Oxford Phrasal Verbs Dictionary
Thread poster: Sergio Lopez
Sergio Lopez
Sergio Lopez
Spain
Local time: 14:20
English to Spanish
+ ...
Jul 16, 2017

Hi. I'm looking for a good monolingual phrasal verbs paper dictionary, and I was recommened the Oxford Phrasal Verbs dictionary, the 1993 edition by Cowie & Mackin. It's however an old edition and since then they've published a more recent one, which targets english learners. Has anyone used this version? Is it a recommendable version for professional translators? What's a good phrasal verbs dictionary anyway? Thank you.

 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 14:20
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
A monolingual dictionary is better Jul 17, 2017

I think phrasal verb dictionaries are a bit overrated. They are not that terribly useful, when compared with a good monolingual dictionary, if you ask me. My first suggestion is that you get a good monolingual dictionary, which will also give you idioms not present in a phrasal verb dictionary. My two favourite monolinguals are The Chambers Dictionary (a must if you translate from/into English today) and the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary in 2 volumes, which is priced reasonably... See more
I think phrasal verb dictionaries are a bit overrated. They are not that terribly useful, when compared with a good monolingual dictionary, if you ask me. My first suggestion is that you get a good monolingual dictionary, which will also give you idioms not present in a phrasal verb dictionary. My two favourite monolinguals are The Chambers Dictionary (a must if you translate from/into English today) and the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary in 2 volumes, which is priced reasonably as well.

The ideal option would be something like the Diccionario Fraseologico Documentado del Español Actual by Manuel Seco (published by Aguilar), which packs a punch in phraseologisms. If such a thing existed in English, I would definitely get one, but I haven't found one yet.

Now, if you feel that you need a standalone phrasal verb dictionary for whatever the reasons, I would go for the one I use, which is the COBUILD Phrasal Verbs Dictionary published by Collins although, also in this case, it is geared towards learners of English, I'm afraid.
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Connected Tr (X)
Connected Tr (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:20
Chinese to English
+ ...
Phrasal verb dictionaries can be useful Jul 17, 2017

Phrasal verb dictionaries can useful sometimes, although it is true that you often won't find anything in them that you couldn't get from a very comprehensive monolingual dictionary. I would second Tomás's recommendation of the COBUILD Phrasal Verbs Dictionary - I've used it as a teacher and it is generally very good. I find that it tends to have better coverage than the Oxford Phrasal Verbs Dictionary.

 
Sergio Lopez
Sergio Lopez
Spain
Local time: 14:20
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jul 17, 2017

Thank you Tomás and Han-Qi for your input. I'm starting out in the translation world and your comments are much appreciated.

 


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Oxford Phrasal Verbs Dictionary







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