SAT Vocab Capacity: 2014 Edition - Over 950 Powerful Memory Tricks and Mnemonics

Need a good way to remember that the word "prodigal" means "wasteful"? Just think of PRADA GAL - a girl who spends all of her money on designer clothes.

Brian McElroy (Harvard, ‘02) and Vince Kotchian (Boston College, ‘97), two of San Diego's most sought after test-prep tutors, provide a series of clever, unconventional, and funny memory devices aimed toward helping you to improve your vocabulary and remember words long-term so that you don't ever forget their meanings. Brian and Vince, combined, have been tutoring the test for over 20 years. They have analyzed all available official SAT tests to select the words that appear in this book.

The vocabulary words in this book are best suited for students at a 9th-grade level or above. The words in this edition are specifically targeted toward the SAT exam, but they are also helpful for students who are preparing for other standardized tests such as the GRE, ACT, ISEE, SSAT, GMAT, LSAT or MCAT, or anyone at any age who simply wants to improve his/her knowledge of English vocabulary.

Disclaimer: All of the words in this book appear in our other book, GRE Vocab Capacity.

Why This Book Is Different

If you’re studying for the GRE, SAT, or for any other standardized test that measures your vocabulary, you may be feeling a little bit anxious – especially if you’ve taken a practice test and encountered words you didn’t know (or maybe never even saw before)! Whether you have seven days or seven months to prepare for the test, you’re going to want to boost your vocabulary. But it’s not that simple – you’ve got to remember the words you learn. And on many SAT sentence completion questions, getting the right answer comes down to knowing the precise definition of the words.

You could make vocabulary flashcards. You could look up words you don’t know. You could read a book with lots of big words. But unless you give your brain a way to hold on to the words you learn, it will probably have a harder time remembering them when they appear on the test. That’s the problem with most vocabulary books: the definitions and sentences in the books aren’t especially memorable.

That’s where this book is different. We’ve not only clearly defined the words but we’ve also created sentences designed to help you remember the words through a variety of associations - using mnemonics.

Mnemonic Examples

A mnemonic is just a memory device. It works by creating a link in your brain to something else, so that recall of one thing helps recall of the other. This can be done in many ways – but the strongest links are through senses, emotions, rhymes, and patterns.

Consider this example:

Quash (verb): to completely stop from happening.

Think: SQUASH.

The best way to QUASH an invasion of ants in your kitchen is simple: SQUASH them.

Now your brain has a link from the word quash (which it may not have known) to the word squash (which it probably knows). Both words sound and look the same, so it’s easy to create a visual and aural link. If you picture someone squashing ants (and maybe get grossed out), you also have another visual link and an emotional link.

Here’s another example:

Eschew (verb): to avoid.

Think: AH-CHOO!

ESCHEW people who say "AH-CHOO!" unless you want to catch their colds.

The word eschew sounds similar to a sneeze (ah-choo!), so your brain will now link the two sounds. If you picture yourself avoiding someone who is about to sneeze in your face, even better! Again, the more connections you make in your brain to the new word, the easier it will be for you to recall it.

Mr. McElroy (Harvard '02) and Mr. Kotchian (Boston College '97) are full-time test-prep tutors for McElroy Tutoring in San Diego, California (www.mcelroytutoring.com). Combined, they have been helping prepare students for standardized tests for over 20 years.