How to Build a Better Vocabulary

by Maxwell Nurnberg and Morris Rosenblum

Book Overview

This is the entrancingly entertaining yet amazingly effective guide that shows you how to know the meaning of words that you have never seen or heard before, learn the history of words so that they... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446315060
• ISBN13: 9780446315067
• Release Date: August 1989
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Great vocabulary builder.

I actually looked up the words in this book online for extra sentences and i did find them being used in the new yorker, ny times, among others so they really aren't archaic. I just read a newsweek article on "Mr. Bean's" new movie and when they mentioned "we had to jettison the ...." i knew what they were talking about thanks to this book. I like the way it groups stuff together to allow you to learn the words. I'm a college student who doesn't have time for lots of things so i needed something that isn't boring and this books seems to serve the purpose.

A great vocabulary builder!

Nurnberg and Rosenblum did a fine job putting together this book of vocabulary words. The different chapters focus on various themes or groups of words, including some from mythology. Some rather obscure and challenging terms are included, and I particularly liked that aspect of this publication. If you're looking for an entertaining vocabulary building book that includes more words than other competing items, then this is the ideal vade mecum for you.

A solid book for serious study

I got this book while preparing to take the GRE. Their choice of words and their explanations are very good. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who does not just want to cramme the words for an exam. If you love english, you will love this book.

The bible for the virtuoso of etymology

This is the most incredibly wonderful book written on the subject of words. The approach is not like wordlists but is full of stories and anecdotes. This book is an eyeopener for the wonderful world of words.A must for anyone interested in words at any level.

More exciting than its title would suggest

I originally bought this book at a library used book sale some time ago and figured it might come in handy sometime. When I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put it down. It is replete with effective ways of learning new words, recognizing how groups of words are related, and how to remember their meanings. But they make it fun with mini history lessons, tales of Greek gods and heroes, and humorous anecdotes of students' malapropisms as well as detailed etymologies. This terrific tome would make an ideal prep for the GRE or any standardized vocabulary test. There are also sections on common Latin, French, Italian, German, & Spanish phrases & expressions. This is way more than an antiseptic, desultory, unrelated listing of vocabulary words. I learned a great deal from this book and I considered myself to have a pretty good vocabulary before I read it. Enjoy!