Colour Oxford English Dictionary [Paperback]

Julia Elliot (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dictionary | Publication Date: June 20, 2002

This reissue of the second edition of the Colour Oxford English Dictionary is part of Oxford's new range of dictionaries derived from the highly-acclaimed New Oxford Dictionary of English. With a portable and durable format, it is an excellent all-purpose dictionary, although it is particularly suitable for schoolchildren, especially pre-GCSE and Standard Grade level, in the 11-14 age group. The emphasis is therefore on clarity and accessibility both in terms of layout and content. The bold and attractive new design, with all headwords, inflections, derivatives, and phrases in colour, makes it very easy to find the information you need, while definitions are written in clear and simple English, avoiding technical vocabulary. Extra help is provided in the shape of pronunciation for difficult vocabulary using a simple respelling system, in-text notes which give guidance on spelling, usage, and selected word origins, and boxes which cover general grammar points, such as punctuation, word building, and pronouns. This reissue published with a new jacket replaces the previous ISBN: 0-19-860375-4.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Angus Stevenson is a Project Editor for English Dictionaries at OUP.

Product Details

• Paperback: 831 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (June 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198605692
• ISBN-13: 978-0198605690
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,497,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable and usable dictionary, March 25, 2007

By 

LizD (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Color Dictionary (Paperback)

The Oxford Color Dictionary scores high on readability and usability. Word entries are bold and in blue, with no dots, dashes or spaces between the syllables. I bought it for my 5th grader who was having trouble scanning our huge unabridged dictionary and was thwarted by the syllable indicators, latin, and obscure abbreviations. Plus, the definitions are clear, if a little simple.

My test for whether the dictionaries I reviewed were at the right level was for the mathematical terms "mean" and "median." This dictionary had useful definitions for both.

The downside, for us, is the British-English spelling of words (like "favour"). US spellings are listed in parentheses inside the definitions of the British spellings. Not perfect for the spelling-challenged.