Customer Reviews: Read 41 more reviews...
 A great place to start June 30, 2008
I first encountered this book in high school when I took a summer course on how to do better on the ACT (a course offered by my high school). Although I approached this book like I did any other back then (with no real effort), the book did stand out in my mind. I eventually bought the book many years later in an effort to better my vocabulary.
The format of the book is like a first year Spanish (or any other foreign language) textbook. A list of words are provided at the beginning of the chapter and the rest of the chapter is dedicated to using the words and testing your knowledge. Many of the chapters rely on one root word and expand on it. For example there is one chapter on fears and most of the words end in phobia. This makes learning a little easier because instead of learning each word individually, you can learn a group of words.
Some sample Chapters:
4. How to talk about liars and lying.
Words include (but are not limited to): notorious, consummate, incorrigible, congenital, egregious.
16. How to talk about a variety of personal characteristics.
words include: obsequious, supercilious, bibulous, innocuous.
However, every few chapters the author changes subjects completely and skips a specific vocab lesson in order to teach an overall lesson
Some chapters include:
3. How grammar changes
The difference between me and I at the end of a sentence, Proper verb agreement, and keeping the subject of the sentence the same.
8. How to spell a word
This chapter is dedicated to simple tricks that help you remember how to spell words. For example "I before e except after c."
Overall I really like this layout. It takes a few weeks to read through (if you take your time and do it properly). There is one reason why I gave the book a 4 out of 5. You can't just read a vocab book and expect to have great vocabulary. The key is to read. Whether it be the newspaper, a magazine, or a novel every few weeks, the best way to improve your vocabulary is to constantly challenge yourself. The novel Ulysses by James Joyce draws from over 30,000 words!! Even though the book was written over 50 years ago, almost every word in it is still part of an essential modern vocabulary.
 Its not this easy August 28, 2007
7 out of 12 found this review helpful
Why do you want to increase the size of your vocabulary? If you want just want to show off then this may be a book for you. However, if you want to be able to formulate your thoughts more precisely stay away from it. The method that the author proposes gives you a rough idea of the meaning of a word. That's it. After working through the book you may be able to say the same thing in six different ways, but you will not be able to tell the subtle differences in implication. That the author likewise lacks this level of sophistication becomes abundantly clear, e.g., when he claims that a palace and a castle are 'the same'. In order to really extend your vocabulary I would rather recommend to read book by Joyce, Hemmingway or Dickens -- they also make a more enjoyable read.
 Ssimple yet powerful August 23, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I already had a copy of the book long back. I guess someone borrowed it and "forgot" to return it back. Really simple, yet packs a punch. Very effective too.
Very effective but at times very challenging and difficult book June 10, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
As most other reviewers remarked, this book is probably the best and most efficient book to truely improve your vocabulary. The ideas and methologies in this book will benefit you for years to come. But be warned, this book is not for some leisurely reading, where you magically improve your vocabulary in a few weeks. I bought this book a couple of month ago and I'm just half way through, although I work on it almost every day. As the author mentions in the opening chapter, to really learn you have to have the desire to learn new things, new ideas, just like a child does. Only then will you be able to really improve. Only if you really have that desire will you be able to finish this book.
One of the great things about this book, is that each keyword is first described by an 'idea' behind the word. Meaning, you first get a paragraph of some habit/characteristic/attribute and once you think, "yes, I know exactly what you mean", only then will he present you with a single new word, which expresses exactly what that entire paragraph described. The next sections then work with those new words and dissect them and show you where they come from (either Latin or Greek) and other words build on the same root. You also have to write down exercises to work with those new words. The author also encourages the reader to read aloud so you really familiarize yourself with those new words. The pronunciation guide is also surprisingly effective.
If you're serious about building/improving your vocabulary, buy this book, you won't regret it. Absolutely worth 5 stars.
Deserves ten stars!! April 13, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've tried several vocabulary building books and this book by Norman Lewis is the best. After reading this book, I never look at the words same way again. This book not only teach me how to approach unfamiliar words, but also arouse my desire to learn new words.
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