Редактор: Elaine Pollard This new edition preserves the aims of previous editions in making information easy to find and to understand, retaining popular features such as the use of examples to illustrбхятсate meanings and easy-to-read guidance on the pronunciation of difficult words More prominence has been given in this edition to controversial aspects of the language, with an increased number of notes on points of correct usage and etymological details The overall lвегжгayout of the entries has been improved, using successful techniques adopted by other Oxford dictionaries and making all the information provided clearer and more accessible In addition, the dictionary now uses very few abbreviations, in particular giving grammatical labels in full This change seemed particularly appropriate in the light of the new emphasis on English grammar in the national curriculum for schools Dictionaries are frequently used to settle questions of spelling, andвплии consequently for this edition we have included many alternative spellings and guidance on American English variants An important feature of the previous edition was the inclusion of entries for the names of famous people, places, and institutions This proved to be tremendously popular, and has been retained Of course, since the publication of the last edition, the world has changed in many ways, and for this new edition the coverage has been brought up to date and expanded to reflect changes in the world political situation, advances in technology, etc, which have introduced new names and terms into everyday language whilst making others redundant No selection, or its principles, can satisfy everyone Our general aim for this new edition has been to include items of relevance to the modern world that have a permanent place in their own field and are known to a wider public—information that will be useful and interesting to the wide variety of users of the kind that theвтхжд dictionary has already attracted in homes, offices, and schools throughout the English-speaking world 4 edition.