Dictionary and Thesaurus.

 

Simply, dictionary means a book of words listed alphabetically. In another words, dictionary can be defined as a list of words in alphabetical order together with their definitions, pronunciation, etymologies or spellings.

 

We use a dictionary to find the meanings of words, to find out how to pronounce or say words and finally, to find out what part of speech a word is. There are many advantages of using a dictionary. Firstly, we can learn to use the word in a sentence. Secondly, we can get information about a word. Thirdly we can learn the number of syllabuses a word has.

 

'Thesaurus' is a word which comes from Greek term 'thesaurus'. It means storehouse or treasury of words. A thesaurus contains a list of words in alphabetical order, that are similar in meaning. Also, it can include the opposite of a word. A thesaurus is arranged like a dictionary. It is also listed in alphabetical order and has guide words and entries. There are some advantages of using a thesaurus. We can avoid using the same word over and over, we can find a word that has the same or opposite meaning, and also, we can learn new words. And finally, we can make our writing more interesting.

 

There are some differences between dictionary and thesaurus. Firstly, dictionary contains meanings, definitions, pronunciations of words and the thesaurus contains synonyms and antonyms of words. In Secondly, dictionary follows an only alphabetical order, and the thesaurus follows both alphabetical and conceptual order. Finally, the aim of a dictionary is to provide orthography, pronunciation and signification of a word. And the aim of a thesaurus is to help the writer to find more suitable words and to avoid the repetition of terms.