When I was studying language in college, I started collecting materials to put together a very short SAT Verbal Prep class to help some students at a local high school prepare. To say that I was totally clueless would be an overstatement here, but I often think back to that time of blissful ignorance with a chuckle. After I had spent a few afternoons in the college library collecting every related book and article on the subject of using Latin root words to help build vocabulary for the SAT, I realized several things.

First, I was becoming an expert of "everything" concerning the meanings of Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes and yet an expert of "nothing". In other words, I had an extensive amount of information and sources, but it all meant nothing unless I could organize it in a way that would benefit students and not overwhelm them.

Second, I realized some of the drawbacks to using Latin root words, prefixes, and suffixes as a principal means of building an extensive vocabulary in a relatively short amount of time. Just giving students a long list of word parts to learn (memorize) and to use to "deconstruct" the meanings of English words would not guarantee success.

In fact, I had not taken into account the fact that some students might not have the academic skills needed to learn (memorize) the list of word parts much less apply their meanings to decode another word for which they also do not know the meaning. (What was I thinking?) In addition, some students had not studied Latin or another foreign language that would have exposed them to some of the material in advance.

And what about the crucial areas of vocabulary study such as Context Clues and Reading Comprehension? How could I use Latin prefixes, roots, and suffixes in the same class while also teaching Context Clues and Reading Comprehension skills? What I needed was a way to tie all of these elements together. My solution? I found a life saving vocabulary source called "Hot Words for the SAT" by Linda Carnevale.

You must admit the name "Hot Words for the SAT" really gets your attention! This book really did get me and my vocabulary study class out of some real hot water before the SAT. This little book is big stuff! It showcases the 350 words that appear most frequently on the latest version of the SAT college entrance tests.

In my opinion, "Hot Words for the SAT" also uses every critical element of vocabulary development to help students improve their vocabulary. For instance, it gives the Definitions of the words and Sample Sentences using each word. "Hot words for the SAT" also teaches Word Origins with Word Quizzes and shows the Words Used in Context.

In addition to Context Clues, it also covers Reading Comprehension. Take it from a teacher who knows: Context Clues and Reading Comprehension are two of the most important reading and vocabulary building elements. Lastly, "Hot Words for the SAT" also has a new section with Sentence Completion Exercises and Hints for Answering Analogies.

What more could you ask of a vocabulary prep study guide?

I highly recommend "Hot Words for the SAT" to any student or teacher who is preparing for this test. Using this book as my main teaching tool for the SAT Verbal Prep class saved me a tremendous amount of time and energy. I was able to add some supplementary materials like a list of common prefixes and suffixes and some extra study tips to make my class more manageable and to give my students more confidence in their abilities.

"Hot Words for the SAT" provided every crucial element of vocabulary study in an easy to understand format that did not overwhelm my students. So when it comes to SAT prep - Don't get burned - Get "Hot Words for the SAT"!