There is a good selection of German vocabulary books available on Amazon.com and this is one of the more expensive offerings. It is also without question the best value, going far beyond what I've seen in other vocabulary books. The author is clearly determined that people using her text will be able to develop an excellent grounding in German vocabulary and she has provided a very well-designed vehicle for reaching that goal.



You may well be asking, "What can be special about a vocabulary book? Just a list of categorized words!" Seeming to have anticipated that question, the author has provided a lengthy explanation of how and why the words are grouped as they are - twenty thematic areas with multiple sub-themes, each presented in three progressively more challenging levels - as well as why there are a dozen different kinds of exercises and what each kind is designed to accomplish. All this based on academic research on how people learn foreign languages.



For some, the introductory forty-odd pages will probably be worth the price of the entire book, covering word formation, tips on dictionary use, how best to learn vocabulary, a lengthy bibliography, how the book should be used and equally important, how and why the book is designed as it is. Users of this book benefit from the author's painstaking attention to detail intended to insure that readers develop the skills and knowledge they desire. No one should skip over this introductory material as it will handsomely repay your efforts in more efficient and effective learning.



There are 20 Units covering a wide range of thematic areas, although because a unit may contain more than one subject area there are actually 43 thematic areas (e.g., Unit 7 contains three sub-units, 'Perception', 'Color and Light', 'Materials and Textures'). Each thematic area is broken down into three progressively more challenging Levels. The author was clearly successful in providing an arrangement from which the users of this excellent text will benefit and appreciate ever more as they work more deeply into the material. Words common to southern Germany, Austria, etc. are included and so identified, as are colloquialisms.



Each level in each unit is accompanied by a series of exercises. Exercises are a significant component in vocabulary retention, but seem to have been an afterthought in most German vocabulary books. Not so here as Dr. Fagan has obviously given much thought to the creation of clever, challenging, and varied sets of exercises which strongly reinforce what has been learned. These exercises are the jewel in the crown as they are not lacking in subtlety or thoroughness. As you complete each level and accompanying excercises, you can be confident that you have not just memorized a list of words, but have mastered the German vocabulary.



As I said at the outset, there are many German vocabularies, most of them less expensive. But considering the considerable time and effort required to learn a foreign language, the best tool becomes the least expensive tool and no one who uses this book is going to regret the time saved and the enhanced learning gained by having bought the best tool. Using German Vocabulary certainly seems to be just that - the best tool for the job.

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