A、The history of English dictionaries. B、The features of different dictionaries. C、How to compile English dictionaries. D、The di

The first English dictionary was published in 1604. The dictionary was actually nothing more than a list of about 3,000 difficult words, each followed by a one word definition. The author, Robert Cadre, made no attempt to include everyday words in his dictionary. During the 1600s more dictionaries were published. Each followed Cadre’s lead and presented a few thou sand hard words. Around 1700 one dictionary maker, John Kersey, did define easy words as well as hard ones. But until the 1750s all dictionaries were rather crude and not very valuable.
    A man named Dr. Samuel Johnson changed all this. In 1755, Dr. Johnson produced the first modern dictionary. He included in his dictionary all. important words, and he gave good meanings. By the end of the 1700s most dictionary makers had followed Johnson’s lead. Dictionaries were getting better and better.
    The 1800s saw the greatest improvement in the quality of dictionaries. In England scholars planned and prepared the Oxford English Dictionary. One of the most interesting features of the Oxford Dictionary is its word histories. It traces the history of each word from its earliest recorded use up to the time of the printing of the dictionary.