Vocabulary Cartoons: Building an Educated Vocabulary with Visual Mnemonics [Paperback]

Sam Burchers (Author), Max Burchers (Author), Bryan Burchers (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0965242285 | ISBN-13: 978-0965242288 | Publication Date: March 1997 | Edition: 3

First complete collection of rhyming word and visual mnemonic aids for rapid vocabulary enhancement. This unique book contains 290 words commonly found on the SAT test and is presented with easy to remember memory aids in the form of word associations and humorous cartoons. Students learn three times more words in independent school tests. Makes vocabulary fun! As easy as reading the comics. It is a must for every college bound middle and high school student.

Product Details

• Paperback: 341 pages
• Publisher: New Monic Books; 3 edition (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965242285
• ISBN-13: 978-0965242288
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

114 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book using mnemonics, July 25, 2001

By 

"a_keen_language_learner" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vocabulary Cartoons: Building an Educated Vocabulary with Visual Mnemonics (Paperback)

Like many of you, I have used lots of other methods in memorizing vocabularies, and only found that it is totally useless. Even though you have learned those new words one day, you forgot them the next day. It is because we do not make the best use of our brain in memorization. If you know psychology, you know that human memorize by association, that is, you link up a new fact with the old information already contained in your mind. The success of this book is to help you to form association with other English words that you have already known. For example, according the book, the word "Giddy" is associated with an easier word "City", because they have similar pronounciation. Then a picture showing a village farmer getting dizzy with all the complicated roads in the city remind you the meaning of "giddy": dizzy, frivolous. The mnemonic method are based on psychological research, and that is why it is a good source in learning new words. I have tried Princeton Review Word Smart Cassette Programme before, and found that I forgot those learned words within a few days. This book has better methods, and the cartoon makes the whole learning experience less stressful.

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STUDENTS LEARNED THREE TIMES MORE WITH MEMORY AIDS, February 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vocabulary Cartoons: Building an Educated Vocabulary with Visual Mnemonics (Paperback)

I was one of the Florida teachers who tested Vocabulary Cartoon study aids in actual classroom tests in 1997. In double blind tests, my eighth grade students with the vocabulary cartoon books learned three times more than in the control class with traditional rote memory vocabulary books. Both classes studied the same words and were given the same study time. I highly recommend the memory aid format found in the vocabulary books to both parents and teachers. Diane Woolley Port Charlotte Middle School Port Charlotte, Florida

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very effective method, not too advanced, September 22, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Sauro (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vocabulary Cartoons: Building an Educated Vocabulary with Visual Mnemonics (Paperback)

This is the best mnemonic vocabulary book I've come across. Most vocabulary books expect the reader to simply memorize dozens of words from a definition, an etymology and a sentence, then use fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice to reinforce and test you. As most know, it quickly becomes overwhelming. Vocabulatoons visual representations are truly memorable and I still remember the picture for the word for fjord (tourists looking at Ford cars in a Fjord).

The words are definitely geared toward high-school vocabulary and the SAT (as the book cover suggests) so I found myself already knowing about 75% of the words (e.g. gloat, legacy, phobia, vocation, ajar, aftermath).

I'm hoping the sequel to this book will have more advanced words, however, it never hurts to reinforce what words you *think* you already know.