Smart Words

How and where to use 500 of the words that make you sound more cultured, worldly, and downright smart.
Whoever said sounding smart had to be painful? Itas all in how you acquire the aten-dollar wordsa of English. "Smart Words" makes fast and smooth learning of words such as "prelapsarian," "sedulous," "sybaritic" and "draconian." How? By sticking to ultra-simple definitions, then offering a memorableaand often funnya description of when or why to use the word. A sample sentence shows you how. And the phonetics are a snap.
Hereas the description of "sybaritic," defined as "luxurious": aMake that luxurious with a capital S. The word got its start from Sybaris, an ancient Greek city known for being a tad over the top in the pamper-me department.a
Whether youare a word lover, a fan of quirky reference books, or simply in need of a vocabulary makeover, "Smart Words" will help you be smart(er) about the words you use and the way you use them.