The Best Words: More than 200 of the Most Excellent, Most Desirable, Most Suitable, Most Satisfying Words - Softcover

Fiske, Robert Hartwell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1933338822 ISBN 13: 9781933338828

Publisher: Marion Street Press, LLC, 2011

Synopsis

The point of learning new words is not to impress your friends or to seem more intelligent than they. The point is to see more, to understand more. An ever-increasing vocabulary uncovers connections, introduces spheres, and -- in reminding us that there are words for all thoughts, all feelings, all behaviors, all things -- upholds all humankind.

Since the average English speaker has a vocabulary of 10,000 to 20,000 words, and uses far fewer than that, learning these best words may be a very good use of your time -- better, certainly, than reading about the mind-numbing tedium of your friends' daily lives on Facebook or Twitter. -- From the Introduction

Nominated by Vocabula Review readers and selected by the author, The Best Words includes choice expressions useful for everyday speaking and writing. Concluding with 150 challenging quiz questions to test comprehension, this collection also features sidebars with further explanation, derivations, and literary asides, making it ideal for students, writers, grammarians, and word lovers alike. 

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Hartwell Fiske is the editor and publisher of the Vocabula Review, a monthly online journal about the English language. He is the author of The Dictionary of Concise Writing, The Dictionary of Disagreeable English, The Dimwit’s Dictionary, and Vocabula Bound. He lives in Rockport, Massachusetts.

Review:

"Fiske's The Best Words contains delightfully expressive words that are as useful as they are colorful; the choice of words,the illustrative sentences,and the pronunciation guide are nothing less than superb." Rod L. Evans, author, Thingamajigs and Whatchamacallits

"If you're a lover of words, you'll enjoy this entertaining, illuminating book. And if you're a writer, you'll enrich your work with the evocative, unique words you'll learn here." Kelly James-Enger, author, Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks

"When I require the choice vocable, the tastiest morsel of verbal victuals, done not medium but rare, I make my way to Fiske’s table and am always delighted. Robert Hartwell Fiske is America’s master finder of the apt word." Bill Casselman, author, Where a Dobdob Meets a Dikdik

"The Best Words is the Dean & Deluca of the word-loving gourmand, full of words rich in history and meaning and uncommon enough to win over even longtime logophiles. Those with a craving for superlative words will find this an uberous source. The Best Words will definitely be on my best-of-the-word-books bookshelf." Mim Harrison, author, Smart Words and Wicked Good Words

"Many previous books have introduced readers to words they might not have known before. Robert Hartwell Fiske's new entry has the advantage of displaying its words in flattering contexts, showing how good writers and sometimes great ones have put them to real use. The result is fun and instructive." Ward Farnsworth, author, Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric

About this edition

• Publisher: Marion Street Press, LLC
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1933338822
• ISBN 13: 9781933338828
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 264