Dictionary of German Synonyms

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book for any serious student of German.
Review: Detailed but very clear explanations describe to the nonnative speaker the subtleties of German synonyms (e.g., "schlecht" vs. "schlimm" vs. "böse"; "erinnern" vs. "gedenken" etc.). Each description includes at least one or two carefully chosen examples. The length of entries varies: INTERESTED IN is handled neatly in one paragraph, while MAY extends to four pages. Throughout the book, the reader is given helpful hints on the pitfalls of translating from English to German. ("If you wish to say [English] x, then it must be translated with German y, and not z.") Its design is simple: German synonyms are listed under English headwords. If you wish to find the difference between "Tatsache" and "Angabe", for example, you would look under the headword FACT, where the former is in paragraph number two, and the latter in number three. (My one [small] complaint is that the indexes of words treated is at the back of the book, when it might make it a bit easier for the reader to have them at the front.) Each synonym is usually given its own paragraph, though sometimes synonyms that are very close in meaning will be treated together. English headwords are printed in bold and in capital letters, while German equivalents are in bold with normal capitalization; terms are thus very easy to find and distinguish from one another. Though intended for serious endeavors by the advanced or semi-advanced student of German, Farrell's is one of those rare dictionaries that is fun to flip through even at one's leisure.