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Word memory power in 30 days
Combines linguistics and semantics with a new program of memory techniques to help the reader not only learn new words and their meanings, but also remember them
270 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 21, 2013
I used this book to teach vocabulary to a group of five high school homeschooled students. While it had enough strengths that we completed it, the weaknesses made it my least favorite of vocabulary-building books I have taught up to this point.
One weakness was its dearth of exercises for the students to work through. My favorite books incorporate many different exercises with words, using different definitions, synonyms/antonyms, and sentences, to help them grasp and gain ownership of them. Otherwise, word retention can be low.
By far the greatest weakness, however, was Peter Funk's mnemonic techniques. They consisted of groaner-type puns that failed to help us remember the definitions. For example, the memory key for "sine qua non" was, "In looking for the ESSENCE of a surrealistic painting, you make out the shape of a nun in an aqua-colored habit. In other words, you SEE AN AQUA NUN (SINE QUA NON). Funk must like nuns because they appeared frequently in the puns. Many times we could remember the words and the definitions, but not the mnemonic and its connection to the meaning. What's the purpose of a memory device you can't remember a few days later?
Now to why I used the book despite its huge flaws. I loved the words and the way they were grouped together. Cute chapter titles like "Weather to go or Not" taught words like precipitate, miasma, occlude, tectonic, and halcyon. "People's Choice" covered political words like constituent, incumbent, scapegoat, hustings, caucus, filibuster, and plebeian. These words matter in different aspects of contemporary life and differ from typical vocabulary-book words. So we completed the book, which kept me busy supplementing with extra materials, and I do feel that the students learned new words that they will find frequently in their reading.
One weakness was its dearth of exercises for the students to work through. My favorite books incorporate many different exercises with words, using different definitions, synonyms/antonyms, and sentences, to help them grasp and gain ownership of them. Otherwise, word retention can be low.
By far the greatest weakness, however, was Peter Funk's mnemonic techniques. They consisted of groaner-type puns that failed to help us remember the definitions. For example, the memory key for "sine qua non" was, "In looking for the ESSENCE of a surrealistic painting, you make out the shape of a nun in an aqua-colored habit. In other words, you SEE AN AQUA NUN (SINE QUA NON). Funk must like nuns because they appeared frequently in the puns. Many times we could remember the words and the definitions, but not the mnemonic and its connection to the meaning. What's the purpose of a memory device you can't remember a few days later?
Now to why I used the book despite its huge flaws. I loved the words and the way they were grouped together. Cute chapter titles like "Weather to go or Not" taught words like precipitate, miasma, occlude, tectonic, and halcyon. "People's Choice" covered political words like constituent, incumbent, scapegoat, hustings, caucus, filibuster, and plebeian. These words matter in different aspects of contemporary life and differ from typical vocabulary-book words. So we completed the book, which kept me busy supplementing with extra materials, and I do feel that the students learned new words that they will find frequently in their reading.
August 17, 2012
I finished this vocabulary builder just in time for school to start. The book is a little old so some of the examples were difficult for me to relate to. Other than that, I found the book very helpful.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews