After examining it briefly last night, I can already say that the CLD seems to be an excellent dictionary. Unlike other dictionaries of the same type, it seems particularly clear and easy to use. The usage notes will prove very helpful indeed and particularly appropriate for foreign learners. But what I find most useful (as an English teacher for more than 20 years) is that you should highlight basic structures and prepositions as well as common collocations by using bold characters. In my experience, students tend to be extremely short-sighted when using a dictionary; so, unless you manage to have them pay attention to the basic structures, prepositions and collocations in one way or another, they just won't see anything and using a dictionary paradoxically often proves ... almost useless. If you allow me, I would even suggest that you should develop the collocation aspect of your dictionary even further and provide common collocations systematically: if I consider my students' usual mistakes, I can say that they tend to translate French expressions literally because their dictionaries provide very little information about the common collocations they should use. This being said, your CLD is so much better than the other dictionaries of the same type available on the market that I will recommend it highly, both to my students and my colleagues at the CEC Andre-Chavanne. However, before doing that, I would appreciate it if >you could let me know the price of your CLD, both with and without the CD-ROM. I will also tell our presidente de groupe about your offer to visit our school and give us a presentation of your other materials. In this respect, I keep recommending your English Vocabulary in Use series, which I regard as the best teaching aids there is as far as teaching vocabulary is concerned. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues still seem to believe that handing out lists of isolated words (with the translation into French) is an effective wa
The Cambridge Learner's Dictionary is very up-to-date with the features of the latest generation. Thumb index, colour pages of themed word fields that are really best illustrated in this way, study pages on grammar, sections on letter writing, a good guide to what's what in the dictionary, phonetic symbols exemplified at the bottom of each and every page, even exercises with an answer key. All in all a worthy effort. The content is, at first inspection, eminently suitable for the intermediate students at whom the book is aimed. The CD rom installed fast and simply on my PC, and searches are fast and straightforward. Adjacent entries are shown in addition to the searched for word. A related word 'link' functions like a thesaurus. A very useful tool indeed in helping our students extend vocabulary. The key feature is the sound recordings, both in British and US versions, of every word featured. This is admirably done and not stilted at all. It provides a reliable model for the student to imitate. I hope Cambridge University Press find sufficient success with this product to extend the range into advanced and elementary versions. Advanced students struggle with pronunciation too, and would appreciate the sound recordings. As would non-native speaker teachers. In the final analysis, it's a challenging competitor to the Oxford versions, and fills a niche in the market. I will be recommending this package to my students and colleagues.
'Modern, easy to use, good use of coloured headwords. A very nice dictionary for the intermediate level may be the only one most learners will ever need. CD-ROM a nice plus. Bang up-to-date.' TEFL Farm
