A new entry in the best-selling 100 Words series selects one hundred words every lover of language should know, featuring notes on each as well as quotations from Henry James, Jane Austen, William Golding, and Sylvia Plath, among others. Original. 25,000 first printing.

100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know is the perfect book for people who enjoy reading about words that have absorbing histories, intriguing coinages, surprising but useful meanings, or have been used by famous writers throughout the history of English. Many of these 100 words are accompanied by notes that explain in detail the path the word has undertaken, providing useful etymological information about how the usage of a word develops over time. Additionally, 100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know features scores of quotations from authors including Henry James, Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, William Golding, Douglas Coupland, and Donna Tartt. A great gift for anyone who appreciates the beauty, history, and depth of the English language, 100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know will appeal to all who are avid readers and take pride in a vibrant, active vocabulary.

The latest offering in the 100 Words series from the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries, this reference book helps students in the upper grades of elementary school learn the vocabulary words they need to know to understand the world around them.

This latest installment in the bestselling 100 Word series settles the score on 100 controversies and misconceptions about words with difficult or slippery pronunciations.

“A book that will appeal to word lovers as well as parents hoping to boost their kids’ verbal test scores.” —Booklist More is expected of middle schoolers—more reading, more writing, more independent learning. Achieving success in this more challenging world requires knowing many more words. 100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know helps students in grades 6 to 8 (ages 11-14) to express themselves with distinction and get the most out of school. The 100 words are varied and interesting, ranging from verbs like muster and replenish to nouns like havoc and restitution to adjectives like apprehensive and imperious. Knowing these words enables students to express themselves with greater clarity and subtlety. Each word has a definition and a pronunciation and appears with at least one quotation—a moving or dramatic passage—taken from a book that middle schoolers are assigned in the classroom or enjoy reading on their own. Both classic and contemporary works of fiction and nonfiction are represented. Among the authors are young adult favorites and award-winners such as Kate Di Camillo, Russell Freedman, Neil Gaiman, E.L. Konigsberg, Lois Lowry, Walter Dean Myers, Katherine Paterson, J. K. Rowling, and Gary Soto. Readers can see for themselves that the words are used by the very best writers in the very best books. It stands to reason that they will see them again and again in higher grades and throughout their lives. 100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know helps students to gain useful knowledge and prepares them to step into a broader world.

1970- issued in 2 vols.: v. 1, General reference, social sciences, history, economics, business; v. 2, Fine arts, humanities, science and engineering.