Historia de la Lengua Inglesa IIYear 2011-2012 Prof.

Nuria Calvo Corts

Andreea Frona Group A Exercises on Dictionaries and Grammar books in Late Modern English

Exercises on Dictionaries: a) Look up three different words in the three dictionaries provided b) Analyse the differences among them c) Which dictionary did you find clearer? Why? d) Was there anything missing in those dictionaries when compared to a monolingual English dictionary that you might use today? Over-rake

Bailey: [among sailors] The Waves are said to over-rake a Ship when they break in and wash her from one End to the other

Kersey: [Sea term] as the Waves are said to over-rake a Ship, when they break in and wash her from Stern to Stern, or from one End to the other Johnson: not found Cambridge Dictionary Online: not found Here, we can see that there are no important differences between the definitions of this word. In fact they are practically the same definition although Kersey seems to expand somehow a little more. It is interesting to notice that this word cannot be found in Johnsons dictionary and nowadays it does not appear in the Cambridge dictionary. This may be due to the fact that the term fell out of use or was substituted by another word by the time Johnson wrote his dictionary. Suspicious Kersey: Full of Suspicions, Jealousies or Fears; Jealous, Distrustful; Also that may be Suspected or Feared Bailey: [Soupsonneux, F. Suspiciosus, L.] full of Suspicion, or Jealousy, distrustful, jealous: also that may be suspected or feared Johnson: [Suspiciosus, Lat.] 1. Inclined to suspect; inclined to imagine ill without proof 2. Liable to suspicion; giving reason to imagine ill

Historia de la Lengua Inglesa IIYear 2011-2012 Prof. Nuria Calvo Corts

Cambridge Dictionary Online: adjective (SEEM GUILTY ) /s sp.s/ making you feel that something illegal is happening or that something is wrong
Her behaviour was very suspicious (Australian informal suss). The fire at the bank is being treated as suspicious. It's a bit suspicious that no one knows where he was at the time of the murder. There were some suspicious characters hanging around outside. There's a suspicious-looking van parked at the end of the road. His new book bears a suspicious resemblance to a book written by someone else (= His book is so similar to the other book that it seems as if he has copied it).

This word, again presents the same definition as for Kerseys and Baileys dictionaries with the only difference that Bailey includes a short etymology of the word, fact which is to be appreciated since it develops a bit more the explanation of the word. However, among the three dictionaries, Johnsons is the clearest since it gives two entries for two slightly different meanings. It also mentions some names which lead us to believe that they were some kind of bibliography for the dictionary. And yet, Cambridge dictionary is even more complete since it gives the pronunciation as well as examples apart from the definition of the word.

Perturbation Kersey: Disturbance, Trouble, Disorder Bailey: Disquiet, Disorder, Trouble of Mind. F. of L. Johnson: [Perturbatio Lat.] 1. Disquiet of Mind; Deprivation of Tranquility 2. Restlessness of Passions 3. Disturbance, Disorder, Confusion, Commotion 4. Cause of Disquiet 5. Commotion of Passions

Cambridge Dictionary Online: noun ( WORRY ) /p.t-/ n [U] formal worry

/p.tbe.n/

Perturbation presents more or less the same aspects we have commented on the previous word. Bailey presents the etymology of the word unlike Kersey although the definition is very similar. It seems almost copied with the addition of other similar words. Nevertheless Johnsons dictionary offers again a much more complete explanation with five entries for the word plus its specific etymology. We consider it is

Historia de la Lengua Inglesa IIYear 2011-2012 Prof. Nuria Calvo Corts

even more complete than the Cambridge dictionary although this last one offers the pronunciation both in British and American English apart from the written pronunciation.

Exercises on Grammar books: a) Choose one grammar aspect and find the information that Lowths grammar provides on that topic.
b) Try to find in Google books other grammar books from 18th or 19th century and

compare the same topic in the different grammar books

According to Lowth, the adjective: Is a word joined by a substantive to express quality Does not vary according to gender, number or case Varies only as for degrees of comparison
It can express quality by using more or less for the most part A positive quality can become comparative when adding r or er (wiser) and

superlative when adding st or est (wisest) The adverbs more and most placed before the adjective have the same effect (more wise, most wise) According to Lindley Murrays An English Grammar, Comprehending the principles and rules of the language (1808) (http://books.google.es/books?
id=YHoSAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=english+grammars&hl=es&sa=X&ei=OfgLT67sBsyIh QehqJCkBA&ved=0CEgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=english%20grammars&f=false)

Every adjective belong to a substantive expressed or understood

Adjective pronouns must agree in number with their substantive (this book,

these books) When two persons or things are spoken of in a sentence and then mentioned again for the sake of distinction that is used for the former and this is in reference to the later (he gives example) The distributive adjective each, every, either agree with the nouns, pronouns and verbs of the singular number only ( he gives examples)

Historia de la Lengua Inglesa IIYear 2011-2012 Prof. Nuria Calvo Corts Sometimes adjectives are improperly used as adverbs (he gives examples such as

indifferent honest instead of indifferently honest); the use of such and so Double comparatives and superlatives should be avoided Adjectives that have in themselves a superlative signification do not admit superlatives (chief, extreme, etc) Inaccuracies are often found in the way in which the degrees of comparison are applied and constructed
In some cases adjectives should not be separated by their substantives not even

by modifiers (ex: a large enough number surely). The adjectives is placed before its substantive Sometimes the adjective becomes a substantive (ex: The vast immense of space) When an adjective has a preposition before it, the substantive takes the nature of an adverb (ex: in general, in particular- generally, particularly)

Murrays Grammar book is much more complete than Lowths. It specifies more the use of adjectives and the pronoun adjectives as well. For each rule he gives many examples which are much more useful for the reader since it makes it easier to understand the rule itself. Murray details more upon aspect of adjectives such as their placement and how it affects the nature of the substantive it accompanies. He identifies many more issues and mistakes made by the users of language and he also mentions cases which should be avoided. Unlike Lowths grammar, Murrays grammar points out demonstrative adjectives and other such as such and so, each, every. Undoubtedly, Murrays book makes a big difference as for the adjective. It is complete, concise and comprehensible. It elaborates upon different sides and aspects and exemplifies those with unambiguous instances.