All dictionaries are equal but some are more equal than others – comparing them can be interesting!My dictionary of choice is the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. I know I have to mention Murphy (Essential Grammar in Use Raymond Murphy) – the global grammar of choice. I have a copy and I recommend it to students . I think it has the clearest explanations.Top tips:
- Don’t rely on a bilingual dictionary unless it is a VERY large tome
- Be realistic – will you need to carry the book around with you? The very best could become a burden if it’s too big or heavy
- CD Rom and on-line dictionaries are great – are you going to have access when you need it – use the same criteria to choose
- See how detailed the dictionary definitions are and get one with as much information as possible
- With grammar books – can you follow the explanations, is everything well laid out, for advanced level work does it push you a bit further
- Check any exercises, sometimes they can be very repetitive and so not very challenging
- Make sure they’re all up to date (I keep my old grammar for reasons of nostalgia) dictionaries and grammars change quite frequently
- If you can’t decide then borrow from the library first and ‘test drive’ them!