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 PSAT or SAT, 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 Pinocchio Intermediate Vocabulary Builder (a specially rewritten version of Carlo Collodi’s classic, The Adventures of Pinocchio) to easily and conveniently build your intermediate-level vocabulary (because it contains all the words you need to know, 1000 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 Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder (a similar book with 1850 even more challenging words).

Sample passage:
For a while, by sitting very still and forcing himself to wear a DEADPAN expression, Pinocchio managed to maintain his COMPOSURE. But behind him he could hear the other boys whispering to each other about him and quietly laughing. Any remark that wasn’t BLATANTLY cruel was filled with INNUENDO. At first he ignored their insults; but as they continued, he found it harder and harder to remain IMPASSIVE. Then, when they started trading JOCULAR remarks—“Is that a nose or a flagpole?” for example—he lost his patience and, turning around, said threateningly, “Careful, boys; I haven’t come here to be HARASSED or made fun of. I’ll respect you and I want you to respect me.”

“Good for you!” JEERED the boys, bursting with laughter.

Just then, the teacher, who’d been writing on the blackboard, spun around and said sharply, “What’s going on here?”

“Sorry, sir,” said the boy who’d made the flagpole remark. “Just trying to inject a moment of LEVITY to make our new classmate feel more comfortable. We were just kidding with him—all in fun, of course—and he MISCONSTRUED our innocent jokes for insults. But we won’t do it again.” Then the boy lowered his head, as if in shame.

“Very well,” said the teacher. “But don’t let it happen again. I won’t TOLERATE that kind of behavior. Does everyone understand that?”

“Yes, sir,” all the children chanted in UNISON.

But none of this caused the boys to DESIST from their shenanigans. As soon as the teacher’s back was turned, the boy across from Pinocchio put out his hand and pulled the puppet’s nose. This time Pinocchio RETALIATED. In one DEFT motion, he extended his leg under the desk and kicked the boy hard on the shin.

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.