The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder

I purchased The Wizard of Oz nearly two months ago and it has given me fabulous results. Every day, whether I hear it on TV or in person, I recognize at least one of my new words. My vocabulary has extended tremendously and I could not be happier. I previously tried many methods. I even tried reading the entire thesaurus! Yet my vocabulary did not seem to make any progress. This book works like magic. It would be great if schools all over the nation became aware of this and bought them for every student. I strongly recommend this book.

Mark Phillip's book is one long desired by society. His preface explains why he wrote the book (mainly because when he was younger, there was no such thing as a vocabulary builder outside of the dictionary) and also gives instruction about the proper way to use the book. While the story of the Wizard of Oz is well known, the language that Phillips uses is quite unique, but very informative and helpful in developing a stronger vocabulary. The basic premise of the book is that when you learn a word in context, such as the story of the Wizard of Oz, you are more prone to remember the word, how to use it, and its meaning. This premise is correct, and after one reading of the book, any reader should not question its means. However, do not expect to get this book, read it through once and remember all the words; this book is meant to be read three, four, or more times because of the vast amount of words to be learned. The only criticism that I have of the books is in his footnote-like definitions for words. While he gives examples of how to use the word and a solid working definition, he fails to give the word's part of speech. Now, obviously one can infer whether or not the word in question is a noun, verb, adverb, and the like, but that information would also help in case, down the road, you remember the meaning but not how to use it. Other than that, the book is quite good, and does what it is set out to do: Build a stronger vocabulary. I read the book myself, and as a graduate student, built my vocabulary immensely. I also teach GED classes and recommended it to my more advanced GED students. While some of the words were well over their head to begin with, they learned other words without any problem. Therefore, this book can be used for the high school level student, the graduate school student, the business person, or just someone trying to become more articulate.

Mark Phillips has hit upon a very engaging way to build your vocabulary. You don't have to be a Wizard of Oz fan to get an enormous amount out of this book...his retelling of Baum's classic is actually all the more interesting for the manner in which he introduces the vocabulary, but my favorite part of the book is the wry sense of humor he brings to the definitions of the words on each page. His rather left-of-center political bias brings a smile and often an LOL, surely a rarity in the world of vocabulary building. I'm giving a copy to the head of our English department at the school where I teach. I bet he uses it. For his students, I mean.

I used to feel vocabulary challenged, but after reading just one chapter in The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder I found myself using the new words effortlessly. I also started noticing them in the newspapers and in song lyrics. It's amazing how this book enables you to match the word's meaning to a visual that you already understand in your own mind. No other book offers that. It's almost impossible to forget the new word after learning it once. This book is amazing!

By weaving vocabulary words into the classic story of "The Wizard of Oz," Mark Phillips enables readers to greatly increase their vocabulary in a fun way, while eliminating the drudgery so commonly associated with the standard approaches. Because you're engrossed in the story, it's easy to forget you're actually learning.An aspect of this book which makes it especially user-friendly is that all definitions for the vocabulary words (which are bold-faced and footnoted) can quickly be found at the bottom of the page they appear on. This is in sharp contrast to other books of this type which force the reader to constantly turn to the back of the book, something no one wants to do when they're in the midst of reading.The definitions, themselves, are extremely helpful as they are always clear and concise, and oftentimes witty and educational. (You'll learn a lot of the history you forgot just by reading them!) And whenever there might be a question, pronunciation is made clear. This book is great for those who are studying for the SAT's and would rather not rotely memorize lists of vocabulary words, or for anyone who simply wants to build their vocabulary in an absorbing and fun way. Most importantly, having the words already in context makes remembering them a whole lot easier. Highly recommended!