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

Laurie E. Rozakis, PhD, teaches English at the State University of New York, Farmingdale, and is the author of more than 100 books.