Study Skills - The Traffic Light Set
Starting a new term as a student or teacher?
You might like to consider the best-selling
study skills titles at our bookstore.
Students have given them the name The Traffic
Light Set, because their covers are red, orange,
and green.
'Writing Essays' covers everything you need
to know about producing academic essays -
from understanding the question to delivering
the finished piece of work.
'Study Skills' is a set of guidance notes on
all the major study skills you will need in
further or higher education. Reading, writing,
memory, note-taking, and time management.
'Revision and Examinations' deals with all
the common problems of preparing for exams
and making sure you give your best performance.
It covers overcoming nerves and anxiety,
the best revision techniques, and delivering
exactly what examiners are looking for.
Choosing a Dictionary
One of the most popular items for the start
of a new term is a good dictionary. We've
updated our feature 'Choosing a Dictionary'.
This reviews popular options - from pocket
dictionaries through to the heavy-duty
editions used for serious research.
We've also started a new section on specialist
dictionaries (spelling, idioms, proverbs
and sayings) at --
Dictionary of Spelling
Here's a dictionary with a difference! It doesn't
include any explanations for the meaning of words.
So what does it include?
Well, the correct spelling - plus a note of any
variants. It also shows the term used in different
parts of speech, plus the position for any word
breaks when the word is hyphenated. One for the
specialist - but very useful. Full review and details at -
Dictionary of Idioms
Do you know the origins of the expression
'a cock and bull story'? Or of 'tell that
to the marines'?
This is a specialised dictionary which
explains the meaning of familiar sayings,
proverbs, and metaphorical expressions.
Sayings in British English are supplemented
by American English - such as 'make a Virginia
fence' (which means 'drunk').
It's a cheap and cheerful reference, full of
interesting surprises. Full details and review at -
Dictionary of Foreign Words
Do you know how to pronounce 'Gesamtkunstwerk'
or 'eheu fugaces'? Or do you know what 'persiflage',
'schlemiel', and 'tricoteuse' mean?
Lots of words come into use which originate in
languages other than English, but it's often
hard to remember what they mean.
This is a reference for fairly advanced users,
and it's a very good example of a dictionary which
becomes richer for leaving out everyday material.
Full details and review at -
'Oxford Reference Grammar'
Sydney Greenbaum's 'Oxford English Grammar'
is a standard reference guide on the subject
of English grammar. This is a cut-down paperback
version which is based on its six most important
chapters.
The emphasis is on descriptive rather than
proscriptive grammar - which means English as it
is actually spoken and written - rather than how
somebody thinks it *ought* to be used.
Each topic is defined then illustrated with
examples from contemporary sources, and there are
lots of note boxes drawing attention to special
problems. For intermediate to advanced users. Full details and review at -
Windows TIP - Defragmenting Floppies
The Disk Defragmenter utility is often used to
reorganize the hard drive so that it can hold
more and perform better. Few people realize that
you can also use Defragmenter on floppy disks.
There's no reason to defragment a floppy if it
doesn't get much use. But if the floppy has been
recorded and re-recorded many times, it could
benefit from 'defrag'. Defragmenting the floppy
can help improve the time it takes to find and
transmit data.
'Oxford Better Wordpower'
This is a guide to improving your wordpower
and developing keener communication skills.
It shows you how to use dictionaries and
thesauruses effectively, and shows you how
words are formed.
It also lists all the most commonly mis-spelled
words and shows you how to avoid some common
pitfalls in the use of language. Ideal for
beginners or students of English as a foreign
language. Full review and details at --
Books and their enemies
Would-be censors got their way in their demands
to remove "Women on Top", by Nancy Friday, from
the Chestatee Public Library in Gainesville, Georgia.
Before a final vote was taken by the library board
on the fate of the book, it was borrowed and
'accidentally' destroyed. The board then voted
not to replace it.
Source: BookEnds
Quotable quote
"If you want to do one thing to change the economic
future of a country, change to an unmetered charging
system for local phone calls."
Nicholas Negroponte, September 1999
(c) Copyright 1999-2001 MANTEX
All Rights Reserved
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News-32-September-2000
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