26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Fantastic, August 23, 2009
This review is from: Word Smart, 4th Edition (Smart Guides) (Paperback)
I really thought that the authors of this book compiled a list of 1,505 formidable looking words that I would certainly never see again in my life. I was very wrong.
All (yes, all, not almost all) of these words appear at some point in our daily lives, even if it's rare to hear some of the words in this book used in everyday speech. When I was an AP English student in high school, I noticed that the words in this book frequently appear in the writings of Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, William Faulkner, and Charles Dickens - and even in contemporary writings, such as those of J.K. Rowling. These words commonly appear in major newspapers and magazines such as Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and these words are bound to appear in any professional writing or documents. I sincerely believe that if you go through these words in the book, you will very seldom find the need to refer to your dictionary to look up an unfamiliar word.
While these words prove beneficial to our daily lives, Word Smart is an ideal choice for those who are still attending high school or college. If your mind is set on memorizing these words (especially helpful for those preparing to take the SAT or other standardized tests), I strongly recommend that you read Harry Lorayne's
Page-a-Minute Memory Book, which is actually recommended by the authors of this book in Chapter 1. Not only will it help you memorize the 1,505 words in this book, but it will also prove exceptionally helpful, inside and outside of your academic career.
I hope my review of this book is helpful. You will not regret this purchase; by the end, you'll want to begin
Word Smart II, 3rd Edition (Smart Guides)!
UPDATE 4/11/2010 -- KINDLE VERSION REVIEW --
I would give the Kindle version of Word Smart two out of five stars. It is incredibly frustrating to repeatedly hit the "next Page" to simply get to the next alphabetical group of words! I recommend to Amazon to add an option inside the Table of Contents that would allow the reader to quickly access any alphabetical group of words ("A," "B," "C," etc.). For the meantime, I'll stick to my hard copy.
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30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
These three books are permanently placed on my working desk, next to my portable computer!, October 18, 2006
This review is from: Word Smart, 4th Edition (Smart Guides) (Paperback)
Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary
Word Smart II: How to Build a More Powerful Vocabulary
by Adam Robinson
Word Smart for Business: Cultivating a Six Figure Vocabulary
by Paul West Brook
These three books are permanently placed on my working desk, next to my portable computer. I find them very useful as reference guides to writing smart.
The first two books have a combined inventory of almost 1,700 important words. They have been written by Adam Robinson & The Princeton Review Team. As some readers may know, Adam Robinson happens to be also the author of 'What Smart Students Know' a very good book about smart study techniques. The two books are originally targetted at students preparing for SAT & other standardised tests, but I find them very useful for working professionals.
The third book has an inventory of over 4,000 important business terms, covering quite a broad spectrum of business disciplines. It has been written by a noted financial planning expert.
I enjoy browsing these three books from time to time. I often refer to them as I write my daily business correspondence as well as my reviews on amazon website.
I strongly recommend these three books to readers who want to communicate effectively, be more persuasive & more importantly, get more from your reading.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book to use to study for the SAT!, May 17, 2009
This review is from: Word Smart, 4th Edition (Smart Guides) (Paperback)
This book has plenty of important words that show up frequently on the SAT. The authors provide good definitions and examples to help you understand them. But reading the book alone won't get you far, its necessary to make flash cards and re memorize the words again and again.
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