Vocabulary For Dummies

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Your Bearings 7

Chapter 1: figuring out how words work 9

Chapter 2 Building your vocabulary 17

Chapter 3 Picking up meaning 37

Chapter 4 Using the right word 51

Part II: Mastering the Basics 63

Chapter 5: Getting to the root of the matter 65

Chapter 6: Starting off with prefixes 81

Chapter 7: Ending well: Suffixes 101

Part III: Expanding Your Base 119

Chapter 8: Shading meaning: Synonyms, Antonyms, Connotations, Denotations 121

Chapter 9: Hear your homonyms and homophones here 131

Chapter 10: Compounding words 151

Chapter 11: Romancing English: Words from French, Spanish, and Italian 167

Chapter 12: Borrowing from the neighbors: Words from other languages 183

Part IV: Getting Savvy with Vocabulary 197

Chapter 13: Trying your skills on standardized tests 199

Chapter 14: Taking care business vocabulary 215

Chapter 15: Mutterings on money matters 227

Chapter 16: Speaking legalese 237

Chapter 17: Doctoring your words: Medical terms 251

Chapter 18: Acquiring shopping and eating language 263

Chapter 19: Expanding the language: Recent additions 273

Chapter 20: Exploring words from real and mythical people and places 287

Part V: The Part of Tens 301

Chapter 21: Don’t go there: Language to Avoid 303

Chapter 22: Distinctions worth making 307

Chapter 23: Ten techniques for nonnative speakers 315

Index 321