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English as a Second Language (ESL)

Online Reference Books

Using the Catalog to Find Reference Books

Use Reference books to find an overview and background information on your topic.  The Reference collection is located on the Main Floor of the Sojourner Truth Library, behind the service desks. 

Click here to begin searching for Reference books in the library catalog. 

  • Do a keyword search for your topic.
  • Once you get results, look at the options on the left side of the page under "Refine Your Results".
  • Scroll until you reach "Collection/Location" and select "Reference Collection" and "Reference Oversize".

Your results will change so that you only see Reference books! 

The STL also subscribes to many Reference books through various library databases

Suggested Reference Books

Here are some of the books you can find in the Reference collection! Learn more about using call numbers to locate books here

Reference books

  • 5 Language Visual Dictionary [Ref P361 .A15 2003]
  • 21st Century American English Compendium: a Guidebook for Translators, Interpreters, Writers,
        Editors, and Advanced Language Students [Ref PE2835 .R83 2000]
  • American Heritage Thesaurus for Learners of English [Ref PE1591 .L36 2002]
  • Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language [Ref PE1072 .C68 2003]
  • Cambridge Grammar of the English Language [Ref PE1106 .H74 2002]
  • Concise Oxford English Dictionary [Ref PE1628 .C68 2011]
  • Descriptionary: [a thematic dictionary] [Ref PE1591 .M415 2000]
  • Dictionary of Languages: the Definitive Reference to more than 400 Languages [Ref P371 .D35 1998]
  • Dictionary of Multicultural Education [Ref LC1099 .D53 1997]
  • Encyclopedia of American Education [Ref LB 17 .U54 1996]
  • English Vocabulary Quick Reference [Ref PE1449 .C75 1997]
  • Facts on File Dictionary of Cliches [Ref PE1689 .A48 2001
  • NTC's American English Learner's Dictionary [Ref PE 1628 .S5825 1998]
  • NTC's American Idioms Dictionary [Ref PE2839 .S64 2000]
  • NTC's Compact English Dictionary: The Core Vocabulary for Learners [Ref PE1628 .N73 2000]
  • NTC's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions [Ref PE2846 .S64 2000]
  • Oxford Dictionary of Idioms [Ref PE1464 .O94 2004]
  • Right, Wrong, and Risky: A Dictionary of Today's American English Usage [Ref PE2835.D38 2006]
  • Straight from the Fridge, Dad: a Dictionary of Hipster Slang [Ref PE3727.B43 D43 2001]
  • The Translator's Handbook [Ref P306 .S59 1999]