Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder - epub [a0b10c110]

Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder [Kindle Edition]

Product Details

ISBN: 0877798559
Language: English

Book Description

This expanded and thoroughly revised new edition is designed not only to add hundreds of useful new words to a student’s permanent working vocabulary but also to teach the most common and useful Greek and Latin word-building roots to help students understand and master additional vocabulary in the future.

Example sentences and brief explanatory comments provide a rich context to bring the words to life, and quizzes are provided to encourage reuse and recall of words and to reinforce memory of them. All of these features combine to make this a valuable tool for students preparing for standardized tests or simply seeking to expand their English vocabulary.

About the Author

Since 1937. Merriam-Webster is America's foremost publisher of language-related reference works. The company publishes a diverse array of print and electronic products, including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(tm) Dictionary, Eleventh Edition - America's best-selling desk dictionary - and Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster can be considered the direct lexicographical heir of Noah Webster. In 1843, the company bought the rights to the 1841 edition of Webster's magnum opus, An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged. At the same time, they secured the rights to create revised editions of the work. Since that time, Merriam-Webster editors have carried forward Noah Webster's work, creating some of the most widely used and respected dictionaries and reference books in the world.

Reviews

I just bought this book and read 5 pages so far. And I love it! I can speak English, my second language, very well. But I want my vocabulary to be as good as a native speaker, so I was looking for a book that only includes high-level vocabulary and shows how to use them in phrases. This book is the answer and more! It groups words by their roots, and gives a little story of the roots at the right level. Under each root, there are usually 3 or 4 words, which I think is a good quantity. I found this effective in learning similar words quickly. Each word is followed by abundant yet short phrases to illustrate its meanings and connotations. The phrases are informative and fun to read. After several roots, you can take quizzes to see how much you have learnt or forgotten. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to build a powerful vocabulary in an effective way.

Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder , New Edition 2010 , written by Mary Wood Cornog, will be useful to undergraduates, journalists, editors and all who work in the communications field.

I have personally completed the first Unit out of thirty units ; well, it is money well invested as I felt my brain got a good workout. Here are two terms I definitely enjoyed learning about : reprobate, nestor . Let's see if you can make out their meaning from the following 2 sentences :

1 His wife finally left him, claiming he was a reprobate .

2 The guest of honor was a nestor among journalists .

There is an Introduction to the second edition outlining the 2 goals :

(1) to add a large number of words to your permanent working vocabulary
(2) to teach the most useful of the classical word-building roots to help you continue expanding your vocabulary in the future .

The author provides a knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, those that have produced the largest number of common English words, 250 of them roots.

Pronunciation symbols are provided to help recognize them when you hear them.

The 30 units discuss a total of 1 200 words in detail.
Quizzes folow each 8-word group along with review quizzes at the end of each unit.

Answers and a word index are provided at the end of the pocket book ; you cannot put the book in your pocket but it can be opened and held in one hand ,as it is no longer than an opened hand.