Using Dictionaries – The Secret to Language Fluency
I always tell my clients that a good dictionary (or two) is their best friend when it comes to writing and speaking accurately and continuing to learn and improve their English independently.
That’s why at AllTalk Training we make sure to not only teach our clients correct grammar and pronunciation, and new vocabulary, but also how they can use a dictionary to continue to learn effectively even when they no longer have a teacher around. You can get so much valuable information from dictionaries and learning how to use them well is a skill you will have for life!
You will also get much more from using a monolingual (i.e. only English) dictionary than you will from a bilingual dictionary. Of course, you can, and should, still use a bilingual dictionary when you need it – in fact, the best thing is to combine the use of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries.
So here are some monolingual dictionaries that I would highly recommend:
Learner’s Dictionaries – specially created for people learning English with clear explanations and lots of examples
Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
You can also use the standard versions of these dictionaries if you need more information and examples
Cambridge (general dictionary)
Learners who don’t use dictionaries yet usually haven’t discovered how to find all the information they offer. That’s why we make sure our clients become familiar with using these tools so they can continue to learn English independently even after our courses have finished!