The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart: 1200 Essential Words Every Sophisticated Person Should Be Able to Use

by Robert W. Bly

Book Overview

Be the life of every highbrow cocktail party--just by mastering the deliciously obscure terms in The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart.

This book is a tongue-in-cheek guide to words that any well-educated, witty person should be able to drop into cocktail conversation. You are encouraged to toss off words such as "disestablishmentarianism," "descant," and "autodidactic"--words that will make the user sound learned, intellectual,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1598698869
• ISBN13: 9781598698862
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Instant social status when you open your mouth

Do you think that "limpid" has something to do with hobbling around on an injured leg? Bob Bly who may well deserve the sobriquet of America's most successful advertising writer has elucubrated a glossary of must-know words if you have any hope at all of not being tagged as a hopelessly inept social klutz. This is a fun book. It may not make you the life of the party, but heads will turn when you open your mouth and knowledgeably utter a string of these words that aren't generally lingua franca among the hoi polloi. I'm not sure whether Bly authored this tome with tongue in cheek, but I do know that most of us could stand to put a little more substance into our vocabularies. Even if you cause others to stretch a little bit. So go ahead, add a dash of eloquence, increase your sense of mystery, enhance your charisma and stop sounding exactly like every other dumb clunk. Just don't overdo it. A good vocabulary is like adding spice to a dish, just a dash will do you. The best speech is still just lucid, to the point and entertaining. It's what I've tried to do with my book Postcards. Little Letters From Life Check it out and see what I mean.

Simple

I purchased this book for my younger cousin. His vocabulary was severly lacking and it his only been recent but the book attracts his eye better than a dictionary. Plus I like the fact that it goes straight to those words that can be more commonly used and it is an easy read.

Sound Smart

When you need just the right word to express your thought, Bob Bly's "The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart" is the place to start. Every entry includes a concise definition and a beneficial example of how to use each word. Anyone needing to impress with words should be able to do so eloquently after perusing this guide.

A must-have for writers

Another excellent resource for writers because it's not just a vocabulary book to study. In the back is an index of subject areas with corresponding page numbers--and thus, it is, in effect, a Thesaurus as well. Excellent book.

words

Words can either make you or break you.this book is like a pair of insulated traction boots before stepping out into the cold conversational world.