The first English dictionary was published in 1604. (1)____________________each followed by 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 thousand hard words. Around 1700 one dictionary maker, John Kersey, did define easy words as well as hard ones. (2)__________________________
A man named Dr. Samuel Johnson changed all this. In 1775, 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.
(3)_____________________ In England scholars planned and prepare 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.
