Word Workout: Build a Stronger Vocabulary in 10 Easy Steps - Perfect for Students, Professionals & Language Learners

Word Workout is an engaging read due to the etymological information it offers to the logophile. Some words have a fascinating history - such as eponyms and loan words originating from Latin and Old French . The meanings of some of these words have made a far long way and 'metamorphosed ' throughout the centuries : For example , who knows that 'knave' once meant a 'child' , or that 'villain' once meant a 'peaseant'. Other words derive from the Greek mythology - such as the eponymous verb 'hector' in memo of the Greek soldier named Hector who fought in the Trojan War . I guess only a few native English speakers are familiar with all these background information details . It seems that each word has its own secret to be disclosed .This book will certainly enlarge your vocabulary. For each entry word there are antonyms and synonyms which , by themselves , will undoubtedly enrich your vocabulary. Elster takes the trouble to explain the subtle nuances concerning the synonyms and antonyms for each entry word. Yet there is one comment I would like to make: for a non-native English speaker, I think it would have been more helpful if there could be sentence illustrating the discussed word in some context . Not that Elster did not do it, yet it should have been applied more consistently to almost all words . The context further enhances one's understanding of a word being discussed. I would certainly recommend this book.