The BBI Combinatory Dictionary of English

Your guide to collocations and grammar

Third edition revised by Robert Ilson

Compiled by Morton Benson, Evelyn Benson and Robert F. Ilson

Speak and write perfect English!

  • BBI teaches you how to combine words with words to form phrases (so you can say “mortgaged to the hilt; I want something badly”).
  • BBI also teaches you how to combine words into structures to form clauses and sentences (so you can say “I want you to go = What I want is for you to go”).
  • So BBI helps you with both vocabulary and grammar.
  • BBI shows you important vocabulary and grammatical differences between American and British English.
  • BBI gives you plenty of examples that can serve as models for your own use of English.
  • Some of these examples are authentic quotations from works of American and British literature.

This Third Edition of the BBI Combinatory Dictionary of English is an expanded and updated version of the First Edition (1986) and its Revised Edition (1997), both of which were favorably received. In this third edition, the contents of the BBI have been increased by over 20%.

In the selection and presentation of new material, many sources have been used, including:

  • Internet searches;
  • The British National Corpus;
  • Reading and listening to English-language material;
  • For Grammatical Patterns: A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (Randolph Quirck et al.);
  • For Collocations: Lists of Lexical Functions (compiled by Igor Mel’cuk et al.).

The BBI has been “highly recommended” by the English-Speaking Union.

Using the BBI: A workbook with exercises is now available online at:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/z.bbi.workbook

This title replaces The BBI Dictionary of English Word Combinations: Revised edition. This title replaces The BBI Dictionary of English Word Combinations: Dictionary and workbook (set).

[Not in series, BBI]  2010.  xxxix, 462 pp.
Publishing status: Available | © John Benjamins, Robert Ilson, Evelyn Benson
HardboundAvailable
ISBN 9789027232601 | EUR 60.00 | USD 90.00
 
PaperbackAvailable
ISBN 9789027232618 | EUR 24.00 | USD 27.95
 
e-BookSold by e-book platforms
ISBN 9789027272386 | EUR 60.00 | USD 90.00
 
Google EditionForthcoming
ISBN 9789027272386 | EUR 24.00 | USD 27.95
 
 

Table of Contents

Preface to the third edition
vii–ix
Preface to the second edition
xi
A practical guide to the BBI
xiii–xv
How entries are structured in the BBI: A visual guide[04how.pdf]
xvi–xvii
Introduction
xix–xxxix
Comparative table of Simplified Transcription (ST) and IPA transcription
xli
Dictionary
1–462

Quotes

“The Dictionary of Collocations is more than just a reference book. It is an ínvaluable aid for learning words as typically used in their appropriate contexts. The individual articles are well worth studying carefully as the usage of words is illustrated by real-life phrases which are easy to remember. Thus insight is gained into the spirit of the English language and users are presented with a treasure-trove of ready-to-use phrases, enabling them to express themselves in English accurately and correctly.”
F.J. Hausmann, (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) in the German edition of The BBI Combinatory Dictionary of English entitled Student’s Dictionary of Collocations (Cornelsen Verlag, Berlin, 1989). Translated from German by Mary Snell-Hornby (University of Vienna).
“This dictionary is a must-have for learners of English as a foreign language. It also will be a plus for the library reference collection in order to serve a diversified user group.”
Xiao (Shelley) Yan Zhang
“A dictionary of essential word combinations, phrasal verbs, and examples of complementation and usage for speaking and writing English, for learners of English as a foreign language. The revised edition contains some 90,000 British and American collocations. A special effort has been made to include collocations to computer and Internet terms.”
Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
“Particulary positive about BBI is the didactic grip on the contents. [...] whether one wishes to use the dictionary as studying aid, improve their English skilks, or enquire into the usage of the language, BBI comes across as useful.”
Maija Hirvonen, University of Helsinki, in The Journal of Specialised Translation, Issue 15 - January 2011
“This is an extraordinary tool for translators into English. It is a dictionary of collocations, and provides information that is hard to find in other dictionaries. It helps you find that elusive word that goes with another, and answers questions about the preposition to use.”
Translatum, The Greek Translation Vortal
“For the advanced learner of English the BBI provides a good supplement to a standard learner's dictionary. It is also a well-regarded tool for translators and interpreters. [...] it serves as a quick reference for the subcategorization patterns of verbs [...] it provides a wealth of grammatical information beyond what can be found in dictionaries that are primarily definitional in nature.”
M. Lynne Murphy, University of Sussex, UK

Subjects

Benjamins Subject classification

Terminology & Lexicography

Translation & Interpreting Studies

BIC Subject

CFP: Translation & interpretation

BISAC Subject

LAN023000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number:  2009012597
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