button up the sweater.” Grammatical information is conveyed by straightforward examples instead of confusing codes and abbreviations. The principal conjugations and pronunciations of each verb are included, and all information is presented in a clear, contemporary, and accessible format, a hallmark of the American Heritage® Dictionaries.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Get ahead, get along, get around, get by, get down to, get in on. They're phrasal verbs, and to frustrated ESL students, they pose difficulties that most would rather pass over than plunge into. Such verbs are often acquired conversationally and blunderingly, but those who would prefer to abbreviate or simply bypass the blundering phase will find the help they need in this new dictionary.

Like all the members of the American Heritage dictionary family, this one is well and handsomely designed, with invitingly clean and orderly pages. Main verbs ( meet, mellow, melt) are indicated by a symbol and accompanied by their inflected forms ( met, meeting, meets). Pronunciations are given for each. The entry words and their inflections are followed by phrasal verbs ( meet up, meet with), listed alphabetically. If there is more than one definition for a phrasal verb, the definitions are numbered. Definitions and examples show simply and precisely how each phrase is conventionally used. Slang terms are labeled as such. A pronunciation key appears at the beginning of the volume and also at the bottom of every recto page.

This unique resource belongs on the shelves of most libraries as a complement to standard English-language dictionaries. It will be useful to native English speakers as well as to ESL students. Harold Cordry
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

The Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries and of other reference titles published by Houghton Mifflin Company are trained lexicographers with a varied array of interests and expertise. Most of the editors hold graduate degrees and have studied at least one foreign language. Several have degrees in linguistics or in the history of the English language. Others have degrees in science or sometimes other disciplines. All the editors familiarize themselves with the vocabulary in specific subject areas, collect materials on new developments and usage, and work in association with consultants to ensure that the content of our publications is as accurate and as up-to-date as possible.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (September 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618592601
• ISBN-13: 978-0618592609
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Synonyms & Antonyms

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Correct meanings, January 10, 2008

By 

Gerald "Gerald" (La Paz, Bolivia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Heritage Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs (Hardcover)

Now I have an excellent tool to understand the correct meaning and the use of many phrasal verbs.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The American Heritage Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs Is Really Good:), August 29, 2006

By 

Angela Yanina M. Santiago "oceanlady" (Santiago, Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Heritage Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs (Hardcover)

I really like how comprehensively the book is structured. It is concise and even includes terms that are considered offensive, but I believe that a dictionary, regardless of its kind, should always be as practical and illustrative as possible, just as this one is. If you like The American Heritage Dictionary, this one, to me, is a very distinguished comrade. It's absolutely useful.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Special book, June 26, 2007

By 

Ezequias P. S. Filho "book hooked" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Heritage Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs (Hardcover)

This book is very special guide for students, mainly for students who english isn't its natural language. It will not deceive you. Buy it now.