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Penguin English Guides
Test Your Vocabulary 2
*60 tests for practising essential vocabulary at pre-intermediate level *Wide variety of tests, including crosswords, cartoons, gap-fills, A-Z wordlist, and full answer key *Tips on learning vocabulary
Paperback
First published August 16, 2002
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June 28, 2021The real test of a book for language trainers is less what they theoretically think of it than how often they find themselves using it. By that standard I find that this book does well. In fact I decided it was time to finally write a review of it since whilst people in Goodreads have given books in this series high ratings, nobody has so far reviewed any, at least not number 4.
I have no idea what improvements were introduced with the "revised edition" but it is the only version listed here, so my comments refer to the original edition, my copy reprinted 1987.
The exercises are simple and all standard gap filling, and useful and are for the general learner covering many different aspects of vocabulary, vocabulary according to themes such as "animal kingdom" or "bits and pieces" where the word has to match the picture, prepositional phrases (that is where many quite advanced learners struggle) word building, which is filling the gap with a word from a provided root, and much more.
Although there is no statement to that effect, users will find that in cases where there are two in a series (for example Word Building 1 and later in the book Word Building 2) the later exercises is appreciably more difficult. Some exercises strike me as being much more useful than others. The Word Building is very useful indeed but the Newspaper misprints where the task is to correct a funny misprint is not something which I have personally ever thought could be useful for any learner. It would be more appropriate as a speed exercise for native speakers who were aspiring copy editors. (Given how poor and slipshod copy editors seem to have become in recent years, that might be a good idea! )
Other thumbs down: The synonyms and opposites crosswords are unnecessarily small, perhaps that is something changed in the revised edition. I also find the mixed captions exercises (with wrong cartoons) unuseful. In fact I have never used them because the last thing a learner needs in my opinion is to see the wrong comment under a given picture.
I find the Confusing Words exercise always very useful, probably most useful for learners whose native language includes many false friends with English or words whose use is slightly different in English to theirs. German learners for example tend to use the word "possibility" instead of "opportunity" or "chance".
Another not to be underestimated advantage for any dinosaur out there like me still using paper books for English language training is that the Test your Vocabulary series consists of very small and light books which slip in easily into a satchel or briefcase even a capacious pocket.
All in all this is a useful recourse and if I had to limit myself to just twenty books for English training, Test Your Vocabulary 4 by Peter Watcyn-Jones would be among them
I have no idea what improvements were introduced with the "revised edition" but it is the only version listed here, so my comments refer to the original edition, my copy reprinted 1987.
The exercises are simple and all standard gap filling, and useful and are for the general learner covering many different aspects of vocabulary, vocabulary according to themes such as "animal kingdom" or "bits and pieces" where the word has to match the picture, prepositional phrases (that is where many quite advanced learners struggle) word building, which is filling the gap with a word from a provided root, and much more.
Although there is no statement to that effect, users will find that in cases where there are two in a series (for example Word Building 1 and later in the book Word Building 2) the later exercises is appreciably more difficult. Some exercises strike me as being much more useful than others. The Word Building is very useful indeed but the Newspaper misprints where the task is to correct a funny misprint is not something which I have personally ever thought could be useful for any learner. It would be more appropriate as a speed exercise for native speakers who were aspiring copy editors. (Given how poor and slipshod copy editors seem to have become in recent years, that might be a good idea! )
Other thumbs down: The synonyms and opposites crosswords are unnecessarily small, perhaps that is something changed in the revised edition. I also find the mixed captions exercises (with wrong cartoons) unuseful. In fact I have never used them because the last thing a learner needs in my opinion is to see the wrong comment under a given picture.
I find the Confusing Words exercise always very useful, probably most useful for learners whose native language includes many false friends with English or words whose use is slightly different in English to theirs. German learners for example tend to use the word "possibility" instead of "opportunity" or "chance".
Another not to be underestimated advantage for any dinosaur out there like me still using paper books for English language training is that the Test your Vocabulary series consists of very small and light books which slip in easily into a satchel or briefcase even a capacious pocket.
All in all this is a useful recourse and if I had to limit myself to just twenty books for English training, Test Your Vocabulary 4 by Peter Watcyn-Jones would be among them
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review