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Words to the Wise
Buy Yourself a
Good Dictionary
A
year ago I threw out all my dictionaries—a rash act for an
editor. I had just attended an editing course where the
instructor had impressed upon us that our most important—indeed
indispensable—reference was an up-to-date, good-quality
dictionary. Mine were so old they lacked not only current word
usage, but also any words to do with computers or the Internet.
I
bought myself one of the best, the latest Canadian Oxford,
along with the Oxford Canadian Thesaurus. And, because I
work for writers planning to publish in the United States, I
bought the latest Merriam-Webster's Collegiate. My
Webster's still looks new, but in a year my Canadian Oxford
is looking decidedly used.
Why do I recommend all writers invest in a good dictionary?
Because in it you will find a gold mine of information on
meaning, usage, idioms, word choice, synonyms, grammar,
spelling, punctuation, style, to say nothing of biographical,
historical, geographical, and statistical tidbits of all kinds.
I could read it for hours!
But really now, there is no excuse not to own one—and use it.
Nothing will kill your chances of publication faster than
mistakes you could have corrected by quick reference to a good
dictionary. I laughed the day I came across a Q & A on The
Chicago Manual of Style Online entitled "You Could Look It
Up." Chicago posts a fresh Q & A every month, and they can't
help pulling out a few questions for special treatment, like
this one:
"Q. Is it 'cell phone' or 'cel phone'? I am working on a crash
deadline, and would appreciate a quick response. Thank you so
much!
A. Any writer who has deadlines should also have a dictionary. I
always swear I'm not going to look up words for people, but it's
like being a mom and picking up socks—something just makes me do
it. It's 'cell phone.' Please buy a dictionary—and pick up your
socks."
Nuff said.
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