Are you in a mid-month slump? Running out of ideas about how to improve your vocabulary study methods? Don’t worry – that’s why we started this Vocabulary Builder’s Blog. We give you tips on study techniques, news about research and findings in educational practices, and links to helpful resources in print and on line. In fact, there’s a plethora of tools we provide to our readers, like helpful hints on how to get the most out of your study time, as well as definitions and examples of powerful and useful vocabulary words you can use to improve your communication and presentations.

Today’s word is plethora (PLEH-ther-uh), a noun meaning “an abundance of [something]” which comes from the Greek root plethore (“fullness”). This word is usually used to describe a situation where there is almost too much of something – for example, so many choices on a restaurant menu that you can’t make up your mind what to get. Some synonyms for plethora include myriad, plenitude, and profusion.

Example: The decorator provided a plethora of options for the paint he could use inside the house, and seemed disappointed when I decided to have all of the rooms painted a glossy eggshell white.

If you’ve been looking on line for vocabulary study tools, you may have been overwhelmed by the plethora of sites available to you. Here are a few sites that we like:

Vocabulary Building Games (http://www.vocabulary.co.il/)

Geared more towards younger children, but this site also has games, quizzes, and word puzzles for learning levels up through secondary school.

Activities For ESL Students (http://a4esl.org/)

This is an excellent site for people who are learning English as their second language, and has both English-only and bilingual quizzes.

Ohio University Department of Linguistics (http://www.ohio.edu/linguistics/esl/)

This site, run by Ohio University, has a wide range of materials related to vocabulary study and education. If you live near a college or university, be sure to check out their web site for additional resources, and to find out if they offer free or low-cost vocabulary study programs on campus or on line.

World Wide Words (http://www.worldwidewords.org/)

A fun resource that explores the wide range of interesting and useful words in the English language, including etymology, usage, and word-related trivia.

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