ESSENTIAL ENGLISH DICTIONARY
(Cambridge University Press) R180
This heavily illustrated dictionary, suitable for grades two to six, comprises words essential to a basic knowledge of English and appropriate to learners who are just starting on their exploration of the language.
Attractively produced, with a glossy cover, it sets out the words in blue, with simple definitions in a large font and examples in italics of how to use them. The centre pages consist of labelled illustrations of some of the objects and concepts defined in the book and the rest of the book is illustrated with black-and-white pictures.
There is also a picture page that shows phrasal verbs. It is accompanied by four pages of essential phrasal verbs and their meanings and examples of how to use these phrasal verbs.
Combining a verb with an adverb or preposition to construct new meanings forms phrasal verbs. These meanings are quite different from the dictionary meanings of a single word. Phrasal verbs are a way of coining new terms in English. They are also called multi-words. Examples are throw away, break down, pick up, turn on and look after.
My grade R son was captivated by the pictures, which will be most helpful to learners for whom English is an additional language, but the onus will be on the teacher to use the book as an effective teaching device.
What I like about the dictionary is the information in the centre, those colour pictures that promote visual literacy, and how attention is given to phrasal verbs. But the dictionary is still designed as a source of reference – not some kind of dictionary that is also a workbook – and the curriculum has incorporated the use of dictionaries in language learning. Its vocabulary is just the usual one that you will find in any dictionary.
Bulelwa Lisa teaches English and arts and culture at Qibibhongo Secondary School in Alice in the Eastern Cape