Books : Verbal Advantage Vocabulary Program Complete Edition - 24 CD's (Sucess Edition AND Sucess Edition Advanced), c2005 Edition (Latest Edition) [UNABRIDGED]
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Type of bind: Audio CD
EAN num: 9781131987231
Format: Unabridged
ISBN number: 1131987233
Label: Verbal Advantage
Manufacturer: Verbal Advantage
Page Count: 156
Printing Date: January 01, 2005
Publishing house: Verbal Advantage
Release Date: January 01, 1995
Running Time: 1380 unknown-units
Sale Popularity Level: 1022282
Studio: Verbal Advantage
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
This is a graduated, comprehensive vocabulary-building program for adults who are serious about using the English language correctly and with confidence. Mr. Elster takes you on an edifying and entertaining tour of the language, coaching you all along the way on how to use words with greater clarity, precision, and style. This extraordinary audio course will help you avoid common errors in pronunciation, spelling, grammar, and usage. Every key word is defined, spelled out, carefully pronounced and used in a sentence. You will never be caught in a blunder again. This comprehensive program is the single best way to expand your vocabulary and sharpen your command of the English language. Best of all, it's on audio tapes or CDs. To benefit, all you have to do is listen!
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Rated by buyers -
I've enjoyed sundry vocabulary-improvement products over the years: books, software, and audios. By far, Charles Harrington Elster's "Verbal Advantage" (i.e., the unabridged, 24-CD "Sucess Edition") is my favorite.
This is far more than a mere "talking dictionary". Elster asserts, "When you have mastered all the words in the program, your vocabulary level will be in the top 5% of all educated adults." Being myself a former secondary and college English instructor (and having a master's degree in English), I don't dispute that claim.
Elster himself primarily narrates this audio program, and his consistently gratifying technique is key to this edition's appeal and effectiveness. Basically, here's how "Verbal Advantage" works:
Each of 500 "keywords" (presented in order of difficulty) is pronounced, spelled, defined, and briefly discussed. Along with the "keywords" themselves, numerous important synonyms and antonyms are mentioned, providing an overall coverage of 3,500 words.
Following the initial treatment of each "group of ten" keywords, an agreeable female voice narrates a brief "review" (often a "true or false" quiz) over the prior ten keywords. Since each such "review quiz"--not to mention each of the 500 "keyword" segments--is assigned its own CD track, you can conveniently skip to whatever section of the Verbal Advantage program you like; but it's strongly recommended that you listen consecutively, at least initially.
Additionally, Elster provides intermittent (reasonably in-depth) "supplementary discussions" generally involving diverse--and virtually always highly pertinent and helpful--vocabulary-usage issues. Those periodic segments (tracks) are not only vital to the listener's fullest comprehension of the vocabulary, but they impart a satisfying degree of variety to the overall format of the program. Nonetheless, some listeners may opt to skip them; accordingly, this 24-CD (rather than the 24-audiocassette) is the more convenient version of the "Sucess Edition" to own.
Although this Verbal Advantage "Sucess Edition" is, by far, the most advanced, thorough, and satisfying such (audio) vocabulary tutor I've ever encountered, some users (including many high school students and not a few adults) might find that Denis Waitley's pleasing and affordable "WordMaster" program (comprising nine audio CDs) could suffice for their purposes. My own advice is to avail yourself of BOTH programs; but, if you could only own one such (audio) product, look no further than Elster's inimitably narrated, 24-CD set.
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