Brett Brunner BS, MA

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Vocabulary Building Expert

Brett Brunner Quick Facts

Main Areas: Acquisition and Remembering of English Vocabulary ; Greek and Latin roots of the English language; Classical Mythology
Best Sellers: Word Empire III: Clarity. Membean.com
Career Focus: Teacher, Speaker, Business owner
Affiliation: American Classical League, UW Madison Alumni Association, Star Nemeton EI, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Green Mountain Club

Brett Brunner has been teaching Latin and English vocabulary in college-prep schools for seventeen years, as well as summer courses targeting the verbal section of the SAT. He spent eleven years at Saint Mary’s Hall in San Antonio, TX, where he presided as the chair of the Language Department, overseeing the Spanish, Japanese, French, and Latin programs; in addition, he taught Latin, etymology, philosophy, and world history. He designed a course in Greek and Latin roots to build vocabulary in the mid 90s, from which he had the idea of creating his own comprehensive Greek and Latin roots textbook, Word Empire, which is now used by numerous schools and individuals, and includes distribution through the American Classical League. He spent the academic year of 2000-2001 on sabbatical, finishing Word Empire, and recently completed Word Empire III: Clarity; he also wrote a book on teaching methodology, entitled Chaos Motivation, which describes his unique, infrastructural motivational methodology--he finished the second edition of Chaos Motivation in the fall of 2006. He is very excited to announce the launching of membean.com, of which he is the Executive Editor, a completely web-based tool that helps the user learn and remember SAT and GRE vocabulary. To fully appreciate the power of this site check out the SAT and GRE vocabulary words blog. He holds an undergraduate honors degree from UW Madison, and an M.A. in English from the University of Virginia; he has continued his studies in Latin at the University of Georgia at Athens. He was awarded the prestigious Master Teacher's award at Saint Mary's Hall in the fall of 2003 for his success in motivating students at the middle and upper-school levels. In June of 2005, Mr. Brunner was named Teen Ink’s Educator of the Year. He most recently won the Golden Apple Award for teaching excellence in the city of Charlottesville, VA. Mr. Brunner regularly presents his learning English vocabulary methodology at conferences, the most recent being at Vanderbilt University for the American Classical League. He currently teaches Latin at Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville, VA, where he writes a Latin roots SAT word of the day column on the school's web site, and also frequently contributes to his Greek and Latin roots blog.

Other Programs & Highlights

The beauty of Word Empire III: Clarity is that anyone can learn vocabulary using Greek and Latin roots, even with no knowledge of Greek or Latin. However, for those who wish or feel they need the guidance of an expert, I also offer an online learning GRE and SAT English vocabulary course that is fully tailored to the individual's current level of vocabulary knowledge. This course is fully automated, takes into account all different learning styles, and is fun (and affordable!). Check it out at membean.com, or read about it in this GRE and SAT learning vocabulary blog.

A Greek and Latin root words poster that is available as well highlights not only the power of Greek and Latin roots, but also the beauty of lexicoaesthetics, or artistic arrangement of words into their common word roots.

Favorite Quotes & Thoughts from Brett Brunner

The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for. (Ludwig Wittgenstein)

I think most of the world’s problems can be eliminated if people could communicate more effectively. Language is the primary tool of humans, and the better we can employ that tool the better a world we can all build. Think about that, our primary tool is language, but how do we employ it? Think of the power of that tool. The sharper and more complex the tool, the more we can do. It's the foundation of how we function. Brett Brunner

One forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die. (Evelyn Waugh)

The wise weigh their words on a scale of gold. (Bible)

Language is the dress of thought. (Samuel Johnson)

By words the mind is winged. (Aristophanes)

Getting Started With Brett Brunner

In a nutshell, and fully explained at www.wordempire.com, probably the single most effective thing you can do to increase your vocabulary is read, read, read, and industriously look up definitions of words in the dictionary; this process can take a lifetime. However, I, along with Ragav Satish and Micah Elliott of Membean, Inc., have recently launched a revolutionary new web site, Membean.com. Its primary focus is not only to teach SAT and GRE vocabulary, but it also has an Adaptive Reinforcement Engine which attunes to each and every student's particular learning curve, helping her or him remember each and every word. The issue with teaching the world vocabulary, which allows for effective communication, is that words are often lost if not used. Membean takes care of this problem by continually reinforcing words in an engaging and I dare say fun aspect.