Customer Reviews

Verbal Advantage: 10 Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is an interesting stroll through English vocabulary. It starts you out with words that most adults know, and slowly leads you to the vocabulary of the intellectual elite. Along the way are stops for pronunciation tips, common English pitfalls, advice for increasing your vocabulary, and numerous other tips to help you sound like an educated speaker. This book is a very fun and exciting approach to an otherwise boring subject.

I often heard many of the words in this book used on TV or radio, and didn't really know what they meant. Now I know what they mean, not what I think they might mean because of the way they are being used. This book is simply amazing.

After browsing through many vocabulary-building books, I decided to get this one simply because it seemed to have lots of information besides just plain old definitions and examples of usage. And, like the previous reviews have said, it's actually very interesting and enjoyable to read. I tend to have a short attention span when reading non-fiction sometimes, so I find it strange to be getting lost in this material. I can feel my brain working! It reveals many misconceptions, mispronunciations, and improper applications of lots of words -- some of them "difficult," and others simply things I thought I knew but didn't. The review tests and the arrangement of words into levels of difficulty allow for a very natural sense of development throughout the book.

You wouldn't think that a book designed to improve one's vocabulary would be a pleasure to read, but this one is. I bought the book because I have often considered ordering the (very expensive) audio program I always seem to see in airline magazines, but have never had the extra cash to spend on it. With it's levels, lists, and review tests, you'd think this book would be as boring as a high school vocab textbook, but it's not at all! Not only does he teach you new words (with precise, accurate definitions), but he throws in interesting tidbits on word history, correct but seldom used pronunciations, and some great anecdotes. I look forward to reading this book every time I open it.

This is a fun book for learning new words. The words are divided in 10 levels, each level containing 50 "key" words. Each level is progressively more challenging (you may read this as - it contains the words you might have been less likely to encounter, though this depends on what do your normally read).

Beside each word, you'll find the pronounciation in brackets. With words which may have two of more pronounciation, they are all mentioned here.

The "key word" is follows with the definition, as well as the origin. For example, if the word has a Latin root, then the Latin word is mentioned, together with the meaning of the Latin word.

Then the usage of the words is mentioned, together with different contexts in which such word may be used. You'll find the contexts where the word was originally used, as well as how its usage spread to other contexts, sometimes altering the meaning the word originally had.

You'll also find sections warning your of "abusage" of the words.

You'll find antonyms and synonyms of the "key" words, together with their definitions, usage, appropriate contexts, and distinguishing differences.

Each level is followed by a reviews, sample text where you can check out your comprehension, additional notes and a quiz.

At the beginning of the book is a "pretest" with 100 words, designed to help you to evaluate your current vocabulary level. At the end of the book is "posttest" with 100 words, designed to help you evaluate how much has your vocabulary expanded after working with this book.

I used this book in conjunction with the 24 CD set and Princeton Review Word Smart I & II. I listened to both sets 4-5 five times. I am a Russian immigrant and this (along with some luck) allowed me to score 740 (99th percentile) on the Verbal part of GRE. I highly recommend it.

Like the other reviews say, this is a wonderful book. The way it teaches the words ensure that at no time does it make you feel pressured because you were thrown into the deep end.

Most other vocabulary building books I have come across usually group the words according to root word, or some kind of linguistic group (eg. words associated with a certain occupation). That is fine but the common problem I faced was that suddenly I had to deal with a five-syllable word out of nowhere.

Thus Verbal Advantage's advantage (pardon the pun) lies in its way of teaching the simple words first then progressing onto the difficult words.

HOWEVER (and this is a big however), knowing the words alone is not enough. I say this because while Verbal Advantage (and indeed any vocabulary book) may improve one's recognition of words, it doesn't improve one's *usage* of words. And here I will take examples from the reviews at the back of the book itself:

1) "I am a small business owner, and I bought Verbal Advantage because I thought it would help with this aspect of my life." - Here the word "aspect" sounds sufficiently educated and advanced, but entirely mysterious in the context of the sentence. What "aspect" of his life is this reviewer really talking about? It would have made more sense if he had said, "I am a businessman who has to deal with a lot of contracts and paperwork, and I bought Verbal Advantage because I believed it would help with this aspect of my life."

It's much clearer now that the "aspect" of his life he is referring to is the reading and understanding of contracts and other documents pertaining to his work. Notice also that in a fairly formal piece of writing like a review, to say "I thought that..." is somewhat informal and colloquial even, and the better alternative is "I believed that..."

Another example then, from another review at the back of the book:

2) "Thank you for Verbal Advantage ... My vocabulary has not only been increased: it's been liberated."

The error here is the puzzling use of the word "liberated". Arguably the reviewer is attempting to use a metaphorical turn of phrase here by saying that her vocabulary has been set free, but how can you set free your vocabulary, even metaphorically? Better would be to say that her English has been liberated. That would imply that her language skills are now no longer bound by the limits of her vocabulary, whereas by "liberating" your vocabulary, it makes one think that it means she's going to start using advanced words freely, disregarding the appropriateness of the word usage, advanced words like "liberated" perhaps.


Therefore my point is that if one is intending to gain a mastery of the English language, merely knowing the words is not enough. Knowing how to use the words is just as important, if not more so. In the introduction of the book the author draws a relationship between success and knowing words, but I feel that he fails to point out that knowing how to use them well is half the battle, and for that no vocabulary book can help.

Certainly Verbal Advantage seems to elide this whole aspect of language mastery, or at least have trivialised it. While it does point out the difference in usuage between one word and other words of similiar meaning (but are not synonyms), it fails to point out the more subtle intricacies of the language that makes it such an exciting thing.

To say, "I evicted my tenant because of my intense disapproval of his unhygenic habits" may make me sound educated, but also boring and bureaucratic. Whereas saying that "I kicked out the guy renting my flat because he was way too dirty" loses none of the meaning, but packs an extra punch in conveying my disgust and in gaining the sympathy of my listener.

So get a volume that explains or teaches you how to use the language well (there are many out there, one good one would be Henry Fowler's excellent resource) to complement Verbal Advantage, and soon, you will not only be a master at naming the tools of the language, but a venerable expert at wielding them as well.

This book is a perfect complement to the Verbal Advantage Audio Cassettes or can stand alone. Everything that is covered on the tapes is in the book. You just need to decide whether you want an audio format costing close to 300 dollars or a print format which is under 20.

I don't usually take time to write a review about books I read, but I will for this book. It is an exceptional book.

The words are carefully chosen and precisely defined. The author has superb diction, and he really makes a sincere attempt to impart some of that knowledge to the reader. I have bought many vocabulary books and have been disappointed many times. Most vocabulary books list too many arcane words, do little to help the reader with pronunciation, and often rely on absurdly contrived examples to help the reader with usage. Verbal Advantage stresses proper pronunciation and gives realistic examples of the words used in context.

Kudos to Mr. Elster.

Granted, there are many well written vocabulary-enhancing books but the Verbal Advantage must be singled out as a true masterpiece. What is it that makes this book superior to other similar books? First, it is extremely well structured; it consists of several sections all of which contain the words that need to be learned and a lucid explanation of every word. Thus, its structure not only facilitates comprehension of the target word but also makes sure that you remember the word. What is more, Harrington also teaches you synonyms.

Each section is followed by a brief test that measures your progress. This is particularly important since these tests help you focus on the more difficult words.

If one of your goals in life is to improve your communicative skills then you should purchase this book. Never before had I been able to learn so many words in such a short period of time and if I can so can you. If I have not been able to convince you thus far to acquire this book, then read on.

Studies have demonstrated that people with superior vocabularies frequently hold prominent and respectable jobs. Whether we like it or not, individuals with sophisticated vocabularies command greater respect and admiration. How people perceive us is in part related to the size of our vocabulary. Erudite people usually have large vocabularies.

How well you do on the job interview may have much more to do with the size of your vocabulary than one might think. Leaving a good first impression is highly momentous. This is where the Verbal Advantage comes in. It will help you achieve greater success in all areas of life.

This is irrefutably the most efficient method of expanding your vocabulary.

Highly recommended!

Buy now!

I would have given this book 5 stars, but was dumbfounded to realize that there is no index or alphabetical listing of all the words in the book! Each of the ten lessons covers 50 words (called keywords), plus there are hundreds of synonyms and antonyms thrown in with the discussions of each word. I think every one of these words should be indexed, so if I learn a word (or want to) I can find it. At the very least the keywords should be indexed. An egregious shortcoming in an otherwise superb book.