ferrellweb

mr. ferrell's class web site!

Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.

—Samuel Johnson

Dictionaries

  • Dictionary.com
    Quickly grab and compare definitions from several free sources.
  • Merriam-Webster Online
    The official site for the dictionary. This one has audio pronunciations for words that can be helpful.
  • The Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing
    Can't tell the difference between your CPU, LPT, and SCSI? This specialized dictionary is an excellent resource for in-depth definitions of technical terms.
  • Urban Dictionary
    A constantly evolving dictionary of user-defined slang terms. Be warned: the language here can get pretty rough. But if you've got to find out what the heck that dude on the MTV Music Awards was just talking about, you can't beat this site.
  • RhymeZone Rhyming Dictionary
    Can't find that perfect rhyme for "perturb" or something to finish your latest Top 40 hit? The Rhyming Dictionary can help. Go there.

Encyclopedias

  • Symbols.com
    The world's largest online encyclopedia of graphic symbols can help you identify those hobo signs on the fence near your house. (I knew you were wondering what those meant!) Browse by graphic type, or use the word index.
  • Britannica.com
    With sales of actual printed encyclopedias plummeting, reputable online versions are having to charge subscriptions to make ends meet. If that's acceptable to you, you might want to look at the granddaddy of all: The Encyclopedia Britannica.

    Subscriptions run $59.95/year, or about $5/month; not too shabby, if you think about it, and there's a free trial period. If you just need a quick summary, though, you can read short entries from the "concise encyclopedia."
  • Encyclopedia.com
    Provides concise entries on topics, but each search also comes with links to current articles at eLibrary, a subscription-based, premium content provider.

    So here's its strength: a search for "Gerald Ford" might link to a current article from The Saturday Evening Post at eLibrary, and you'd have to pay to read the article. But that's just a convenience—there's nothing stopping you from walking into the RCHS library, and checking out that edition of The Saturday Evening Post. Get it?
  • Wikipedia
    I've taken to using this one a lot to do quick searches on different topics; it makes a good starting place, at least. The trick is, it's a wiki, which causes some people concern about its accuracy. Wikipedia does a pretty good job of replying to those issues, and it is a really interesting endeavor.
  • The Jewish Encyclopedia
    "This website contains the complete contents of the 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia, which was originally published between 1901-1906. The Jewish Encyclopedia, which recently became part of the public domain, contains over 15,000 articles and illustrations." I haven' thad much of a chance to check this out, but it might be useful, so I'm including it.
  • The Catholic Encyclopedia
    An excellent resource, "...it differs from the general encyclopedia in omitting facts and information which have no relation to the Church. On the other hand, it is not exclusively a church encyclopedia, nor is it limited to the ecclesiastical sciences and the doings of churchmen." You might be surprised what you can find here.

Foreign Language Resources

  • Verbix
    Conguagte verbs in over 100 languages! Choose your language, enter the infinitive form in the search box, and you're off and running. This would have saved me many trips to the library for 501 French Verbs in my high school days!