Juliegmom Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I'm already planning our curriculum line up for next year (7th grade). I plan to use WWS1 and am considering purchasing a thesaurus in book form. My daughter has been using a free online thesaurus, but I'm wondering if this will continue to be sufficient or if there are benefits to having a thesaurus in book form. I always prefer to have a book in hand rather than Kindle or online, however, we live overseas so the weight of a book is a consideration and I must ask myself if it is worth it. I'm considering Merriman Webster Collegiate Thesaurus Anyone care to share their thoughts? TIA! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I have hard copy dictionaries and thesauri (both children's versions and the big Webster's and Roget's) but I've only used them in the late elementary grades when the kids aren't routinely typing their papers. We use them to teach definitions/synonyms/antonyms and research skills. DD, who's now in middle school, almost exclusively uses the online versions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 A physical thesaurus is less likely to distract from school work than an online one, assuming the kid isn't on the computer to begin with. A physical thesaurus is also more fun to just browse through some, if your kids are into that. But for a 7th grader in Albania, I'm not sure I'd think it'd be worth the money. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJPPKGFGSC Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 We use the thesaurus built into the word processor for Writing with Skill assignments. Sometimes we go back and forth, finding synonyms and looking up the definition in the dictionary. But it worked quite well. In fact, that is probably how a thesaurus would be used. When you are writing a paper, you look up a better word than what is in your head - right there on your computer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 We've found having a physical one nice. For one thing, it helps kids be able to use alphabetizing skills. And we've done things where the kids benefit from being able to browse it, which you can't do online. However, it's hardly on my musts list. I didn't have to pay much to have it - I got a decent one at the thrift store for a buck. If I was in your situation, I'd likely not get it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I'm going to go out on a limb and recommend Roget's International Thesaurus, 4th ed. This is the traditional sort of book where you look up the word in the index, then proceed to the category of words that includes related nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. So for really tricky words, where you can't even think of a synonym in the same part of speech, but you can think of, say, an adjective that is related to the verb you are looking for. I pulled my copy from the shelf, and turned randomly to the category of Travel, 273. Under 273.4 are the nouns: migration, transmigration, passage, trek and more. Under 273.38 are the adjectives: creeping, crawling, on hands and knees, on all fours, and more. 273.42 lists adverbs: on foot, afoot, by foot and more. It takes some getting used to, looking up words in the index first, then finding the correct category, sometimes exploring multiple categories and subcategories of words. But it's worth it, if only to stumble on the list of "photographic equipment" that begins with something called a burning-in tool and ends with a zoom lens. Or a list of clerical garments that begins with alb and ends with zucchetto. I would read the reviews carefully before purchasing a newer edition because I've seen Amazon reviews claiming they have been dumbed down. Good luck! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 I'm ... considering purchasing a thesaurus in book form. I like Rodale's The Synonym Finder. It served my daughter well from grade 7 through college. Regards, Kareni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 I'm already planning our curriculum line up for next year (7th grade). I plan to use WWS1 and am considering purchasing a thesaurus in book form. My daughter has been using a free online thesaurus, but I'm wondering if this will continue to be sufficient or if there are benefits to having a thesaurus in book form. I always prefer to have a book in hand rather than Kindle or online, however, we live overseas so the weight of a book is a consideration and I must ask myself if it is worth it. I'm considering Merriman Webster Collegiate Thesaurus Anyone care to share their thoughts? TIA! :-) Hard copy. I think there's much more information in the hard copy than on-line. And it's a good skill to have. In fact, IMHO, learning to use the actual book for research improves one's ability to search on-line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted November 22, 2016 Author Share Posted November 22, 2016 I like Rodale's The Synonym Finder. It served my daughter well from grade 7 through college. Regards, Kareni I had pretty much given up the idea of purchasing a thesaurus until I saw your post. :-) I think I can find a decent used copy from Abebooks and if it doesn't make the cut when I'm packing and weighing my bags to return overseas then it's only a few bucks lost. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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