Customer Reviews

The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder

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Mark Phillip's book is one long desired by society. His preface explains why he wrote the book (mainly because when he was younger, there was no such thing as a vocabulary builder outside of the dictionary) and also gives instruction about the proper way to use the book.

While the story of the Wizard of Oz is well known, the language that Phillips uses is quite unique, but very informative and helpful in developing a stronger vocabulary. The basic premise of the book is that when you learn a word in context, such as the story of the Wizard of Oz, you are more prone to remember the word, how to use it, and its meaning. This premise is correct, and after one reading of the book, any reader should not question its means.

However, do not expect to get this book, read it through once and remember all the words; this book is meant to be read three, four, or more times because of the vast amount of words to be learned.

The only criticism that I have of the books is in his footnote-like definitions for words. While he gives examples of how to use the word and a solid working definition, he fails to give the word's part of speech. Now, obviously one can infer whether or not the word in question is a noun, verb, adverb, and the like, but that information would also help in case, down the road, you remember the meaning but not how to use it.

Other than that, the book is quite good, and does what it is set out to do: Build a stronger vocabulary. I read the book myself, and as a graduate student, built my vocabulary immensely. I also teach GED classes and recommended it to my more advanced GED students. While some of the words were well over their head to begin with, they learned other words without any problem. Therefore, this book can be used for the high school level student, the graduate school student, the business person, or just someone trying to become more articulate.

This book is a excellent idea and it works! The only comment I have is that sometimes many similar words are used at the same point in the story (e.g. listless, enervating, langour). This makes the reading not so interesting and the definitions confusing since they're so similar. Another example, "trite cliche". Perhaps this is the authors intention, to group the synonyms. But maybe greater separation of the words will help the reader better appreciate the nuances of their meanings.

I wish this book had existed when I was in high school! The chapters are very brief, so it's easy to read one a day or re-read one for a quick review. The example sentences used in the definitions not only clearly illustrate each usage, but cover a wide variety of topics. This is a user-friendly book whose informal teaching style will hold your attention.

I used to feel vocabulary challenged, but after reading just one chapter in The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder I found myself using the new words effortlessly. I also started noticing them in the newspapers and in song lyrics. It's amazing how this book enables you to match the word's meaning to a visual that you already understand in your own mind. No other book offers that. It's almost impossible to forget the new word after learning it once. This book is amazing!

By weaving vocabulary words into the classic story of "The Wizard of Oz," Mark Phillips enables readers to greatly increase their vocabulary in a fun way, while eliminating the drudgery so commonly associated with the standard approaches. Because you're engrossed in the story, it's easy to forget you're actually learning.

An aspect of this book which makes it especially user-friendly is that all definitions for the vocabulary words (which are bold-faced and footnoted) can quickly be found at the bottom of the page they appear on. This is in sharp contrast to other books of this type which force the reader to constantly turn to the back of the book, something no one wants to do when they're in the midst of reading.

The definitions, themselves, are extremely helpful as they are always clear and concise, and oftentimes witty and educational. (You'll learn a lot of the history you forgot just by reading them!) And whenever there might be a question, pronunciation is made clear.

This book is great for those who are studying for the SAT's and would rather not rotely memorize lists of vocabulary words, or for anyone who simply wants to build their vocabulary in an absorbing and fun way. Most importantly, having the words already in context makes remembering them a whole lot easier. Highly recommended!

Mark Phillips has hit upon a very engaging way to build your vocabulary. You don't have to be a Wizard of Oz fan to get an enormous amount out of this book...his retelling of Baum's classic is actually all the more interesting for the manner in which he introduces the vocabulary, but my favorite part of the book is the wry sense of humor he brings to the definitions of the words on each page. His rather left-of-center political bias brings a smile and often an LOL, surely a rarity in the world of vocabulary building. I'm giving a copy to the head of our English department at the school where I teach. I bet he uses it. For his students, I mean.

I purchased The Wizard of Oz nearly two months ago and it has given me fabulous results. Every day, whether I hear it on TV or in person, I recognize at least one of my new words. My vocabulary has extended tremendously and I could not be happier. I previously tried many methods. I even tried reading the entire thesaurus! Yet my vocabulary did not seem to make any progress. This book works like magic. It would be great if schools all over the nation became aware of this and bought them for every student. I strongly recommend this book.

This is a great book for learning vocabulary needed for the SAT/GRE/GMAT etc. However, this title assumes a decent hold on the English language. It is geared at Grades 12+. Frankly, most 12th graders nowadays wouldn't even know these words. I imagine that if a 11th/12th grader took the time to work through it, it would help them tremendously on their SAT.

I realized myself how lacking my vocabulary was when I purchased this book -- there was barely a word I knew in it. This problem made it relatively difficult the first time I read it; I went through the book three times overall. It's like completing an entire class and takes time to absorb it all. However, it will pay off in dividends: after studying this book, my vocabulary base sored. The benefits definately outweigh the time sacrifice.

An increased vocabulary helps you in so many ways. I found learning many words and roots (I also used interactive Wordsmart) started branching out and helped to improve other subjects like foreign language and even math.

It's one of the hardest vocabulary builders there is available, so completing this makes the rest of them much easier to follow. This is the big guy! It rivals some of the medium-upper tier levels of the Wordsmart program.

If you're relatively weak when it comes to vocabulary, you might want to read some of the easier books (The Pinocchio Vocabulary Builder by the same author, Cartoon Vocabulary volume 1 and 2, etc.) first.

Finally, I have also completed Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar/Pinocchio by the same author. Both of those are easier than this. I used them both after completing this, but they are the easier ones of the three -- this book being the hardest of all three.

Mark Phillips uses a universallly familiar tale in "The Wizard of Oz", and retells it substituting challenging vocabulary words, for the language the book was originally written in. This is performed masterfully, without losing any of the context of the original story, while still instituting a new verbal element in almost every sentence. This unique method creates a lasting effect, allowing vocabulary to seamlessly enter your psyche. Mark calls on his own incisive wit on the bottom of each page, where he defines each word that has been added, and goes on to add yet another memorable example of the words usage. This creates a doubly indelible impression, allowing for immediate delivery of new words into your everyday language. Impress your friends, ace your SAT's, or just enjoy reading on a higher level, as this book truly carries your language mastery to the next level. A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!

The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder is just a treasure. Mark Phillips uses a very familiar story to help make increasing your vocabulary fun and interesting. We know the story from either having someone read it to us, or having read it ourselves, when we were young. Of course, we have all seen the movie production countless times. Phillips' approach works, because as we read his version of the story and his definitions, we can see the particulars in our mind's eye. Phillips' retelling of the story and his explanations are thoroughly enjoyable; we learn, in the process. What could be better?