A thesaurus is a book that is organized alphabetically (as is the dictionary) but lists synonyms (words with the same meanings) and antonyms (words with the opposite meanings). For either reading or writing, the thesaurus is an excellent tool. You can look up words and find others to use in their place.

Students with a limited vocabulary tend to use the same words over and over again.

This is both boring and shows the reader that the writer does not have a very broad vocabulary.

Using the thesaurus can cure this deficit ("lack" or "what is missing") by providing you with alternative words. Use of a thesaurus is similar to the use of a dictionary. You can find new words and substitute these into your sentences to see if they make sense and communicate what you want to say.

There are many different thesauruses. You could purchase one for a dollar, I am sure. But the best thesaurus I know of is Roget's:

Recommended:

1. Title: Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Publisher: Avenel Books

2. Title: The New American Roget's College Thesaurus Publisher: Harper Collins

There are many aides on the market that can help you increase your vocabulary.

Recommended:

1. Title: Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder

Author: Mary Wood Cornog

Publisher: Merriam-Webster

This book uses the family of words approach to vocabulary building.

2. Title: How to Build a Better Vocabulary

Authors: Maxwell Nurnberg & Morris Rosenblum

Publisher: Warner books

This book presents many short cuts to vocabulary building.

3. Title: NTC's Thematic Dictionary of American Slang

Author: Richard A. Spears

Publisher: NTC Publishing Group

This book uses a dictionary style listing of words and then slang expressions. There is not any cross-referencing, however.