The authors have done a very good job in integrating the words in real-life context.

When I first got this audio book, I was a little nervous that it was going to be overwhelming and littered with obscure, little-used words. What a surprise to find a plethora of words I thought I already knew plus a prodigious amount of words I didn't--and always wondered what they meant! If you're looking for something that's easy to digest, learn, and recall later, buy this book. You won't be disappointed and you can't help but learn something new.

Seven years ago I was serving an evangelical mission, attempting to learn to read French and speak Haitian Creole. I began to read a very scholarly tome by James E. Talmage. I was so infuriated by my blatant inability to mentally grasp the well-written English I was reading, that I set out on a quest to dramatically improve my grasp on the English language.

It was my great fortune to happenchance upon this reference tool in a book retailer at a local mall. I have implemented the simple, yet effective, methods of vocabulary expansion explained in this book. I am now equally comfortable grimacing through the latest cacophony from Eminem, as I am discussing philosophy with suits that have earned Ph.D.'s.

If you're looking for a tool for self-improvement that will bring a new confidence in your verbal and written communication, then you've found the right book. The work of finding the words you *need* to know has been done for you. All that remains is for you to find creative way to put them to use for you in your daily life. May you, like me, enjoy years of quality articulation as a result of this wonderful tool!

Word Smart gives one of the best selections of need-to-know words I have ever seen. It lists over 800 every-day-useful words, while avoiding the temptation of adding some long, snooty-sounding words for the sake of intellectual arrogance. These are words that most college students should know. If you can master these in high school, you will be on the way to a rock solid vocabulary.

The format of the book is straight forward. After a very helpful chapter on tips for learning new vocabulary, the set of words is introduced in alphabetical order. Every ten words or so ends in a quick quiz. This allows you to test what you have learned; you can also start with the quiz to see what words you can skip over. The concluding chapters contain a lengthy final exam, the SAT and GRE hit parade (words you should have mastered well before taking these standardized tests), word roots, common usage errors, abbreviations, and some lists for the arts, science, finance, and foreign words.

This is a great book for anyone who would like to beef up on their vocabulary, or for those who would just like a good review to make sure they are not using some words wrongly.

Getting a high score on the verbal portion of the SAT is truly simple with this book. After getting only a 640 on the PSAT verbal section, I prepared for about three months using this book and Word Smart II. I just took one of the tests included in 10 Real SATs and got a 770 on the verbal section! To prepare for the verbal portion I suggest reading all the sentences in the book that use the words in context, and make flash cards. Also, try to read as much as possible! Set aside an hour a day to read. Try to read the classics, which use many SAT-level words in context (look inside Barron's How to Prepare for the SAT. There is an extensive reading list. I highly suggest Charlotte Bronte's novels!) or quality magazines like Harper's or National Geographic.

It teaches you over 200 new words that you can listen and learn. The dialog in the tape can be very annoying. I wish that the tape contains more word and less useless dialog. If you take out all the annoying dialogs in the tape, it will make 5-stars tape :)

If you want to learn as much new words as you can in a short period of time, try Verbal Advantage (ISBN 1559276193).

I have several vocabulary series tapes and Princeton Review is by far the best. I have retained 99% of all the words reviewed and each of the three different series.

I have a limited vocabulary and wanted to improve it for the purpose of improving my chances of getting a job as a firefighter. I believe that if I listen and practice using the words that the tapes present, I will be a better candidate. In the lines of work I have previously been accustomed too, I have not heard many of the words used. I only can speculate that if I want to improve my communication skills get my desire accross to my interviewers, I will have to increase my vocabulary. I feel that Word Smart can help me with this..... Oh what's the word? Endever? Well, I still have some work to do.