1100 Words You Need to Know

I ordered this book. After one week I received an email from this seller, saying that he did not have this book and he cancelled my order.

reliable seller! the book came in the condition that it was promised in and it was in my hands faster than i thought it would be.

Pros:

-The structure of the daily lessons is conducive to learning. Only five words are learned per day, first by exposure to the words in the natural context of a short paragraph, then by filling the words into cloze sentences, and finally by matching the words to their abbreviated definitions.

-There are plenty of review activities at the end of each week of study, in addition to a cumulative review at the end.

-Some of the daily paragraphs are linked together throughout the week of study, forming fascinating multi-part mini-stories.

-Overall, I recommend the book. It's easy to use, and most of the daily paragraphs are interesting. I might use this book for my students, but I'd use it cautiously, as some sections of the book are quite a bit better than others.

Cons:

-While it's a difficult task indeed to create an interesting paragraph for students to read that includes five chosen new vocabulary words, I sometimes got the impression that the authors just weren't trying hard enough to make the words smoothly integrate into the paragraphs. Many of the paragraphs are sullied by short, choppy sentences with awkward uses of vocabulary words. Some of the paragraphs remind me of something a young student might write if he were given five completely new words and a shaky understanding of them.

-We all know that the only effective vocabulary programs include plenty of repeat exposure over time to the vocabulary words. Because the authors were trying so hard to include repeated exposure to the words, a flaw in the writing emerges midway through the book: the paragraphs stop being interesting and readable, and they become so bogged down in flashy words that it's torturous to read them. I'm an English teacher, so I was able to muddle through these turgid paragraphs, but I wouldn't ask a student to read them. Even worse, it's possible that impressionable students may start imitating this grossly affected style of writing. Take, for example, a sentence from the paragraph on page 176: "The paramount objectives of the studies are to eradicate anything that will impede the discovery of creative talent and to exploit this talent to the limit." Sure, the sentence makes sense, but I'd hate to see it in one of my student's essays.

-The book does a fairly good job of teaching slangy idioms, which I could see as effective for students who are learning English as a foreign language, but the example sentences given for these idioms become overloaded with previously introduced idioms. The sentences become ridiculous, and it is my hope that no student would imitate those sentences in speech or writing. Here's an example from page 262: "The modus operandi was leading up a blind alley and they were barking up the wrong tree." Even to a native English speaker, that sentence doesn't make much sense.

I got 670 on my GRE Verbal and I started with this book.

I didn't get the second edition of this book. I only have the original edition. I don't even know when it was printed. All I know is that my mom got the book back in the late 80s. The book was incredibly old by the time I started to use it.

When I decided to study for my GRE, I began with this book. The book provides an easy means to remember new vocabulary as all the words are in context, and there is a storyline to it. The only problem with this text is that the student often have to consult the dictionary for a clearer definition of a word. Thus, requiring more time on each section then needed.

However, the word choice is very good. When I first started my GRE Verbal model exams, I could only get somewhere between 350~450. After this book, I was scoring solid 400~500.

The way I studied this book was much faster than the pace suggested by the author. I actually took on one week every day. That is 25 words each day, because I was in such a hurry to build up my vocabulary for GRE examination.

After finishing this book, I continued to use other vocabulary builders to build up my verbal power to eventually 670 in Verbal.

The next book that I used is:Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary

As a final note, I would recommend this book to people who have at least a more decent word power to save the time from constantly consulting the dictionary. Perhaps start with "Word Smart" instead.

I got this originally in the 80s and when my kids were 4 and 6, started teaching them 5 words a week, spelling them, using them all week in sentences. they still (both in med school) remember the stories that are in this newer version as well and I bought one for each of them as a Chanukah gift to "remind them." they loved it. Good for adults too.