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.

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.

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!

11 Plus: Vocabulary – 500 Essential Words by J. Johnathan is an incredibly helpful resource. I love the set up of this book. Its purpose is to help primary school children increase their vocabulary, specifically for children studying for the 11 Plus. The book has 500 words separated into 12-word sections. The two best pieces of this book are 1 that with each word there is a definition, pronunciation, synonym, antonyms, examples sentence, etc. And 2, after the 12 words are listed and explained, there is an exercise section. The exercises are fairly simple but great for really cementing the words in your mind. The back of the book has the answers to these so that when you are studying, you can check your answers once you have completed the exercises. This book is well organized and easy to understand making it great for anyone trying to improve their vocabulary or wishing for a review, not just students studying for this particular test. I found this great for helping the students I tutor study, the exercises really helped with practicing the words. This is a great resource, and I would definitely recommend it.

11 Plus Vocabulary - 500 Essential words is a great tool to help with student learning in any middle school or high school classroom. I really appreciate that this text gives the Greek and Latin roots for English words to help give a background of how language connects together. Furthermore, the words tie in synonyms and antonyms together for a better overall understanding. As a teacher, I use this text with ESL learners and Middle School students.