Customer Reviews

Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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. :)

This book is essential for anyone taking the SAT/GRE/GMAT/LSAT. I'm currently studying for the Law School Admissions Test, and this book has saved me from misunderstanding entire paragraphs before. There is no worse feeling come test day than coming upon a pivotal sentence and then not knowing what it means because you're drawing a blank on the meaning of the verb.

Even in day to day affairs, like watching the news or reading for pleasure, the words contained in Word Smart and Word Smart II have helped in my understanding of various issues. Clearly, if you want to participate in the "educated" community that (barely) exists in America, then Word Smart and Word Smart II are essential reading.

In a word: Excellent. This book clarifies the meaning of words. So not only will you learn them, become aquainted with them, or use them -- you will properly use them. Wielding words in the proper context. It's a must have for people serious about using an "educated vocabulary". . . .

This book will make you feel a lot smarter. Remember those words that you would see on papers and magazines? You though you were not smart enough because you did not know their meaning? If you answered yes, then this book will help a LOT. The words they teach you here are not only the words students would find on SAT, but these are commonly-used words, but unfortunately, not many people know of.

Just a tip, this book is much more fun to read it you don't do it in one sitting; it's much better if you keep on a place you would see it most of the time (e.g. desk) and open it each time you seem to have the mood for it. You can then pick up a word or so and read it carefully and make lively connections to these words -- this way, which is how I do it, is more effective.

Hi my name is James Chung... I'm a high school student in South Korea... I met this book when I was 8th grade...This book was with me ever since.. Word Smart has helped me build my vocabulary power.. before I studied the Word Smart my TEPS (a test in Korea relating to Korean university admission) score was 750....but after i finished the Word Smart,, it became 934... in 6month i raised 184 point...(the perfect score is 990).. Also my SAT verbal score before I studied this book was 530.. but this June my official SAT verbal score is 730...I am always thankful to the Princeton Review because it helped me build my dream again.. I can hope for higher universities than I ever dreamed of...Whenever there are friends who wants help with their vocabulary... I recommend this book to them.. and the result is always good!! Love this book!! Please buy this book and up your scores^^!!

Not only does Word Smart boosts your SAT verbal scores, but it is useful in diverse ways. I am a freshmen in an international school, and not only did I get over 700 on a practice SAT I took, but also raised my grades in all courses that includes english. Most crucially, the sentences are very beneficial because you actually can emulate them and utilize the words in your OWN writing. Moreover, you often see them in prominent magazines such as: Newsweek and Times. You can see how it actually used in sentences and know it by heart. The [money] you spend on Word Smart will benefit you more than you can imagine

Very good book for International students preparing for TOEFL/GMAT/GRE
I used when I was taking my GMAT. I knew about 25% of the words that it had such as prolific or excentric but there were some good ones that I still remember such as vociferous and verdant. I found it very helpful to use during short periods of time when I would have a few minutes between meetings or in the public transportation on the way home. Generally, a very pleasant book. It has good white paper and each words has a full page. Remebering was easy too, but forgetting was not hard. Sometimes I caught myself that I would remember the picture but would not remember the definition. In any case, this is a much faster way to learn words than mere memorizing.

Word Smart 3rd Edition doesn't take 823 of the most used words on the SAT and simply alphabetize them for your use. They begin with forty-one pages of introduction explaining why these words were chosen, how best to use this book, but more importantly they explain tried and true ways to increase your vocabulary.
Thesaurus and dictionary use, along with Word Smart's preferences in each, are discussed, all in an easy-to-read yet thorough manner. The words themselves are broken down into groups of from about ten to fourteen words. Each word includes pronunciation, parts of speach, definition(s), and is used in at least one sentence. There is a quick matching quiz at the end of each group of words to test your recall.
In addition to the above, knowing that these are some of the top words used not only on the SAT but also in everyday communications makes you feel you're getting your money's worth. I homeschool and while my son is using it mainly for SAT prep. I'm using it to enrich my reading, writing and understanding.