Consulting the dictionary and the thesaurus
A good dictionary, whether print or online, is an indispensable writer’s aid. Reliable dictionaries include the following:
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
- Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
- The Random House College Dictionary
- Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language
The sample entry 
from a print dictionary is taken from The American Heritage Dictionary. Labels show where various kinds of information about a word can be found in that dictionary.
The sample entry from an online dictionary is taken from Merriam-Webster Online.