500 Essential Words: GRE Vocabulary Flashcards Including Definitions, Usage Notes, Related Words, and Etymology (Manhattan Prep GRE Prep)

I'm a long-time GRE tutor, and I've gotten a perfect score on the verbal section. Nearly all of my students need to work on their vocabulary for the GRE. These flashcards are a great choice to accomplish that. Things I like: 1. The words are relevant. 99% of these words could, in my opinion, appear on the GRE. Some companies have pretty obscure vocabulary in their flashcards, but Manhattan's do a nice job of picking words that actually might be tested. 2. The front of the card has the word, the part of speech along with alternate parts of speech (for example, "abate" is a verb but "abatement" is a noun, and the pronunciation (using a word in your daily conversations will help you learn it). The back of the card has a brief definition (brief is good), a sentence using the word, related words (that have similar meanings), and etymology for the word. I was especially glad to see the etymology - knowing the origins of a word is one extra link in your brain to make the definition stick. Things that could be improved: 1. There's no instruction provided for using the cards. Yeah, I know, looking at a flashcard is pretty self-explanatory. But having an efficient way to study them will save you time. I usually suggest periodic review. For example, today is July 3rd. If I study 10 cards today, I would want to review them on perhaps July 6th. But then my next review of those 10 cards would be July 12th. By doubling the amount of time between reviews, you're making it more likely you're only studying the cards when their memory is fading - which may help you remember them better than if you're studying them when you still remember them well. 2. The sentences using the words are not very creative or exciting. When we memorize something, our brain will hold on to it better if it evokes an emotional response. Finally, an FYI. The average person will know maybe 25% of these words. You may know more, or less. That doesn't mean the cards aren't a good buy - they are, for the above reasons. And I often see people who "kind of" know a word, or who are "familiar" with it... but who can't accurately define it. So don't be put off if the words look familiar. And the more familiar a word, the more likely it probably is to appear on the GRE or even in a GRE reading passage. The Bottom Line These cards are a great way to improve vocabulary for the GRE. In my study plans, you'll find all my GRE prep recommendations.

I'm an older aged person and I just want to improve my volcabulary. I had a set of these when I started out while in Junior College (that's what we called them back then) to help in English Literature and Eassy writing. Somewhere along the way I throw them out. So I was looking for flashcards that would covered pretty much the basic vocabulary words that I could use to keep my brain power active. These flashcards are very useful to helpful to expand your vocabulary or just to get a better understanding of words. I noticed while reading fiction and non-fiction books I come across words that I guess at its meaning based on how it's used in the sentence. So with these flashcards, I can expand my understanding of words better and tune in correctly to how a particular word is being used in a sentence. Additionally, I like the back of the flashcards which provide an easy understanding of the word, a couple of good definitions of the word and other element about that word (place of origin). If you're a parent wanting to help your children get a grip on improving their vocabulary, this set of Essential Words (GRE) will be a plus factor for college. Well worth the investment.

The words are very relevant to the study material I am using and they are helping me greatly. The cards are in good quality paper material, so that's a plus. Also a big fan of the format (word, pronunciation, and part of speech in the front; definition(s), sentence example(s), synonyms (sometimes), and extra information in the back). It would be nice is every word has a section with a list of all synonyms. It would also be nice if every word has a section for the connotation of the word. But overall, great study material.

These are very helpful.

Lots of words I didn’t know before as well as lot of words that I did know but now have expanded knowledge about. However, please get another box for these cards! They’re packed so tightly that it’s nearly impossible to put them all back. Recommend removing the words that are obvious and you use in your every day vocabulary in a separate bag or folder so you can put the other cards back in the original box. Great stack of cards, pretty bad packing though.

Lots of in depth reviews already. I recommend these. Great features include: Word etymology Used in a sentence Huge vocabulary Nicely packaged *They are so tightly packed in the box they come in, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting (2) boxes big enough to hold 300 cards each. Otherwise, you can NEVER get the cards out & back in again as you use them. *Upon getting these into 2 boxes & examining the set, these seem like High School level words to me. I see few words that would be commensurate with graduate school. Albeit I was in honors classes. I guess C's & D's get degrees. Any over privileged slacker can get into grad school according to these cards.

I am taking the GRE in a few weeks, so I bought these cards to so I can easily practice vocab every day before the test. I shuffled all of the cards, and made ten 50 card sets. So I am going through one set per day. These cards have been great for this study method. Some of the words I already have heard/know, but it is still helpful to know the precise meaning and usage. I like these cards because they give the definition, example of usage, related words, and sometimes other info to help even further clarify the context. Would definitely recommend. As far as the quality of the material, they are a little flimsy, but I don’t mind it. My alternative would have been making my own on index cards, so for me it’s an upgrade.

Nice cards, really. Well-done overall. The box they are stored in went on a diet without warning anyone, and it is WAY TOO TIGHT for the cards. Can't get the cards in or out - they have to all be slowly dumped upside down to come out all at once. Hence, a use-able storage box would really complement the set. Thanks!

Excelente producto. Llegó en excelentes condiciones , en tiempo y forma. El producto tiene buenas materias y el contenido es muy práctico y útil para el objetivo de aumentar vocabulario inglés.

The words covered are surprisingly close to the vocabulary of the actual test. Definitely helped me!

Great collection of words with meanings, synonyms and word root plus sample sentences.

These 500 vocabulary flashcards are a fantastic value! There are a lot of great words on the cards, and they really help expand your vocabulary in a fun and interactive way. The cards come with a surprising number—500 is way more than I sounds like, which makes them perfect for long-term use and keeping things fresh. I did notice a few repeated words here and there, but honestly, the words are good, so it's not a huge issue. It just means I got to reinforce some of the words more than once, which isn’t a bad thing. I used them with a friend for a "word of the day" game, and it was a lot of fun. We each picked a card, looked up the word’s meaning, and used it in a sentence. It was a great way to make learning new words enjoyable, and the sheer number of cards made sure we never ran out of words to learn. Overall, I’m happy with this purchase. If you’re looking for a fun way to boost your vocabulary, I definitely recommend these!

Consigliato sia per il GRE che per migliorare l'inglese in generale