M-W Vocabulary Builder  (English, Paperback, unknown)

Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder is a great book for increasing the reader’s knowledge of words.

Summary Of The Book

A good vocabulary is a great help in many ways. A good command over words helps a person understand better, communicate better, and write better. Adding to one's vocabulary is a lifelong process as new words can be added everyday.

Books like Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder directly help in this task by listing various words with their meanings, their roots, and illustrative examples of usage. This book groups words according to their Greek and Latin roots, and makes it easier to learn related words.

The book gives the pronunciation for the words, explains their meaning, and gives the common Greek or Latin root for a related group of words. The roots help emphasize the meaning and the relationship of the words. For instance, the root bell comes from Latin, the word means war, as Bellona is the Roman Goddess of War, the wife of Mars.

This helps the reader clearly understand the association between words like belligerent, bellicose, and rebellion, and helps them remember these words too. 

After giving the meaning of each word, example sentences are provided, illustrating the meaning and usage of these words. These examples further help the reader understand and memorize the listed words. After every few word groups, there is a quiz section that tests the readers understanding of the words.

Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder contains explanations for 1200 words, gives 240 roots, and in the course of the coverage, introduces 2300 additional words. A good tool to use to add to any person's vocabulary. It is also a great reference tool for writers, to memorize related words and to look up possible alternatives for overused words.

About Mary Wood Cornog

Mary Wood Cornog contributes to websters publications.

Other books by Mary Wood Cornog are How to Use a Dictionary, How to Use a Thesaurus: 48 Fun Activities for Students Learning Dictionary and Thesaurus Skills, and Webster's New Explorer Vocabulary Skill Builder.