499 words every college student should know: a professor's handbook on words essential to great writing and better grades

“This book is so valuable . . . Provides definitions, explanations, and context so we use the words correctly” (Jenny Baranick, author of Kiss My Asterisk).

On any given day, you might read “abrogate” in a USA Today article, or hear “demagogue” or “fiduciary” on CNN. “Ensorcelled” or “torpor” might be used in a TV drama, or “pedantic” in a movie. A political candidate might be described as “truculent.” How many of these are part of most college students’ arsenal of words?

499 Words Every College Student Should Know helps you become more articulate in your speaking and writing, and enhance reading comprehension—and earn better grades. Using easy-to-understand, informative, and often humorous explanations, the book also explores how to use the words in sentences, and in proper context. The majority of these words were chosen because they are fairly commonplace in media, in books, online, and elsewhere. Knowing them—and knowing how to use them well—can boost the confidence and performance of any student.