Maxwell NurnbergBesprekingen

The history, folklore, and anecdotal treatment of vocabulary building is featured is this reference work. I find it great to refer to and a reminder of the gaps in my vocabulary.½

3/12/22

Despite typographical flaws and dated references and language, this turned out to be a pretty fun read. I decided to read it after getting through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and realizing I knew nothing about the English language. All in all, having gone through it without the pressure of preparing for a standardized test, I definitely feel my vocabulary has grown (along with my etymological understanding of our language's component parts). I can't say this was a brilliant book (if there is one, please let me know) but I had fun with it.

Despite typographical flaws and dated references and language, this turned out to be a pretty fun read. I decided to read it after getting through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and realizing I knew nothing about the English language. All in all, having gone through it without the pressure of preparing for a standardized test, I definitely feel my vocabulary has grown (along with my etymological understanding of our language's component parts). I can't say this was a brilliant book (if there is one, please let me know) but I had fun with it.

Mentor Books, Pu Date 1966, 416 pages
LPL (Lima Public Library)

If there's anything I dislike about this book, it's its dry and boring title, which gives the book an utterly incorrect image. "How to Build a Better Vocabulary" is not about memorizing lists of words. Instead, it's about what's behind words. It's filled with etymological facts, stories, funny examples, headlines, and common errors. Rather than tedious as the title emanates, this book is an engaging read for anyone who loves words.

If you are reading this sentence, I feel safe in assuming that you are interested in improving your use of English and that you have questions you'd like to have answered about the language you speak and write. You may even want to know how the language has changed through the years, how sometimes "correctness" is not determined by the rigid rules of grammar but by the weight of usage and general practice.

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 come alive for you
start expressing yourself better and absorbing more meaning within just 10 days
master an invaluable and permanent technique of word-viewing within 30 days
easily pass vocabulary tests such as the College Boards scholarship, Civil Service, and others with the aid of sample quizzes and a list of the 1,000 most used test words.
simply have fun reading a guide dedicated to the principle that the best way to provide information is to make receiving it a pleasure
There are many books that are written to teach you.
This is the one book that makes you love to learn.

Two language experts map your way to greater vocabulary power via history, folklore, and anecdote, as they tell all about words -- how they began, how they developed, and exactly what they mean. Here's an exhilarating, easy way to learn a word… and never forget it! With games, puzzles, exercises, and a whole battery of challenging tests.

I cannot lie. I love words. I love learning about words. This book is great bathroom reading.

What? IT IS!

A fun browsers dictionary. A good bedtime read.½