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

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.

These are very helpful.

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.

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 LineThese cards are a great way to improve vocabulary for the GRE.In my study plans, you'll find all my GRE prep recommendations.

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.

The media could not be loaded. Excelente Flascard, me encantaron y con la descripción en el contexto que lo puede usar.

Nice quality cards that include good info. I have them in my office at work and just pull them randomly when folks come in and we learn the words together.

I am happy about everything except the glossy finish. It is too smooth for pencils to leave readable marks, gel pens and markers will smear once I stack them together, regardless I set them aside for solid 30 minutes.