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With the growing popularity of electronic dictionaries, the
confusion and frustration of EFL reading comprehension students is
increasing, as time and again they realize that the meanings
offered by the electronic dictionary do not match the text. On the
other hand, the dictionary's speed is an advantage that cannot be
ignored since it not only facilitates use, but also encourages the
user to read more in the foreign language. Other types of
dictionaries offer the students other types of advantages, but,
just like the electronic dictionary, each one has its own
disadvantages. Some types of dictionaries are more favored by
teachers, while others are preferred by the students. This article
compares the advantages and disadvantages of most types of modern
dictionaries both from the teachers and researchers' as well as
from the students' points of view, and shows that if clear
distinctions are made between learning, test-taking and reading
for pleasure or extensive reading, each type of dictionary can be
used either by itself or in combination with another dictionary,
depending on the type of activity.
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