The Princeton Review Word Smart Genius Edition CD: Building a Phenomenal Vocabulary (LL(R) Prnctn Review on Audio)

I bought this for my daughter to augment her SAT Prep. Since she drives all the time, it was great for her to listen to the words in the car. I will use it for my other children as well.

This CD set was very helpful to me. I had previously tried to learn words by studying them in vocabulary books. That way of studying was not particularly helpful as it was easy to forget them the next day.

However, unlike those books, this CD set manages to be both helpful and amusing while allowing you learn by ear. The unpretentious speakers give out amusing anecdotes that you would hear in everyday life while using the words in context. An casual and "Average Joe" explanation is given after each word is mentioned. Never during the audio will you feel that the conversations are boring or hard to listen to.

I have to add, though, that it is more helpful if you listen to the CDs more than once and study the list of words (enclosed in the box) in order to cement them solidly in your mind.

For those who are studying for the new SAT, an additional perk is that many of these words can easily be used on the SAT Writing portion (essay) to impress the test scorers and get a high score. The vocabulary used in this set is also very useful for impressing bosses or teachers at school.

Overall, "Word Smart, Genius Edition" is a very nice way to learn unusual words and furnish your vocabulary while having a lot of fun. The audio set is a great investment for generating a greater linguistic vocabulary that will benefit you tremendously at work or school (or for impressing your friends, for that matter).

There are some good words on the five CDs (a bargain), although it takes some initial breaking in to not be annoyed by the flamboyant speakers. What the CD completely lacks, as it was purported to have, is a discussion of the roots of words. This discussion was rarely had, and in one case (to my knowledge), was incorrect. Not for any serious Classics student hoping to reconnect with contemporary roots.

This sets contains 5 CDs and goes through about 150 words. Of all Word Smart Vocabulary Building set CDs, this one has the most interesting words.

The first CD covers the vocabulary related to: Cruel to Be Kind; Country Mouse and City Mouse.

The second CD coverts the vocabulary related to: For Better or for Worse; War and Peace.

The third CD covers the vocabulary related to: From Mountains to Molehills; Rogers and Hart.

The fourth CD covers the vocabulary related to: Earth and Sky; Womb to Tomb.

The fifth CD covers the vocabulary related to: Socrates and Plato; Mutt and Jeff.

The recordings are very entertaining to listen to. After defining the words, they are dramatized, often in a humorous way, adding fun to the learning process.

This was the most disappointing CD. I have a long commute so I thought this would be great opportunity to brush up on my vocabulary. This is a great CD if you want to impress people with words they will have to ask you the meaning of. Totally ridiculous!

Most of the words sounded like another language. Not a way to improve your language skills, but the best way to isolate yourself and show your superiority. At the same time I bought the Verbal Advantage book. Great!! That is a gradual transition from common vocabulary to more complex, it's your choice. That's something that I think was lacking with this CD. Break out the cheese and wine and impress your leftist friends. Oh, I forgot to mention the Barbara Streisand and Bill & Hillary examples, wonder which way these people lean???
This rating system only goes as low as one star, otherwise I would have choosen 0 stars.
Save your hard earned money and buy something that is useful.