Verbal Advantage: 10 Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary
by Charles Harrington Elster
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Book Summary Information
Author: Charles Harrington ElsterEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-09-26
ISBN: 0375709320
Number of pages: 459
Publisher: Random House Reference
Book Reviews of Verbal Advantage: 10 Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary
Book Review: "Easy" in the Sub-title is Relative
Summary: 5 Stars
Initially, I was disappointed, because I seem to possess already a larger than average vocabulary, so I tabled the book awhile and came back later.
Now, I see its virtues more clearly. Everyone can benefit from the book's riches, including its 3,500 words. The scheme is based on "levels" and then on "organization around themes" that not only increase vocabulary, but remind of us unused words, and also make them more precise (including pronunciation). Many include etymologies. Most juxtapose synonyms to differentiate meanings. Sometimes definitions seem sparse or omitted, but one still develops the sense by other routes.
The "levels" are degrees of sophistication and/or complexity, arbitrary obviously, but with deliberation that is sensible, which then the user can determine how sophisticated to enrich his vocabulary. For example, Level 10 is Latinate vocabulary one might not use/encounter with frequency, but even these arcane words suggest other possibilities for different uses. Even so, one can always pick-and-choose words suggested.
Everyone can benefit from this work, from the articulate to the newbie, going to a "level" of one's own choosing. Acquiring a vocabulary this large will require time, and a strategy to exercise with it regularly. Just being reminded of words so often unused is itself a valuable tool. And most importantly, each word is actually developed with substance not merely quick definition and/or synonyms. Even words already-known can, and have, become more precise through re-acquaintance with this book.
My only cavil, and it's minor, is not being able to use this resource as a "reference" also. But even I'm not sure how that could be achieved alongside its other ambitions. Just enriching one's vocabulary is itself a noble project, and this book certainly takes that task seriously and performs well.
Overall, it is an impressive and very useful device.
Summary of Verbal Advantage: 10 Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary
First time in book form! A successful program for teaching 3,500 vocabulary words that successful people need to know, based on America's #1 bestselling audio vocabulary series."People judge you by the words you use." Millions of Americans know this phrase from radio and print advertising for the Verbal Advantage audio series, which has sold over 100,000 copies. Now this bestselling information is available for the first time in book form, in an easy-to-follow, graduated vocabulary building program that teaches an outstanding vocabulary in just ten steps.
Unlike other vocabulary books, Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.
A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.
Lively, accessible writing from an expert author and radio personality.
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