Thesaurus/Dictionary

[Price]

I do not really know if this is possible or not, but if making a dictionary/thesaurus is to much of a pain. Perhaps integrating a already existing one would be easier. Example being, having a shortcut key or icon that activates whatever 3rd party dictionary/thesaurus program you do have on your Mac? Just throwing ideas because a good dictionary/thesaurus is very important.

[druid]

See michpen's note, above. Mac OS X has a built-in dictionary and thesaurus, available in ALL programs (except Microsoft). Just control-click on any word.

My experience: Dictionary must be in the Applications folder, but not inside a sub-folder within Applications. An odd hangover from earlier versions of the OS, which did not allow sub-folders.

[druid]

So, in answer to your question THIS is why I want a dictionary/thesaurus for Scrivener even though OS X has one. This is why I want one in spite of the fact that there are plenty of excellent ones on the internet. Because while I'm gripped by the muse and writing away, I want the quickest way to find the right word. Option-click to OPEN the dictionary and finding NO synonyms for that word is going to interrupt my writing, not facilitate it.

I sympathize, but adding this tool would bloat Scrivener. It's for outlining and drafting. Anything else one might need (encyclopedia, bibliography, timeline, mindmap, etc.) exist in other applications or on the Internet.

Here are some of my favorite word sources, all free and online:

Online Etymology Dictionary: http://www.etymonline.com/
OneLook: http://www.onelook.com/
WordIQ: http://www.wordiq.com/
WordNet: http://wordnet.princeton.edu/
RhymeZone: http://www.rhymezone.com/

[PJS]

Here's a vote for no attached or incorporated reference texts. They're easily enough accessed within Mac.

When I'm gripped by the muse -- as warmly now as when I was young, but somewhat less often -- I continue the dance for as long as she'll stay. Asking her to wait a moment while I flip through a thesaurus is worse than impolite; it's impolitic. She's not a fickle creature, but she is temperamental, apt to vanish in a moment if my attention flags.

Reference texts are for when she's gone, when time can comfortably be given over to technical chores -- excising adverbs, pruning prepositions, tracking down sharper verbs and more precise nouns.

[KB]

Just to reiterate that Scrivener is not going to have its own built-in dictionary or thesaurus. The one built into OS X is already good enough, and you can already double-click on a word, ctrl-click and select "Look Up in Dictionary". From there you can click on "Thesaurus" or scroll down and look for alternative words.

As a one-man show there is simply no way that I'm going to put any development time into creating my own dictionary or thesaurus - that way madness lies!

All the best,
Keith

[vic-k]

Philip, mon ami, Je suis d`accord avec vous,
`twould be as though: when engaging in bouts of gymnasticated fornication, one`s paramour would squeal, intermittently, “ Phil!! Walmart have some great two for one offers on this week.â€

[hallogallo]

Command + Ctrl + D when hovering the mouse-arrow over a word does the trick.

[vic-k]

Hellohallogallo

Would that be `trick` as in `Gymnasticated Fornication`?

[hallogallo]

yeah sortof.

well, you just need a somewhat rearranged finger setup on your left hand, just go into your closets apple-store and ask for the command-ctrl surgery. After that your hands just flies over the keyboard when performing all these strange shortcut combinations.

[vic-k]

Hallo,

Aren`t APPLE wonderful. You don`t think they do `thingy` enlargements, do you? Mind you, knowing APPLE`s pricing policy, I expect you could get it done a lot cheaper, at PC WORLD.

Take care

Vic

[hallogallo]

Actually they do. And yeah, it's kind of pricey, but you have to take into account that it's not just an enlargement, but also a re-design in apple-white or, if you like, in any of the new colors the iPod nano comes in. Compared to a dull rework at PC-WORLD it's a pure joy to look at.


Well, to get back onto the subject, I think a thesaurus is a great tool for finding the right words, but I use the rule "never use a word you haven't heard before" when I write. Sometimes I got this word in the back of my head I wanna write and I just can't seem to get it out, so I type in something similar and check the thesaurus to find the one I'm searching for.

[KB]

I use the rule "never use a word you haven't heard before"

A good rule. I'm trying to expand the vocabulary of the Year 5s (10 year-olds) I teach at the moment. For their weekend homework, I asked them to look around - at books, signs, TV, whatever - and find five new exciting words that they don't normally use but might be able to use in their writing. They also had to write a sentence showing that they understood the meanings. One of my girls came up with "philharmonic". Her sentence was: "The London Philharmonic Orchestra are playing tonight." When they came to do some extended writing later in the week, she was keen to use the words she had learned over the weekend. The first sentence of her story was: "'Get over here!' shouted Daniel philharmonically."

Best,
Keith

[crimewriter]

Now that's what I call creative writing, Keith!



cw

[antony]

"'Get over here!' shouted Daniel philharmonically."

That girl's got a bright future

[babyfett]

I was just about to echo the request for a built-in Thesaurus/Dictionary when I read one of the replies here with a tip to press "Control-Command D" to open a mini-OS X Dictionary/Thesaurus. And now that I know I can do this, I'd like to request a button on the Scrivener interface that will access this for you after you've highlight a word because sometime we forget about these shortcuts if we don't use them every day. Though a shortcut like this I'll be using every day. Anyway, I think a simple button on the interface isn't too much to ask compared to asking Scrivener to include a whole dictionary/thesaurus.

I also wanted to say that after only four days of my trial, I've pulled the trigger and bought a license. Love the product. Keep up the good work.