*Dictionaries; *English (Second Language); Form

Three major dictionaries designed for learners of English as a second language are reviewed, their elements and approaches compared and evaluated, their usefulness for different learners discussed, and recommendations for future dictionary improvement made. The dictionaries in qrlstion are the "Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, " the "Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Usage, " and "COBUILD, " the Collins dictionary with a completely new defining style. Elements considered include treatments of pronunciation and grammar, layout, coverage (including geographical terms and proper names, new words, specialist terms, idioms, and Americanisms), and the language used for defining terms. Areas suggested for improvement or consideration in future dictionary development include the treatment of likely learner misconceptions about words and the information given about frequency and collocational range of words in use. Each dictionary is seen as having important advantages for different learner groups. (MSE) *************g********************************************************* * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document.