500 Words You Should Know by Caroline Taggart

500 Words You Should Know Reviews

• 
  Fatima Mehjabin

  It was helpful but some definitions were described excessively.(they confused me)
• 
  Alex

  Clearly laid out, and revealing many interesting insights into the etymology of words, this books contains many more than 500, through the related words given with many of the explanations. However, the words themselves are likely to be already known to a reader or to be thoroughly out of place in conversation, so are not that useful. Taggart also has a horrible tendency to talk about words and their definitions in terms of what is correct or proper, which to the modern linguist is an archaic view, and although she includes many more modern definitions, the prevailing impression is that she is resistant to language change, just like the 'purists' she repeatedly mentions (the idea of purity in relation to the English language is laughable, and would entirely detract from the beauty and fascination that can be found within it). She also tries to maintain phonology and morphology from French and Italian loan words, which is an unnecessary practice, but is all the more confusing as she does not do the same for German loans.
  An interesting look into the etymology of some of our words, but that's as far as it goes.
• 
  D.K. Powell

  I have quite strict rules to decide on what makes a good fiction book but how do you decide for non-fiction? Especially given how different many non--fiction books are. Caroline Taggart's book is a good example.
  
  On paper, a kind of mini-dictionary-cum-glossary of some words which you might know and others you don't isn't exactly the kind of thing which has you swiftly reaching for your wallet to buy. It sounds about as much fun as eating sawdust and probably just about as much use too. After all, it doesn't give a complete list of anything, most words are just part of our 'intellectual' (at least) lexicon anyway, and who actually ever reads a dictionary? You 'dip' into a reference book like that. You can't even do this with Taggart's book as she's arranged words by them rather than strict alphabetical order.
  
  So why have I rated the book so highly? Because, despite all the above, it is superb quite simply!
  
  Taggart manages an incredibly fine line of not giving too many outlandish words which will never be of any use nor throwing up too many we already know and use all the time. Of course, this will change from person to person but my feeling is that the words she's chosen are probably about right for each reader. There was no more than a handful out of the 500 which I felt unlikely to ever want to use. About 50% I know and use, another 20-25% I understand to read but wouldn't necessarily use naturally myself. The remaining quarter to a third are either new to me or words I've often wondered exactly what they're supposed to mean.
  
  This is an ideal ratio. I've tightened up my understanding of words I know and the book will remain on my shelf with a pencil alongside to go through again and underline words I'm going to add to my vocabulary. As a professional writer I'm painfully aware of my 'little darlings' - words and expressions I use constantly - so Taggart's book is going to be a useful tool to help me 'mix it up a bit' and gain a little more variety.
  
  The icing on the cake is the humour which comes with all this. I get the feeling that Caroline Taggart is a nice person, someone you could have a laugh with, and not someone who you'd find irritating or 'grammar nazi'ish. I could be entirely wrong, I know, but that's how her writing feels and that's the point. She's not cocky, she doesn't try to be hilarious. It's all good-natured, informative, jolly kind of stuff; and as a result Taggart gets the balance right.
  
  So, whether you want to improve your word power, or you're just intrigued by words which are slightly more complex than our everyday Anglo-Saxon-based lexicon, or you just want something light yet intelligent to dip into - '500 Words You Should Know' is a damned good contender for the spot.
• 
  Christie

  I had fun reading this book, although I took it slowly, as otherwise it resembles reading a short dictionary and my brain started to feel overwhelmed with all the explanations of different words.
  I personally love words, particularly words that people don't use much. I've been known to use words such as pithy, ubiquitous and Sisyphean in everyday conversations, much to the chagrin of my friends and family.
  I was surprised at how many of the words I knew quite well, but I imagine that comes from my years of extensive reading and education. I enjoyed some of the explanations of some of the more obscure words or meanings that I hadn't heard of before. However, I would have liked more detail in some of them, or pronounciation guides for more of the words. I did like how each of the chapters were broken up though.
  Over all, it was a fun read and I enjoyed adding to my lexicon in such a way. I might challenge myself to use even more of these words in everyday conversations or writing where possible. It seems a shame to reduce our language to the same words constantly.
  
• 
  Karla

  You should know these words- there is a cornucopia of knowledge within the covers. Don’t be discombobulated, the author presents vocabulary well. Text is sized wonderfully and the vocabulary words in bold with adequate space between.
  I’ve reviewed many books of this type and this stands out. The author not only alphabetized the words but chunked them by chapter according to subject matter. This isn’t a dictionary of favorite words but a collection of intelligent vocabulary to expand your usage of the the English language. Buy it- you’ll be glad you did.
• 
  Mark Kriedemann

  Perfect book if you're on a trip through the country and still want to look at the scenery every now and again! Heaps of interesting notes on particularly the various french borrow-words in english, as well as the obligatory notes on the plethora of latin roots. Very pleasingly, the author also goes to the effort of drawing connections between lots of the 500 included words, noting the different degrees to which closely related words express a certain sentiment. Another great feature is that the 500 words are divvied up according to the context in which they are normally used, so you'll be able to use this almost as a thesaurus, or more likely if you're simply looking for more subtle ways of expressing things pertaining to a certain social scene. The main downside is a very general one that is recurring throughout the book. This is that there are numerous words that seem to have been given sparse analytical treatment. This mainly manifested in there not actually being a clear definition given for a word, but instead simply some example that gives an impression of how it is to be used, but doesn't really contribute to a subtle understanding of it. Overall, really fun book though. I'll be using it frequently in the future!
• 
  Olga Gibbs

  After reading this book I have found the title very presumptuous and self-assured: "500 words you should know", and as a result of the title and my expectations for this book, this book has fallen short.
  It would've been more appropriate to name the book "500 words you should know if you're writing a historical fiction", as there were many archaic words which won't be used in today's conversational, spoken English, let alone by younger generations.
  Majority of the words would've worked best for a writer, writing a period drama set in late 19th-20th century.
• 
  Robert Hepple

  Published in 2014, 500 Words You Should Know does what it says on the cover. The words are catalogued under different sections, and include an often humorous description of their correct use. That said, many of you will know most of the words listed as well as their correct usage, so the book only really teaches you anything for less than half of the time. The style and presentation go some way to make up for this, and so it makes an enjoyable read.
• 
  Gill

  Great to pick up when there's a spare minute
• 
  JoAnne

  Educational
  
  I learnt a lot of new words in this book and even found out interesting facts about words I did know but didn't know the meaning behind it. A good book.
• 
  Oghma

  Definitely a great idea but there were too many terms derived from Latin for my taste.
• 
  Zoë

  Some interesting bits and pieces learned, and chirpy style, but I'd have liked more steer on entomology and origins / links of words, rather than lots of illustrations of their usage.
• 
  Barry Cosgrave

  Rabelaisian
  Hooty Tooty
• 
  Bethany

  Interesting little book. I would have appreciated a pronunciation guide of some sort - some words had a pronunciation guide but others didn't. I did come across some interesting words I didn't know. Callipygian would have to be the one I like the sound of best, although I can't see myself ever using it!
• 
  Faridah Hanim

  Just too many words that are not likely to be used these days but can be useful for EFL learners especially school students who want to practise their creative writing. It is much useful to the learners if the book is also provided with the phonetic notation.
• 
  Emilia

  A brilliant book- words I would never have thought useful but that keep coming up in my speech now. Perfect for long journeys.
  
• 
  Kimhu

  A lot of good words to use to impress
• 
  LittlePiscesReading

  It was a decent enough book. However, I had hoped that the words would be less common or less in use but it was an interesting selection. I didn't quite understand why some words were included in some sections either and it would have been nice if there had been a more organised pronunciation guide.
  I really enjoyed learning about the way some definitions changed over the years and the etymology.
• 
  Becky Porter

  #partner | noun, log • o • phile - a lover of words 📖
  I am most definitely a logophile. I gobble up words. I write down new favorites. I like to try them out, feel the way they sound in my mouth. And I thoroughly enjoyed this book even if my teenage daughter was like “Mom, that book is basically a dictionary. Why are you reading a dictionary?” 😂
  While it does have some similarities to a dictionary, 500 WORDS YOU SHOULD KNOW is infinitely more entertaining. I already knew a large majority of the words, but I did add some new favorites and enjoyed reading the clever definitions and examples given. My only quibble is that the words are thematically organized, and I found some of the word choices to be odd for the theme they were placed under. Also, it would have been nice to have pronunciation guides so I can ensure I am saying these lovely words correctly. 4/5 🌟 Add it to the gift list for any word aficionados in your family or friend circle. ☺️| Thank you to @firefly.books for sending me this book. All opinions are my own.