What size dictionary should I buy? (Pocket vs. Office vs. Collegiate)

Wondering what size dictionary you should buy? Let a miserable offender guide you.
#Dictionary #Webster #MerriamWebster

[@hammerandthewrench7924]

Bigger is always better because it expands the walls much farther; while the pressure of such size can be intimidating, it’s very satisfying to find all things needed 😉

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

The 20 volume Oxford English Dictionary is certainly an option!

[@jacksonamaral329]

Great. I enjoy dictionaries.

[@rachelkarslake7787]

Good advice! I just keep the large versions around, since I am a super-nerdy and it's a must have for my job.

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

Solid choice!

[@ma-mo]

I happen to love dictionaries. No surprise. When it comes to dictionaries, my motto is: Go Big or Go to the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. Did you intentionally turn to the Queen Elizabeth page or do you just refer often enough to that page that the binding is naturally creased there? The Anglophile in me rejoices.

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

Ha, mere chance! This video took more attempts than I'd care to admit, resulting in a variety of famous figures that could have made the cut.

[@BBC600]

A good overview... Personally, I'm partial to the Oxford Dictionary. I must admit, I refer to their website Lexico rather than a book. That said; my dream would be to someday get the 20 volume set of dictionaries. I should keep my eye open for my Winston Canadian Dictionary for Schools (it's packed away somewhere) from I think circa 1965. While I don't have that multi-volume dictionary set I do have a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica (complete with atlas) from 1957 that was given to me by a friend. Out of curiosity, you own any Encyclopaedias?

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

For serious study of a word, I turn to the OED online. I have access through my local library and it's an amazing resource. I agree, it would be wonderful to own it in print! I don't have any encyclopedias. I always head online for quick general knowledge of a subject. It seems we had some in my childhood but I never used them much. I wasn't very bookish as a young child, it came later in life for me! By then I had internet access.

[@BBC600]

@@ThriftStoreBibles I like the historical perspective my old Encyclopedias give. For instance, I was doing a highschool level project about antibiotics recently. Just for curiousity I wanted to see what was said about them in 1957. One line caught my attention: "By the latter 1950s disease-producing microorganisms were becoming increasingly resistance to the older antibiotics; new and better ones are needed in the contest between man and microbes." Never would've thought the current issue of antibiotic resistance actually was that old. But yes, the internet is the wealth of information. In a matter of seconds one can just "Google it." The main thing is that we remain wise as to who or what the source is. Too many people click the top result and believe it to be true when that may not be the case.

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

@@BBC600 That is a good use for older reference works, getting the perspective of the time. And yes, agreed one must be *very* careful when researching online, there is a lot of bad info out there! When doing any "serious" research I prefer books or specific online resources I trust.

[@adamjeremycapps]

I use the small pocket one to remember things with. It's a strange way to use them but they are helpful in bringing old memories up. You just remember things based on the words you see. It helps that they only have basic English words.

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

That is a really wonderful way to use it, I like that! I can see where having it limited to just common words would be helpful to maximize that kind of use.

[@ramschannelreviews]

I was looking for English dictionary reviews. Thanks. I have the two smaller ones in your video (but different designs) and a Webster's New World College Dictionary 4th. I realize M-W is now in 11th and New World in 5th editions.

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

@@ramschannelreviews Glad it was helpful!

[@ramschannelreviews]

@@ThriftStoreBibles You have quite an impressive collection, including that big American Heritage Dictionary. May I ask where you got it? I agree with you, esp. since English isn't my first language. I find my college dictionary rather indispensable when I read my Oxford Annotated RSV Bible. Our local bookstores no longer carry college dictionaries. I was lucky I got my Webster's New World College Dictionary 4th (with CD-ROM) back in 2011!

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

@@ramschannelreviews I bough that one new and have actually since sold it, but it is a very nice (and very large!) dictionary.

[@janicevincent378]

I will admit that, because I work in a library, I am more than likely to use my computer to look up a word for someone. It’s just more convenient since I have my computer right in front of me. I did enjoy this video though.

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

I'd do the same in that situation! Using a printed dictionary is more of a leisurely activity.

[@joest.eggbenedictus1896]

Printed dictionaries are so cool! I dont know how anyone could simply "google" a definition for a word! Sometime Ill make a short on the dictionary section of the used bookstore. You think we have a good Bible section? Wait until you see that!

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

I find I spend a little more time studying a word in a printed dictionary vs. a web search. And I usually end up looking at other words! Would definitely enjoy seeing more of your LUBS!

[@joest.eggbenedictus1896]

@@ThriftStoreBibles That will be my mission tomorrow (I go on Saturdays), and I enjoy going to the bookstore with a mission.

[@ArturoYpil-er9wz]

Shane

[@benjaminli21]

wait wait hold on, I was actually researching what other people with regular reading habit do when they encounter new words during reading... do you pause to look them up or do you just underline them and go back to them later? In the latter case, after how long do you go back? Although, I think this is not a one size fits all scenario... probably there are some road blocking words that you need to look it up to get the plot going... maybe for those not so critical words, you just save them when you have time? Honestly, I'm trying to read more but I always worry I might bump into words I don't know... and I'm just stuck at this "what should I do when I bump into new words" question...... ugh... I think I'm just overthinking this........

[@ThriftStoreBibles]

I'm far from a scholar myself, so I've encountered many words I'm not familiar with. There have been some books that have really stretched me. I mention Andrew Solomon's book in the video. I always had a dictionary nearby while reading it! As far as how I go about it, it varies but I'll usually finish the current paragraph or general thought before stopping to check the definition. I'll see if I can determine from the context what the word means, and then compare that to what the dictionary says. I like to give the word some thought before I look. Sometimes I'll jot the definition or a brief gloss in the margin of the book I'm reading afterwards, which further helps me to retain the meaning. The best solution I've found so far is to keep reading. I didn't read many books for a number of years and I'm far from the world's greatest reader, but the more I do it the better I've become at reading and the more I enjoy it. Good luck!

[@westsidetrucker1449]

Pause , look it up so u understand what it reading. Idk tho just a random guy

[@ramschannelreviews]

@@benjaminli21 Just sharing. A few days ago I happened to watch House of the Dragons and one of the characters, Willem Blackwood tells Daemon Targaryen, "The Brackens are venal cravens!" I usually just watch uninterrupted but I wondered. So I paused to look them up. I know how a dictionary can make all the difference. Venal= corrupt, craven= cowards. Suddenly, my perspective changed 😄. This may not work for some but I often pause, too, and look them up in my small dictionary. If it's not there, the bigger college one. I have a notebook where I sometimes write down the definitions. Time consuming but I quite enjoyed it.