Computer: IBM PC 486 or above | Operating system: Windows^TM 95/98/Me or NT4/2000/XP
RAM: 16 Mb minimum  |   Hard disk: 15 Mb free space | Video: 256 colors or more
Sound card: 16-bit, full duplex recommended
Additional equipment: CD-ROM drive, speakers or headphones, microphone
Interface languages: English, French, German, Spanish

Price List	CD-ROM in carton	CD-ROM in jewel case
Collins English Talking dictionary	£13.99 (£19.99)	£9.99

English Talking Dictionary

This software will be helpful for anyone who needs to use the English language - professional and business users who need it at work as well as schoolchildren and students for their studies. Now you can have the highest quality dictionary always to hand for checking the spelling, meanings and pronunciation of the word you need.

The English Talking Dictionary includes an electronic version of the explanatory Collins English dictionary and digital sound bases for all headwords. The dictionary has over 68,000 references. The software includes crosswords - the traditional and ever-popular pastime - which are built up automatically, using the database of the dictionary. For English language learners we have developed a set of computer-based learning excercises - the Shooting Gallery and AudioPad.

The electronic version of the dictionary has the same content as its paper counterpart, but is much easier to use. All short forms and abbreviations used in the dictionary are explained in full in the pop-up prompts when the cursor is positioned on them. All the headwords in the dictionary are spoken by professional native speakers. This enables you not only to see the meaning of a word but also to listen to all the correct pronunciations of the word and even to practise your own pronunciation with the help of the AudioPad. The dictionary is fully cross-referenced, i.e. by clicking on any word in the explanation section you can see the definition of this word and then easily revert to the original section. It also includes a quick search facility. To find a particular word you only need to start typing the word in the quick search field. As each new letter is entered the program automatically looks for the first most likely word and this will appear in the dictionary area. This allows you to find the required word quickly from the first few letters without having to enter the whole word.

Additional facilities are provided by the MemoPad, in which you can enter any word from the dictionary and use it as a bookmark to quickly switch to a required word. Also any chosen set of words can be transferred to the Shooting Gallery directly from the dictionary in order to practise the spelling or it can be saved as a separate file for further use in the dictionary or Shooting Gallery.

Entertaining Crosswords

Crosswords are a traditional pastime and in our software are generated in a flash by a powerful system using the English Talking Dictionary as a database. You must guess the words using the definitions as clues. Words are chosen from the dictionary at random and are never repeated. The program creates a crossword in a split second omitting any words which have been previously "guessed".

The crossword generator offers several levels of data source. You can use the whole dictionary as a database or a limited range of words depending on the language level you select. If you choose the whole dictionary any entry from the dictionary may be used, even if it is a word combination consisting of two, three or more words or a compound word, spelt with a hyphen. If you prefer to guess from single word clues only, you should select the limited range of words. The computer will then choose for you only entries consisting of one word.

There are 3 modes for the crosswords according to level of difficulty:

• Learning mode. This is the simplest option. It is designed for those who have just started learning the language. In this mode you can first look through and memorise the words which appear in the crossword.
• Normal mode. This is a more difficult mode. It is designed for those students who need to extend and refresh their existing vocabulary. In this mode you guess each word from all the definitions of that word.
• Difficult mode. This is the most difficult mode. It is designed for those who are aiming for fluency in the language. In this mode you guess each word from only one of its definitions.

Learning Exercises

The English Talking Dictionary is designed for both work and study, for people who have just started learning English as a foreign language as well as for schoolchildren and students for whom English is their native tongue. The most important aim for language learners is to increase vocabulary and practise spelling and pronunciation. For this we have developed a set of computer-based learning exercises.

You do these exercises in a group of students (a group can consist of 1 to 12 people). The list of students is sorted numerically by score. Opposite each name on the list there is a pictogram with a face whose expression indicates the current position of the student. Thus the learning process becomes a competition in which every student tries to get as high a score as possible to come top of the list.

Shooting Gallery

A dynamic exercise, the Shooting Gallery teaches you how to spell words quickly and correctly. The exercise is designed so that it literally makes you remember new words and the random numbers generator selects words avoiding repetition and omitting words already "guessed". A personal record is kept for each student which shows all words used, and the results are displayed in the form of coloured block graphs. It uses as a database the whole dictionary, but offers different levels of difficulty:

• the entire dictionary
• 500 / 1,000 / 1,500 / 2,000 / 2,500 / 3,000 most used words
• an unlimited number of personally selected sets of words from MemoPad files

MemoPad files

The headword of any dictionary entry can be stored in the MemoPad. It is useful for storing new words or words which are difficult to remember. The MemoPad may be set up by a teacher, selecting words for the students to learn. Then these MemoPad files can be used in the Shooting Gallery in order to memorise the required words and practise spelling them.

AudioPad

This module is designed to teach correct pronunciation. With the help of the AudioPad you can listen to original speech spoken by a professional native speaker and also record and listen to your own speech. In addition, each sound fragment is graphically displayed which makes practising more vivid. A unique feature of the AudioPad is that it has two modes: Mixed Playback and Full Duplex Recording.

The mixed (synchronous) playback mode enables you to listen to your own recorded speech at the same time as the speech of the native speaker. This enables you to hear where your pronunciation differs from the original. The Full Duplex (synchronous) Recording mode allows you to record your own speech at the same time as the native speaker pronunciation is being played back. This enables you to imitate all the nuances of the pronunciation with the utmost precision.

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