If your vocabulary needs building but you don’t like to read, this book is for you. That’s because people remember the meanings of unfamiliar words only if they learn them in context—by reading. And the fastest and most painless way of putting that idea into practice is by reading just one short book that happens to include all the vocabulary words you need to know—for standardized tests such as the SAT or GRE, or for everyday intelligent-sounding conversation.

Just as people might use “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” to easily and conveniently test out the keys of a typewriter or computer (because it contains all 26 letters of the alphabet in a single, short sentence), you can use The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder (a specially rewritten version of L. Frank Baum’s classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) to easily and conveniently build your vocabulary (because it contains all the words you need to know, 1850 of them, in context, in a single, short book).

NOTE: Whereas the physical edition of this book includes definitions by the author at the bottom of each page, this Kindle edition instead makes use of Kindle’s built-in dictionary. In the story, each vocabulary word appears in capital letters. Simply use Kindle’s “Lookup” feature to instantly reveal the definition of the word. (If the built-in dictionary seems not to include the word in question, use Kindle’s “Search” feature to find the word in the built-in dictionary. If the word still does not appear, search for a simpler form of the word; that is, present tense rather than past tense, singular rather than plural, and so on.) For a Kindle book that includes the author’s own definitions (with illustrative sentences), see Vocabulary Dictionary and Workbook: 2,856 Words You Must Know, which contains all words from this book, as well as all of those found in the author’s Pinocchio Intermediate Vocabulary Builder.

Sample passage:
An uncontrollable pounding in her chest made speech impossible, so, forgetting everything but her fear, Dorothy mutely followed her NEFARIOUS NEMESIS through a BYZANTINE LABYRINTH of castle hallways and SINUOUS staircases. The TORTUOUS path at last ended in a grimy kitchen, where the Witch handed the girl a scrub brush, towel, and broom, all of DUBIOUS cleanliness, and ordered her to wash and dry all the pots and pans and to sweep the floor. When another ABOMINABLE, blood-curdling laugh accompanied the Witch’s sudden EGRESS, Toto fled and hid. Now Dorothy sat in MOROSE solitude. Yet in reality she did have plenty of company, for right in front of her face stood the mountain of filthy CROCKERY, and upon her face flowed the many little RIVULETS of tears that STRIATED her expression of utter hopelessness.

With each dismal day, the FORLORN child became more despairing of ever seeing her aunt and uncle again. She tried to picture Uncle Henry’s long, EQUINE face and UNKEMPT hair, but found her recollection of him becoming increasingly NEBULOUS, and this made her more DISCONSOLATE than ever. In an attempt to cheer herself, she pictured Aunt Em’s glorious smile. How often she’d seen her flash it at her RETICENT, LACONIC uncle in an attempt, usually unsuccessful, to break through his stiff barrier of STOLID RESERVE.

About the Author:
Mark Phillips, a former SAT Verbal tutor, has worked as an editor in the publishing field for over 35 years. He is the author of 11 books.