11 Plus Vocabulary - 500 Essential words: With Synonyms/Antonyms/Usage/Origin and more...

Whilst reading this book from start to finish I find that this seems to be a very formal book that helps to teach 11 plus students on how to increase their vocabulary quickly. This not only helps prepare for the 11 plus exam but can help in every day speech too. At the start of the book it shows all the different types of techniques to help learn all the vocabulary and these techniques are highlighted in bold. After the techniques listing there is another section to help emphasise the importance of practicing to make perfect which in my opinion would help encourage the student or reader to learn quickly and gain more confidence before taking the 11+ exam. In alphabetical order, there are different words each grouped in word sets to go through and for each word shows the description of the word, synonym and antonym. This would help the reader understand the word and increase their knowledge retention of the words and develop the reader’s knowledge of words too. There are thousands of words for the reader to trawl through and at the end of every alphabetical group of words in the word set sections there is a review exercise for the reader to practice what they have learnt, and as stated earlier this is where practice would make perfect. At the back end of the book there are the review exercise answers for the reader to check whether the answers they had provided are correct. My opinion on this book is positive, it’s a more formal book without fun pictures etc, but shows all key words the reader/student must know in order to get through the exam and help them prepare to pass and gain great confidence for the exam. There is a mass amount of words to go through and if the reader constantly reads and practices they should pass all the exercises correctly. This book is definitely worth purchasing.

The first thing I noticed about this book is the size of it. It’s big! You’re certainly getting value for money. The size also makes it easier to complete the exercises if your child wants to fill them out in the books itself. Of course they can also be done verbally or photocopied if you want to keep the book unspoilt to be used again. It’s a really good book for improving the vocabulary of your children. A skill they need when it comes to the 11 plus, but also for everyday life. I like the way the words are given in context, with example sentences, so you can really grasp the meaning. You can then go on to create your own sentences using the words. Eventually they’ll be using the words themselves in conversation. I particularly liked that the origins of each word are given, this I thought was as interesting for adults as it is for children and opened up some discussion. Talking about a word in this way really helps it to sink in. The information is clearly presented and easy to read, with lots of detail about each word. The words are presented in alphabetical order, so I found it best to randomly flick through and choose a word to learn, rather than working through from beginning to end. The kids soon let you know if you select a word you’ve already learnt, which is very reassuring that it’s all sunk in! All in all, a great book to work through as a family, even adults and older children might well learn something!

This book is an excellent study aid for improving the vocabulary of a either an advanced Key Stage 2 child or a Key Stage 3 child in the UK. It is well thought out and structured for successful learning, being divided into sets of 12 words followed by useful review exercises. This allows the learning to be divided into easily digestible chunks and reinforced through the exercises. Each word introduced is given a definition, an example of how the word is used in a sentence and why the word is used and some information about the origins of the word. Particularly useful I think is the information given on differences between similar words, something children can often struggle with. The book is well over 200 pages long so you get plenty of content for your money, including a full answer section at the back so parents who haven’t learned this stuff in a long time can be sure they are giving the right guidance! My only wish would be that there was a little colour or imagery in the book as, even for the age group this is aimed at, I do think this would help make the words learned stick in the minds of the children using the book and just make the book a little more attractive. That is just a minor quibble though, the important thing is the educational content and that is top notch.

11 Plus Vocabulary - 500 Essential Words by J Johnathan The book is a lengthy and detailed guide to vocabulary for young learners, with the aim to improve language skills and add considerable word range, for critical thinking and communication. The 11 Plus Vocabulary book is designed to help assist the reader to build a vocabulary by introducing 500 words in a variety of context, to help you build an effective language word range. When reading this book, the first thing you notice is how professionally written and organised it is. The words to extend vocabulary are professional defined and well explained for both learning and enjoyment. Each section has a review and summary questions to aid learning and monitor progress. This vocabulary and the contained words are deemed essential because the learning requirements leading up to the 11 plus are concentrated and a large amount of learning. This is where this book excels, because it's designed to bulk boost a young persons vocabulary, adding language and meaning in a wide degree of facility and ambition. This is the fast track to language vocabulary progression. At 240 pages long, this reference book is organised to be worked through either from start to finish or can be picked up and read, as the need to learn is attained. The easy organisation of Plus 11 Vocabulary - 500 Essential Words by J Johnathan, allow you to do this. This makes the book less intimidating and more accessible. If your child has 11 Plus exams and requires vocabulary building content and reviews, this is a great book and will certainly add to future success.

11 Plus Vocabulary - 500 Essential words: With Synonyms/Antonyms/Usage/Origin and more... This 240-page-long reference book is an essential and detailed resource for any young learner that is preparing for the 11 Plus exams. I would recommend this book as the primary source to consult on this endeavour and use it in my academic research when in doubt about the correct application of a word. “11-Plus Vocabulary” has a well-organised layout that is easy and logical to follow. With 43 Word Set sections, the learner can either work through the book from front to back or in small increments. In addition to explaining the definition, origin, and pronunciation of the 500 most common words that appear in the 11-Plus exam, this book comes with over one thousand targeted exercises to manifest their importance. J. Jonathan applies scientifically proven methods that aid in the recall of vocabulary through associations and word grouping techniques. As such, the author manages to break down the potentially monotonous learning experience into a fascinating journey of words and wisdom.

This is a brilliant book. While so many other products sell at hugely inflated prices this book feels like you get a lot for your money. There are a total 500 words divided into 44 word sets (each comprising of 12 individual words). Each word has a definition, at least two examples of it used in a sentence, synonyms, antonyms & other information that gives the word a context in terms of it’s use or origin. Each word set is then followed by two tests. One that asks you to identify synonyms for each word & one that has sentences with blank spaces where the most appropriate word should be inserted. What is brilliant about this book is how all the words in a set are presented contextual way & then tested. Learning about & applying the words in a practical way really helps to cement them in your child’s memory. We purchased some much more expensive flash cards at the same time, which are nowhere near as good as this book. They feel much more like rote Learning. Admittedly some of them sunk in, but in comparison this book has had a much greater success rate, in terms of retaining the information read. For our son the recall of words learned was approx 92% whereas the flash cards’ were approximately 55%. He’s really enjoying doing the little tests too. Definitely recommended. Personally i’d buy this book before trying anything else if you want to assist your child to expand their vocabulary prior to the 11 plus exam, or just for fun. EXCELLENT

Initially I was really excited about the book because of the content and quiz after every 12 words, it looks great to prepare for the 11 plus. However my son didn't share my excitement and found the book too boring to work through as there is a lot on info per word and the pages don't look exciting. We gave up after about 4 exercises. Also 500 words sounded great to me as a parent but I think my son found it too overwhelming, looking at all of the words he had to learn! We've switched to another book which contains images and funny sentences to help remember the words which he is happier to work through.

I bought this book to help my daughter with the vocab section on the 11 plus. English is not her favourite subject, and she has been really struggling. Since she has been using this book to study, I have seen a dramatic improvement in not only her mock test scores, but her overall vocabulary. She is incorporating a lot of the words into her natural dialect, and it has enabled her to articulate herself more effectively, which in turn has increased her confidence. The authors of the book haven’t just thrown a bunch of words together; there is a definition for each word, a description of why the word is used and how the word is used in a sentence, and finally some information about subtle differences between similar words, and also the origin of the word to make studying more interesting. The book is neatly divided into sets of 12 words followed by Review exercises, that enables studying in bite sized chunks. I would defiantly recommend this book, I am now confident that my daughter will pass the 11 plus with flying colours.