Criterion

Grade: 5/4/3/2/1

Comments (5 being the highest grade and 1 the lowest)

Originality

4

While no dictionary is truly original, the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary does have certain features which are original to it and are to the benefit of the learner. Most noteworthy and useful of these are the Other Ways of Saying… (synonyms) and Word Partners (collocations) boxes which occur throughout and which help further develop and diversify students’ range of vocabulary. Similarly, there is a strong focus on phrasal verbs and idioms for the more playful and adventurous students. What’s more, the fact that it is the most recent dictionary from the ‘Big 4’ publishers it has the advantage of including a more up-to-date corpus with words handily levelled according to the CEFR.

The Common Mistakes boxes remain from the previous edition and they’re particularly useful in guiding students away from the potential pitfalls and tricky nuances of the language. The addition of a detailed Focus on Writing section also sets the dictionary apart from its competitors, dealing with a variety of styles - academic, formal, informal and presentations. While not exhaustive, it does include plenty of useful language and writing tips to help develop higher level writing.

Where it really excels is with the CD-ROM component. It’s filled with extra features which help make it more than just a dictionary. So when looking up a word, not only do you get the definition, you also get a SMART Thesaurus for every word and this is further supplemented by Collocations, Word Building, Verb Endings, Extra Examples and Common Learner Errors depending on the word a student is searching for. On top of that there are also models of British and American pronunciation, with the added opportunity for students to record themselves saying the words, which is a nice touch. And if that wasn’t enough there’s also a picture bank.

Practicality

4

A dictionary might have everything you could ever wish for in it (140,000 words complete with pronunciation, definitions, examples etc in this case), but the mark of how good a dictionary really is, is just how user-friendly it is for students whose first language is not English.

In this respect Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary does well. It’s generally easy to navigate with clearly organised pages which never seem to be over-cluttered despite the huge amount of information in any given entry. While there are plenty of abbreviations these are clearly explained at the front end of the book, along with a helpful users’ guide to enable students to get the most out of it. Certainly anyone just picking it up would be able to navigate their way around with ease and make the most of the information given.

Similarly, the CD-ROM is very easy to use and certainly there couldn’t be anything easier than finding a word at the click of a button. What’s more it’s customisable so that students can ensure that they can really make the most of it. Two other features that really help out are QUICKfind and SUPERwrite. The former is designed to help with reading, whereby simply by double-clicking on any word in a document or online you get the definition, while the SUPERwrite feature aids writing in a similar fashion.  Both are very useful little tools.

Presentation

3

While the information is presented and organised clearly in a good font size, with good use of capitals and bolding, it is presented in a world of bronze and black (aside from the colour dictionary section). This lack of colour is to its detriment compared to other dictionaries as it means that the information is potentially not as clear as it otherwise might be.

Overall rating

4

What outstanding strengths/ weaknesses do you feel this title possesses?

Up-to-date corpus of words and phrases correlated to CEFR levels.

Excellent CD-ROM version of the dictionary with good additional support.

On which courses do you envisage being able to use this material?

This dictionary would work well for both general and academic/exam courses.

Criterion

Grade: 5/4/3/2/1

Comments (5 being the highest grade and 1 the lowest)

Originality

3

This Fourth Edition of the CALD includes hundreds of new words, many of which, as you would imagine, relate to technology and media. The impact of globalisation and the internet means there are also new words included that come from India, Australia, South Africa and other countries where English is widely spoken. (I didn’t know that ‘candyfloss’ in British English is ‘Fairy floss’ in Australia for example.)

A ‘Focus on writing section’ has been added to this edition which offers useful advice and information for learners concerning academic, formal and informal writing, which is handy for students taking the Cambridge exams (particularly Cambridge exams such as IELTS or First (FCE))

A large number of the words in the dictionary have CEFR symbols next to them (eg levels B2, C1, C2) These indicate which words a learner should know at that level. This can make students more aware of which words they should focus on and perhaps make the sheer volume of vocabulary in English seem less intimidating.

‘Common mistake’ boxes occur throughout the book highlighting typical vocabulary problems learners encounter and get confused by. For example on p104 the difference between ‘bad’ and ‘badly’ and another is a ‘Common mistake’ box making students aware of the difference in how ‘funny’ or ‘fun’ is used. These are very useful and the words well chosen.

A CD-ROM included with the book enables learners to hear the pronunciation of the words in British and American English and also has a thesaurus feature.

Practicality

4

Well-written example sentences clearly show how each word in the dictionary is used. ‘Guide words’ help the learner find the correct meaning when a word has several meanings, which is, of course, vital for learners. For example on p594 the word ‘flush’ has several meanings highlighted by ‘guide words’ including: ‘BECOME RED’, ‘TOILET’, ‘LEVEL’, ‘CARD GAMES’ and so on.

This should help students quickly locate the correct meaning of the word.

At over 1800 pages the book is heavy to carry around and it is more time-consuming to look up a word in a paper dictionary than typing it into an app or online. Many learners may find the CALD mobile app or online dictionary more practical (particularly if they are soon to fly home and have a strict baggage weight allowance!)

Presentation

4

The pronunciation of each word is given in the International Phonetic alphabet with variations in British and American pronunciation clearly highlighted.

Collocations (referred to as ‘Word partners’ in the dictionary) are often given in bold or sometimes in separate red boxes. These are very important for learners. Other red boxes for ‘other ways of saying something’ appear frequently. For example, for the word ‘intelligent’ there are alternatives given with example sentences – words such as ‘smart’, ‘clever’, ‘bright’, ‘brilliant’, ‘gifted’ and ‘wise’.

Visually there are occasional black and white illustrations to break up the text. It is not clear what the criteria are for when an image is included or not. For example there is an image of a ‘sofa’ but not of a ‘seatbelt’, there is a picture of ‘beehive’ but not of a ‘bed’.

In the middle of the book are glossy, colour pages covering typical topic areas such as food, clothes and transport. Colour maps of the UK, USA and Australia and New Zealand are also included which give the dictionary a slight retro, pre-Google feel – perhaps suitable for those who would chose a paper dictionary over more modern options?

Overall rating

3.5

What outstanding strengths/ weaknesses do you feel this title possesses?

The CALD is up-to-date with plenty of new vocabulary, which is a positive, although pretty soon many of these words could fall out of fashion and potentially make it feel somewhat dated, for example the definitions of text speak or the information on micro blogging.

The main strength of the dictionary is how well the information and explanation about each word is given and carefully pitched at the level of advanced learners. A studious English learner could really find this beneficial and hopefully other learners won’t find the amount of information confusing or overwhelming (see the entry for ‘easy’ on p479 as an example).

The ‘Improve your writing’ section is a strong point for students preparing for Cambridge exams and having some words marked according to level and their importance is a good innovation.

On which courses do you envisage being able to use this material?

The dictionary would be good for General English courses of B2 level and above and Exam and Pre-Sessional courses. The CALD is suitable for adults rather than children as it includes (clearly marked) ‘offensive’ words (please think of your own examples and look them up!)

Other comments

Teachers, in addition to having their students use the dictionary, may find the CALD useful for lesson planning. It shows what information students need about particular words, for example collocations, synonyms and common mistakes. For less experienced or trainee teachers the CEFR levels marked on words could be helpful if they were unsure of how difficult their learners may find a word.