Spanish Vocabulary

Rating:
Summary: Great Reference Book
Review: I bought this book because my vocabulary was incomplete in many areas and I was about to go to Cádiz, Spain, for an exchange program. So far, so good. It's basically a categorized dictionary. Just look at the table of contents of the subject that you want or look in the index. It's very thorough in each section. It also includes a pronunciation guide for each word. I highly recommend this book for anyone who really wants to learn Spanish vocabulary.

Rating:
Summary: Unique organization makes it an indispensable study aid
Review: I recently spent a few weeks brushing up my high-school Spanish in preparation for a trip to Spain; I found this book very helpful. It is not comprehensive, but it contains most of the words a traveler will need. Most of all, its unique organization makes it an indispensable study aid.

As noted by a previous reviewer, this is a "categorized dictionary." That means words are found in very natural groupings like "Family and Friends," "The Body," "Quantity and Space," and so on. After all, if you want to know the Spanish word for "left", you'll very likely want to know the words for "right", "front", "back", "up", "down", etc. So the book's organization makes it very easy to find a related group of words.

The book is rather small, so it easily fits into a backpack or suitcase. The book as a sturdy binding and a plastic cover, so it can withstand the rigors of travel (take it with you!).

My only gripe: I wish the "Spanish Verb" appendix had cross reference page #s pointing back to the English definitions.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful quick-reference tool invaluable for study.
Review: This little book packs a powerful punch, as far as being an excellent reference for the student and/or fledgling linguist.

Barron's book contains over 6000words and expressions categorized in 40 useful categories, to include travel, science, the human body, and there are even idiomatic expressions.

This book, for the price, is an excellent study aid that will exponentially add to your proficiency.