Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary [Paperback]

Adam Robinson (Author), Princeton Review (Author)

Book Description

Series: Smart Guides | Publication Date: August 7, 2001

The words people use say a lot about them. Some words say that they are smart, persuasive, and informed. Others say that they don't know what they're talking about. Knowing which words to use and how to use them are keys to getting the most from one's mind and to communicating effectively.

To find out which words readers absolutely need to know, The Princeton Review researched the vocabularies of educated adults. The Princeton Review analyzed newspapers from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal, magazines from Time to Scientific American, and books from current bestsellers to classics. Editors threw out words that most people know and focused on the words that people misunderstand or misuse.

TPR also combed through the SAT and other standardized tests to determine which words are tested most frequently. In this updated third edition, editors give readers the most important words they need to know to score higher.

Includes special lists covering:

• Common usage errors
• Most frequently tested words on standardized tests
• Foreign phrases, abbreviations, and terms readers need to know to understand finance, science, computers, and the arts

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The words people use say a lot about them. Some words say that they are smart, persuasive, and informed. Others say that they don't know what they're talking about. Knowing which words to use and how to use them are keys to getting the most from one's mind and to communicating effectively.

To find out which words readers absolutely need to know, The Princeton Review researched the vocabularies of educated adults. The Princeton Review analyzed newspapers from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal, magazines from Time to Scientific American, and books from current bestsellers to classics. Editors threw out words that most people know and focused on the words that people misunderstand or misuse.

TPR also combed through the SAT and other standardized tests to determine which words are tested most frequently. In this updated third edition, editors give readers the most important words they need to know to score higher.

Includes special lists covering:

? Common usage errors
? Most frequently tested words on standardized tests
? Foreign phrases, abbreviations, and terms readers need to know to understand finance, science, computers, and the arts

About the Author

Adam Robinson graduated from Wharton before earning a law degree at Oxford University in England. Robinson, a rated chess master, devised and perfected the Joe Bloggs approach to beating standardized tests in 1980, as well as numerous other core Princeton Review techniques. A freelance author of many books, Robinson has collaborated with the Princeton Review to develop a number if its courses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Review; 3rd edition (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375762183
• ISBN-13: 978-0375762185
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading, January 11, 2003

By 

Walter Reade (Appleton, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary (Paperback)

Word Smart gives one of the best selections of need-to-know words I have ever seen. It lists over 800 every-day-useful words, while avoiding the temptation of adding some long, snooty-sounding words for the sake of intellectual arrogance. These are words that most college students should know. If you can master these in high school, you will be on the way to a rock solid vocabulary.

The format of the book is straight forward. After a very helpful chapter on tips for learning new vocabulary, the set of words is introduced in alphabetical order. Every ten words or so ends in a quick quiz. This allows you to test what you have learned; you can also start with the quiz to see what words you can skip over. The concluding chapters contain a lengthy final exam, the SAT and GRE hit parade (words you should have mastered well before taking these standardized tests), word roots, common usage errors, abbreviations, and some lists for the arts, science, finance, and foreign words.

This is a great book for anyone who would like to beef up on their vocabulary, or for those who would just like a good review to make sure they are not using some words wrongly.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good source of must-know words, April 21, 2004

By 

hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary (Paperback)

As always Word Smart is a great way to study for the SAT, GRE, and standardized tests. These 800+ words not only help you do good on standardized tests but also enrich your vocabulary for everyday conversations. I especially found the pronunciation keys for every word very useful. It doesn't really make you look very smart if you mispronounce a word does it? I found it really funny that books never gave you pronunciations and was so pleased when I finally saw them in Word Smart. The sentence examples are also a great way to learn how to use these words and Adam's humor definitely shows up in some of them:) The word root list and GRE hit parade were also very helpful.

I recently got a score of 700 on my verbal section of the SATs. A large part of the reason was Word Smart. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was because I feel that you need to also purchase Word Smart II to get all the words that you absolutely need to know for the SATs. There are also some words in this book that are way too easy. Come on, ironic? Who doesn't know what that means. Otherwise this book is a must-buy for anyone taking the SATs.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't even think twice - GET THESE BOOKS, October 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary (Paperback)

I used these books when I was studying for the SATs years ago (I memorized ALL the words in BOTH books) and my score shot up 80 points to the 97th percentile in the verbal section. I am a teacher now and I use them inside my classroom and even as reference books at home. They are awesome because they not only provide you with solid, easy-to-understand definitions, but sentences that really give you a good understanding of the words. Even when I taught for Kaplan(SAT test prep) in college, I always secretly recommended these particular books to my students. Kaplan is good but these Princeton Review books are so far the best for vocabulary. Use them even if you're not preparing for the SATs... I hope this review helps. :)