Swiss Army Knife for Writers

Swiss Army Knife for Writers Swiss Army Knife for Writers Swiss Army Knife for Writers By Maeve Maddox Until now, the only Thesaurus on my shelves was Rogets, and it was gathering dust because I quit using it years ago. I found it more useful to look up a word in a regular dictionary and see what synonyms were offered. Not ideal, but it gave me more options than Rogets. Now, however, Ive found a reference that is a thesaurus and then some: Oxford American Writers Thesaurus. 2nd edition. Compiled by Chrstine A. Lindberg. The title says it all. Its a writers tool that, for practical versatility, compares to a campers Swiss Army Knife. The main section contains about a thousand pages of entries. Unlike Roget, the OAWT gives the word in context before offering synonyms. Do you ever have a word on the tip of your tongue, but you cannot think of it? You cant even remember what letter it begins with, but youd know it if you saw it? Theres a section for that. In the Word Finder section words are arranged in categories: animals, architecture, food, music, etc. Then there are sections for Archaic Words and Literary Words. Maybe you want to remind yourself what a dangling modifier is, or review how to punctuate titles. Go no further than the Language Guide, nearly 50 pages of clearly presented rules of grammar, spelling, punctuation, plus tips for avoiding common errors. And, wait, as they say on the infomercials, theres more! Scattered among the entries in the main section are boxes containing helpful and entertaining notes on usage and connotation. Theres so much good stuff in this reference book that Ill probably want to tell you more in a future post. For now, a comparison of one entry in the Oxford American Writers Thesaurus with the same word in Roget will explain some of my enthusiasm. Rogets II, The New Theaurus, 1980 (the one on my shelf) aback adverb without adequate preparation unawares Rogets 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright  © 2008 by the Philip Lief Group. (online) Main Entry: aback Part of Speech: adverb Definition: taken unawares Synonyms: confused, surprised, thrown off, thrown off guard Oxford American Writers Thesaurus, 2nd edition aback adverb -PHRASES take someone aback everyone in the church was taken aback when the grooms ex-wife stood up and objected to the marriage: surprise, shock, stun, stagger, astound, astonish, startle, take by surprise; dumbfound, stop someone in their tracks; shake (up), jolt, throw, unnerve, disconcert, unsettle, bewilder; informal flabbergast, floor, bowl over. Click here to check Oxford American Writers Thesaurus on Amazon. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Book Reviews category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals8 Types of Parenthetical PhrasesIs Your Novel "Mystery," "Thriller," or "Suspense"?