Pocket Guide to Vocabulary (Barron's Pocket Guides)

This little book is of great help for both test prep and daily survival.

If you are looking to build a writing vocabulary this would be the book to buy. Most other vocabulary books are intermixed with a special set of words or bombarded with the author's interpretation on how to build your own vocabulary. But for the most part, people who are looking to expand their writing vocabulary already have a coup on how they want to expand their vocabulary and are just looking for the words to do so. This book allows that to happen. With 3,000 perfect vocabulary words, this is a quintessential book for anyone who is trying to expand their writing vocabulary.

**Warning**
Don't buy this book if you are looking to expand your reading vocabulary. Reading definitions won't help you expand your vocabulary-it's a very inactive form of understanding. Try "Word Power Made Easy" by Normal Lewis or read the classics which are laden with great words. (If the classics aren't your thing, try Asimov's Foundation Series, it's a fun read and chalk full of great vocabulary words.) If you love looking up definitions or looking for an easier way to expand your vocabulary; think about buying Merriam-Webster's speaking dictionary (mws-1840.)