Customer Reviews

LL Princeton Review Word Smart and Grammar Smart Compact Disc Audio Edition: How to Build an Educated Vocabulary

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The WORD SMART portion of this set is really good. The speakers are pleasant, it moves at a good pace, and the examples are entertaining. However, the GRAMMAR SMART portion of this set is not so good. The speakers (different than those doing Word Smart) are so ridiculous, I had to stop listening after 30 minutes. I was so put off by the incredibly stupid jokes and the blatant reading of a script, that it was too annoying to try to pay attention to the important stuff. The set is definitely worth it for Word Smart, since it is 4 of the 6 CDs in the set. Actually, I think they sell Word Smart all on its own, so that would be a better choice.

I am very keen on enlarging my vocabulary, but I find it frustrating to do so. I have bought almost all Princeton Review vocabulary titles, but I find myself not disciplined enough to work on that regularly. When I first bought Word Smart, I was able to at least learn twenty words a day and up till now, I still can remember most of them and use them in my writing. I have reflected and I believe I must set a time and plan ahead for vocabulary learning. Learning vocabulary at a time best suited for a person is better than forcing oneself to learn when it is not the time. I do agree that the Grammar Smart is not very useful. The introduction to parts of speech is tedious and I believe most people do know that. The Grammar Smart CDs do help a bit, but, as one of the reviews have said in previously, they are not highlighted. The Word Smart series are pretty good. I think if more exercises are provided, it will be more enriching and useful.