Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanthe
In a lot of threads I read that people consider having a dictionary in their ereader a necessary item. I don't happen to have one in mine and I don't miss it at all; I rarely have to look up words when I'm reading to begin with.
So I was wondering, for those of you who mainly just read books in your own language, how often do you really have to look up words? I can understand the need for dictionary translation when you're reading something in a language other than your native one, but for everyday reading, is a dictionary really such a critical item?
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Having a dictionary when reading to look up words you've never seen or aren't sure of but can infer the meaning from context is excellent for expanding your vocabulary. When I read a real book, I always highlight new words and the page number they are on for later reference in compiling a personal dictionary. Having this function digitized on a reader is fantastic. Yes you can "get by" without, but not if the goal for reading is not only to entertain but to educate.