Book excerpt: "The Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus combines a full dictionary and a full thesaurus, offering users access to the power of words as never before. This is the most wide-ranging resource available: a first-of-its-kind reference book that's much more than a dictionary and thesaurus under one cover. Everything you'd find in a dictionary is here, along with everything you'd find in a thesaurus, all thoroughly integrated for ease of use." "Plus, each synonym is precisely matched to the correct meaning of the word you're looking up so that you'll find the right word every time. In addition to parts of speech, the Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus includes a wealth of valuable appendices. The handy Language Guide in the back of the dictionary helps build power and confidence in vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and style." --Book Jacket.