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Read the excerpt from samuel johnson's preface to a dictionary of the english language.the solution of all difficulties, and the supply of all defects, must be sought in the examples, subjoined to the various senses of each word, and ranged according to the time of their authours.when first i collected these authorities, i was desirous that every quotation should be useful to some other end than the illustration of a word; i therefore extracted from philosophers principles of science; from historians remarkable facts; from chymists complete processes; from divines striking exhortations; and from poets beautiful descriptions.the excerpt suggests that johnson's work is significant because itreflects considerable literary research.includes colorful drawings and illustrations.is used by authorities in many fields of study.explains many scientific principles.

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Final answer:

Johnson's dictionary is notable for its extensive literary research, reflected in quotations that illuminate word meanings while providing insights into various fields of study.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpt from Samuel Johnson's preface to his dictionary illustrates the significance of his work primarily because it reflects considerable literary research. Johnson indicates that he chose quotations to evidence the meanings of words, ensuring they also provided additional value such as philosophical principles, historical facts, and poetic descriptions. His aim was to make each quotation serve a dual purpose: expanding upon the understanding of a word while offering insight into its use across various academic and creative fields, including divines' exhortations. This method of dictionary compilation signifies a comprehensive approach that would not only elucidate the meanings of words but also enrich the reader's knowledge across multiple disciplines.

User Francescalus
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it reflects considerable literary research.

Johnson talks about the different quotations he included in his dictionary in order to better help the user of the dictionary understand the words. He scoured texts from all different academic areas to find the best quotation to help people better understand the meaning of the words. Even though the excerpt uses the word illustrate, there are no actual illustrations. The dictionary has quotes from many different fields of study but the excerpt doesn't say it is used by many different fields of study.
User Aleksey
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