Educators, please click here to request a desk copy.

Key Features

The Words-in-Context Approach. Students learn new words by encountering them in meaningful contexts, not through rote memorization.

Abundant Practice. Each book is packed with activities, exercises, unit reviews, and tests that prompt students to interact closely with each new vocabulary word.

Appealing Content. Dull materials discourage learning. Our books avoid that. Each features high-interest passages students will want to read.

Standards Aligned. TP’s Vocabulary Series is a comprehensive, research-based approach to vocabulary instruction aligned with the Common Core Standards for Vocabulary in Grades 5-12. Each book in the series presents vocabulary words in multiple contexts, giving students ample practice in determining “the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.” In addition, the words-in-context approach requires students to actively figure out definitions though analysis using explicit or inferred meaning—a benchmark of the Common Core.* Looking for a Common Core aligned program to improve students’ vocabulary for success in school and beyond? With TP's Vocabulary Series, you've got it. *Common Core Standards RL.6.4, 7.4, 8.4, 9-10.4, 11-12.4

Relevant Words. Words from the series were drawn from word frequency lists with alignment to state standards and standarized tests. The aim: to equip students with words they need to know.

Affordability. This print vocabulary book teaches 300 key words and is priced at $12.90. Bundles of the print book + Vocabulary Plus are value-priced at just $17.90 each.   

Outstanding Supplements. Free supplements include:

• Placement Test. The TP Vocabulary Placement Test is made up of 100 multiple-choice items drawn from Townsend Press vocabulary books. A student's score on this test may be used to determine which TP vocabulary book would be most beneficial to that student. Free and available online or in print. 
• Instructor's Edition. Instructor's Editions for all of the vocabulary books are available to teachers with a class adoption of 20 or more students. They are identical to the student books except that they contain answers to all of the activities and tests.
• Instructor's Manual and Test Bank. Available as a PDF for each Vocabulary Series book, the Instructor's Manual and Test Bank contains the Vocabulary Placement Test as well as a pretest and a posttest for the book and for each of its units. It also contains teaching guidelines, suggested syllabi, answer keys, and an additional mastery test for each chapter and unit. Free to educators with an approved account in the Learning Center.
• The Learning Center. Free to educators with an approved account, the Learning Center is a digital learning environment that provides resources to accompany the Vocabulary Series. It includes PowerPoints, assessments, and much more!

Digital Options. This textbook can be bundled with Vocabulary Plus, a powerful online vocabulary-building program that brings ALL the content of our famously clear, user friendly, Vocabulary Series directly to your tablet, smartphone, or computer. Download a complete brochure to learn more, or visit our Learning Center.

*Note: Students must have a paid subscription to access Vocabulary Plus materials. Click here to learn more about subscription options, including discounted digital/textbook bundles.

Changes in this Edition:

Hundreds of new items: The latest edition vocabulary titles feature brand new sentence items, revised/updated context clues, and in many cases, entirely new passages.

Photos added to chapter readings: Final Check activities in this and all new edition vocabulary texts now feature full color images to add context and interest for visual learners.

Updated digital content: All new and revised items in our printed books have also been released in Vocabulary Plus, our web-based digital vocabulary building program. 

Broader, more universal appeal: TP's Vocabulary Series was originally developed for college students in the early 1990's. Updated regularly, the series remains popular in colleges today but is also used in adult literacy centers, and increasingly, in middle and high schools. Recognizing this broadening audience, our editors have carefully calibrated each book in this revision cycle to feature content and situations suited to readers of all ages. This impulse has led to changes in each activity, chapter, test, and unit review for all nine books—making the series better than ever!
 

Re-sequenced items: This and all new edition vocabulary titles have had test and practice answers shuffled and re-sequenced. This effort invalidates answers posted online and discourages cheating. Answers in Vocabluary Plus have also been updated (and feature their own shuffle capability).

Download a complete brochure or visit our Learning Center to explore Vocabulary Plus Independent Study for your classes.

Word List

abandon
abolish
abrupt
abundant
accompany
accurate
accustomed
acquire
adequate
advise
aggravate
agonizing
alert
analyze
anticipate
anxious
apparent
appeal
approximately
artificial
assert
associate
assume
assure
astonish
attitude
authentic
automatic
awkward
barrier
betray
bewilder
bluff
brutal
burden
capability
category
cease
challenge
characteristic
circumstances
clarify
classify
coincide
commitment
communicate
comparison
complex
complicate
comprehend
concept
conflict
confront
conscience
conscious
consent
considerable
consist
consistent
content
contrast
convert
convince
cope
corrupt
counsel
critical
crucial
current
customary
debate
decay
deceive
deliberate
demonstrate
dependent
deprive
desperate
detect
determine
devote
discard
discipline
discomfort
discredit
displace
dispose
dispute
disregard
disrupt
distinct
divert
dominate
dramatic
duplicate
duration
eager
earnest
economical
elementary
eligible
eliminate
emotion
emphasis
endure
energetic
enforce
enumerate
essential
establish
estimate
evade
evaluate
evident
exaggerate
excerpt
excessive
exclaim
exclude
exhibit
expand
extend
external
extraordinary
extravagant
fatigue
fertile
fiction
flimsy
foresight
formal
fragile
fragment
frank
frantic
frequency
frustration
fulfill
function
fundamental
furthermore
harsh
hesitate
hinder
horizontal
hospitality
hostile
humane
humiliate
identical
idle
illustrate
immense
impression
improper
impulse
incredible
indicate
industrious
inferior
influence
inhabit
intentional
interference
internal
interpret
interval
investigate
justify
juvenile
legible
linger
magnify
maintain
mature
maximum
miniature
minimum
miserable
misinterpret
misleading
mistrust
modify
monotonous
neutral
nevertheless
objection
obnoxious
obtain
occur
originate
outspoken
overcome
overwhelm
particular
peculiar
peer
penalize
perceive
persecute
phrase
plea
possess
postpone
potential
practical
precaution
precede
precise
preconception
preference
presentable
preserve
prey
primary
principal
procedure
promote
propose
prosper
protest
pursue
random
realistic
recollect
reduction
reform
rejection
reliable
reluctant
remedy
remote
renew
represent
resemble
resent
resort
resources
respond
restore
revise
revive
rigid
sanitary
security
seize
senseless
severe
shallow
significant
singular
sole
solemn
solitary
soothe
spectacle
spite
sprawl
spurt
stern
stress
strive
stun
substance
suitable
surplus
symbolize
sympathize
temporary
tendency
theme
theory
thorough
thrive
tolerance
toxic
tragic
trait
transfer
transform
transparent
trifle
triumph
ultimate
unanimous
unstable
utilize
vague
vanish
vanity
variety
vary
vast
verdict
version
vertical
vicinity
wholesome
withdraw

Common Core State Standards Fulfilled by TP's Vocabulary Series

Looking for a Common Core-aligned program to improve students' vocabulary for success in school and beyond? With TP's Vocabulary Series, you've got it.

TP's Vocabulary Series is a comprehensive, research-based approach to vocabulary instruction aligned with the Common Core Standards for Vocabulary in Grades 4–12. Each book in the series presents vocabulary words in multiple contexts, giving students ample practice in determining "the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text." In addition, the words-in-context approach requires students to actively figure out definitions though analysis using explicit or inferred meaning—a benchmark of the Common Core. (For a complete listing of the CCSS, please visit www.corestandards.org.

The TP Vocabulary Series fulfills the following Common Core State Standards:

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards: R.4 and L.4–6

Grade-Level Standards: RF.4.3, 5.3

RL.4.4, 5.4, 6.4, 7.4, 8.4, 9–10.4, 11–12.4

RI.4.4, 5.4, 6.4, 7.4, 8.4, 9–10.4, 11–12.4

L.4.4–6, 5.4–6, 6.4–6, 7.4–6, 8.4–6, 9–10.4–6, 11–12.4–6

For more than two decades, the TP Vocabulary Series has helped millions of students learn the words they need for success in the classroom—and beyond. You be the judge of whether our effective, affordable series can work for your students, too.

Supplementary Materials

Groundwork for a Better Vocabulary includes the following supplements:

Placement Test. The TP Vocabulary Placement Test is made up of 100 multiple-choice items drawn from Townsend Press vocabulary books. A student's score on this test may be used to determine which TP vocabulary book would be most beneficial to that student. Free and available online or in print.



 

An Instructor's Edition. Instructor's Editions for all of the vocabulary books are available to teachers with a class adoption of 20 or more students. They are identical to the student books except that they contain answers to all of the activities and tests.


 

A combined Instructor's Manual and Test Bank. Available as a PDF for each Vocabulary Series book, the Instructor's Manual and Test Bank contains the Vocabulary Placement Test as well as a pretest and a posttest for the book and for each of its units. It also contains teaching guidelines, suggested syllabi, answer keys, and an additional mastery test for each chapter and unit. Free to educators with an approved account in the Learning Center.
 

The Learning Center. Free to educators with an approved account, the Learning Center is a digital learning environment that provides resources to accompany the Vocabulary Series. It includes PowerPoints, assessments, and much more! Along with these free materials, the Learning Center also hosts Vocabulary Plus, a comprehensive subscription-based word-building program that brings all the content of our vocabulary text to students' fingertips. Learn more here.
 

Print supplements can be obtained quickly by calling Townsend Press toll-free at (800) 772-6410, by sending a fax on school letterhead to 1-800-225-8894, or by e-mailing Customer Service at cs@townsendpress.com.

Sample Chapters

To see the "To the Instructor" chapter of Groundwork for a Better Vocabulary, 5/e, click here. (Coming Soon)

To see the "To the Student" chapter of Groundwork for a Better Vocabulary, 5/e, click here. (Coming Soon)

To see Chapter 1 of Groundwork for a Better Vocabulary, 5/e, click here. (Coming Soon)