Sharp PW-E500 operation manual Linguistic evidence, Phrasal verbs and idiomatic phrases

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Linguistic evidence

The compilers of NOTE have had access to two major linguistic resources, the British National Corpus and the files of the Oxford Reading Programme. The British National Corpus is a body of 100 million words of English books, newspapers, and transcribed speech in machine-readable form, used for linguistic and lexicographi- cal research. The Oxford Reading Programme is a database of citations collected by Oxford's international network of readers, currently amounting to over 77 million words and increasing by about 7 million words every year.

In both these resources, the context of every occurrence of a given word can be viewed in a few seconds, making it possible to see more clearly than ever before how words are actually used. This method was used not only to confirm whether a word has senses for which there are suitable synonyms and to check the sense of words being selected as synonyms but also to actively find synonyms which have not previously been recorded. The British National Corpus, in particular, was also used to obtain the sentences and phrases given as examples of usage.

Phrasal verbs and idiomatic phrases

English is full of idiomatic expressions-phrases whose meaning is more than the sum of their parts. For example, a shot in the dark means 'a guess', while a shot in the arm means 'a boost'. Neither of these meanings has very much to do with more literal meanings of shot. In this thesaurus, particular care has been given to make a full selection of idiomatic expressions and to give synonyms for them. If a word is used as both a noun and a verb, the idiomatic expressions are listed as subentries under the part of speech in which the word is used. Thus by the book is given under the noun senses of book, while book in is given under the verb senses.

Full coverage is also given to phrasal verbs in this thesaurus. Phrasal verbs are expressions such as book in and turn out, consisting of a verb plus a particle. The meaning of a phrasal verb is often very different from that of the basic verb; for example, the meanings of take off are quite distinct from the meanings of take. Phrasal verbs are listed as idiomatic expressions under the main verb entry.

Register: standard vs informal and regional English

Informal usage is more prevalent than it was a few years ago. Even in quite formal contexts, people may be heard using slang expressions, while the use of swear words and taboo words is on the increase. Taboos generally are weakening, though more so in Australia, where bastard is almost equivalent to British chap, and less so in the USA, where taboos are still strong in southern States such as Texas. This thesaurus contains a rich selection of informal and rude synonyms for more formal expressions. Users who wish to avoid offensive words may treat the restrictive labels as warning notices.

Most of the synonyms given are, of course, part of standard English; that is, they are in normal use in both speech and writing everywhere in the world, at many different levels of formality, ranging from official documents to casual conversation. These general synonyms are given first in each synonym set. Some words, however, are appropriate only in particular contexts, and these are placed after the standard expressions and labelled accordingly. The technical term for these differences in levels of usage is 'register'. The main register labels used in this thesaurus are the following:

informal: normally only used in contexts such as conversations or letters between friends, e.g. swig as a synonym for drink.

vulgar slang: informal language that may cause offence, usually because it refers to bodily functions.

formal: normally only used in writing, in contexts such as official documents, e.g. dwelling as a synonym for home.

technical: normally only used in technical and specialist language, though not necessarily restricted to any specific field, e.g. littoral as a synonym for beach. Words used in specific fields are given appropriate labels, e.g. medicine, Christianity.

poetic/literary: found only or mainly in poetry or in literature written in an 'elevated' style, e.g. ambrosial as a synonym for delicious.

dated: still used, but normally only by the older generation, e.g. measure one's length as a synonym for fall down.

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Contents PW-E500 Introduction Contents Using the PW-E500 for the first time Getting StartedKey notation used in this manual Turning the power on/offAuto power off function ExampleData contained in the PW-E500 Layout Operation guidance message Display symbolsKey assignments Selecting a dictionary / function in the main menu Basic OperationInputting words for a dictionary search List view selecting an item scrolling Filter search view selecting an item scrollingRecalling the terms previously searched h Detail view scrollingShifting the displayed character size z Browsing Notes r Listing a summary of detail view items qSearching a word on the screen Setting the key sound on/off Set-up MenuStarting Auto Demo mode Setting the Auto power off activation timeAdjusting the LCD contrast Inputting CharactersModifying entry 4WDBrowsing Notes Looking up a word Filter searchIf there is no match found Phrase search Crossword solverAnagram solver Spellcheck functionFurther information If the list of words do not appear as expectedThesaurus of English Press tto open the New Oxford Thesaurus of English Using the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations Searching by an author name Filter searchKeyword search Press uto open the Oxford Dictionary of QuotationsTheme search Random quoteUsing the Super Jump function How to use the Super Jump functionSpecifying a Dictionary to jump to About the detail view after the JumpDeleting the history list of a Dictionary How to use the History functionDeleting a history item Example Operation Display Prior to initiating calculationsCalculation examples Converting currencies Setting a currency rateCurrency converter Metric converter Units capable of being convertedPrecautions Replacing the batteryBattery used When to replace the batteryReset procedures Reset procedure if trouble occursSpecifications Troubleshooting Product supportStructure Core Sense and Subsense Oxford Dictionary of EnglishIntroduction NoseSpecialized case of the core sense, e.g Specialist Vocabulary Encyclopedic MaterialGrammar Terms relating to nounsTerms relating to adjectives Other terms relating to nounsTerms relating to verbs Oxford English Corpus Evidence and Illustrative ExamplesTerms relating to adverbs Oxford Reading ProgrammeExamples Word HistoriesSpecialist reading Usage Notes Standard EnglishWorld English Ise or ize? SpellingVariant spellings HyphenationNouns InflectionVerbs Pronunciations AdjectivesForeign pronunciations ConsonantsNew Oxford Thesaurus of English Homonyms Selection of entriesTables a table is displayed as a in this model SynonymsIllustrative examples Register standard vs informal and regional English Linguistic evidencePhrasal verbs and idiomatic phrases Opposites Combining forms Oxford Dictionary of QuotationsRelated terms Awkward synonyms and confusablesPage Page How to use the Dictionary Theme Search Keyword SearchMemo Memo Europe Sharp Corporation
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