The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Students

Rating:
Summary: A word in due season...
Review: I use Margaret Richek's book for tutoring purposes, both in one-on-one and group settings, for basic vocabulary and language skills. The primary purpose of this text is to strengthen the vocabulary of the learner. It is designed with the adult learner in mind, tailoring the vocabulary and language exercises to be of use to those who are continuing their education toward GED, community college and general literacy skills.

Each chapter of the book has three key elements - word mastery, learning strategies, and interesting features of words. In the mastering of words, each chapter presents the tried-and-true vocabulary list, to be used again and again in the course of the chapter (and repeated occasionally throughout later chapters). Several sentences are used to put the words in context. It is not simply a dull list of definitions - words are connected, and related words given.

Learning strategies are introduced in each chapter as well. These include use of a dictionary (how can you look up a word when you don't know how to spell it?), using context clues to figure out the meaning of a word, analysing word elements by parts (prefixes, suffixes, etc.), and learning words in settings such as forms, newspapers, and other familiar settings.

The special interest sections include articles that highlight the vocabulary (articles include the history of Ben & Jerry's, stories of how cars get named, biographical stories of famous people like Jackie Robinson, and more), as well as brief histories of words and word categories.

Each chapter has a variety of exercises - mix and match, word association, fill in the blank, analyzing paragraphs, discussion questions for the reading passages, and more.

The one thing I would wish for this text would be a general glossary or dictionary at the end of the book, for students to use with greater ease in looking up the meanings of words. This could be organised in the manner of a dictionary, to be useful for the dictionary use exercises, too. Other than this, 'The World of Words' serves as a very useful guide in language arts, reading and writing classes, as well as for individual tutoring for those looking to enhance their basic literacy skills.