INTRODUCTION
The English language is huge, immense, enormous, titanic, prodigious. (All of these words mean “very large.”) The big, fat unabridged dictionaries have about half a million entry words. Language experts estimate that English may have as many as a million words if you count scientific and technical terms. And like all living languages, English keeps growing all the time.
So how many English words do you know already? Probably many thousands. But just as you wouldn’t stay with the vocabulary you had when you were two or three years old, you won’t stay with the one you have now. Your vocabulary will keep growing as you meet new words in your reading and hear them in conversations, on radio, or on TV.
Your vocabulary is directly related to your success in school. That’s why there are so many vocabulary questions on state and national standardized tests. Readers who evaluate your writing on essay tests also focus on your vocabulary, to make sure you use words precisely and correctly.
The book you are holding, How to Build a Super Vocabulary, is a resource and reference book that can help you enlarge your vocabulary. It introduces you to many new words to use when you write, read, speak, and listen.
You can also learn strategies—systematic approaches—for discovering the meaning of unfamiliar words:
Recognize different kinds of context clues that enable you to
make an educated guess about the meaning of an unfamiliar
word in your reading.
Learn how a dictionary and a thesaurus can help expand your
vocabulary, especially when you’re writing.
Recognize the meanings of some of the most familiar roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Those word parts will help you puzzle out
the meaning of many unfamiliar English words.
Put the new words you acquire to good use in your speaking and
writing.
Avoid some of the mistakes and mix-ups that can happen when
you use English words.
At the back of this book, you’ll find “The Ultimate Word List,” a mini-dictionary of words that will help you focus on strengthening your personal weak spots. Some of these are words you’re expected to know now. Others are words that you’re challenged to learn. One long list has words from different content areas, and another contains words commonly found on standardized tests.
“The Ultimate Word List” is just a starting point. Use those words in sentences. Make them your own.
By the time you finish reading this book, your vocabulary will have grown considerably. You’ll also have gained skills and strategies that you can apply to any unfamiliar word you meet—for the rest of your life.
