Vocabulary Cartoons, SAT Word Power: Learn Hundreds of SAT Words Fast with Easy Memory Techniques

Vocabulary Cartoons 290 key words presented through cartoons. Each word contains a "link" word which is intended to serve as a mnemonic device, helping you to associate the new word to the word that you may be more familiar with. A good deal of the "link" words rhyme with the "key" word. To make the association even easier, the authors have provided a phrase which is easy to remember as in "We LAMENT that Joe got buried in CEMENT". This phrase is portrayed through a cartoon, providing a visual mnemonic. Under each cartoon, you'll find three sentences with contexts where it may be appropriate to use the "key" word. These examples will also help you to develop the feel for the word, as well as to create more associations to the key word. The authors have appropriately said that this book is "for everyone". The words in this vocabulary book seem to be for the most part on a high-school level.

This is the best mnemonic vocabulary book I've come across. Most vocabulary books expect the reader to simply memorize dozens of words from a definition, an etymology and a sentence, then use fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice to reinforce and test you. As most know, it quickly becomes overwhelming. Vocabulatoons visual representations are truly memorable and I still remember the picture for the word for fjord (tourists looking at Ford cars in a Fjord). The words are definitely geared toward high-school vocabulary and the SAT (as the book cover suggests) so I found myself already knowing about 75% of the words (e.g. gloat, legacy, phobia, vocation, ajar, aftermath). I'm hoping the sequel to this book will have more advanced words, however, it never hurts to reinforce what words you *think* you already know.

Like many of you, I have used lots of other methods in memorizing vocabularies, and only found that it is totally useless. Even though you have learned those new words one day, you forgot them the next day. It is because we do not make the best use of our brain in memorization. If you know psychology, you know that human memorize by association, that is, you link up a new fact with the old information already contained in your mind. The success of this book is to help you to form association with other English words that you have already known. For example, according the book, the word "Giddy" is associated with an easier word "City", because they have similar pronounciation. Then a picture showing a village farmer getting dizzy with all the complicated roads in the city remind you the meaning of "giddy": dizzy, frivolous. The mnemonic method are based on psychological research, and that is why it is a good source in learning new words. I have tried Princeton Review Word Smart Cassette Programme before, and found that I forgot those learned words within a few days. This book has better methods, and the cartoon makes the whole learning experience less stressful.