Unit 2: Task 3 - Comparision of Dictionaries

On the one hand, the word "play"  has been looked up in 3 different dictionaries: Oxford Dictionary, Merriam Webster and WordReference.

Firstly, the Oxford Dictionary offers me the definition of the word as a verb and as a noun. In addition, this dictionary includes different useful phrasal verbs which include "play" and their meanings, and it also includes some phrases that we can introduce in our daily life language. Moreover, Oxford Dictionary exemplifies each meaning with a sentence to make easier to the student the understanding of that word.

Secondly, Merriam Webster dictionary includes the definitions from the word "play" as a noun and as a verb, as well as sentences where this word is used, the pronunciation of the word, some examples and a novelty, it also includes the origin of the word and synonymous.

Thirdly, Wordreference offers definitions of the word but they are shorter than the definitions provided by other dictionaries. However, what makes it different from others dictionaries is the fact that includes etymology and collocations of the word.

On the other hand, the same word has been looked up in The Learners Dictionary. I consider it as a magnific tool for teaching English, specially for beginners. Information is well-structured and clear. Moreover, a lot of examples are provided, which facilitates user's comprehension. 

Dictionaries are wonderful tools to learn, I cannot say which one is better because I consider it really personal. For example,  I always use WordReference as a first option, because I like its double function as a dictionary and translator. However, since I have subjects as English in the law, sometimes I need more specialized dictionaries. So, as I have mentioned before, due to the huge variety of online dictionaries that we have nowadays it is important to know as much as we can about them.