The 8th edition of the Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's Dictionary is ideal for upper-intermediate and advanced learners of English. It covers all the words, phrases, and idioms that students need to master in order to speak and write effective English. With full-sentence definitions written in simple, natural English, this dictionary is easy to use and understand. The examples, taken from the 4.5-billion-word Collins Corpus, show learners how the words are used in authentic contexts. The dictionary also provides extensive help with grammar, including grammar patterns for many of the examples, and a grammar reference in the supplement. A wide range of vocabulary-building features, many of them with full-colour illustrations, encourage students to expand and improve their accuracy and fluency. The dictionary also includes a Visual Thesaurus, which provides alternatives to the 50 most over-used words in English; an Activity Guide, which helps students learn how to get the most out of the dictionary; a Writer's Handbook, which gives guidance on spelling, punctuation, letter-writing and CVs, and a Speaker's Handbook, which gives advice on the best set phrases to use in specific situations