Not only should you carry a dictionary, but a thesaurus is your next pocket buddy. As a matter of fact, both a dictionary and a thesaurus are synergistic. Using one of them without having the other in hand is less useful than both of them together.

Once you know the meaning of a vocabulary word, do you know its synonyms and antonyms? Having a full range of vocabulary also means understanding the similarities between words and their relationships towards each other. If you use a word in conversation as practice, you should be prepared to know its opposite or another word in relation to it in case your peers don't know the meaning.

Having a thesaurus in hand also pulls you out of the rut in which most people find themselves trapped. They use the same words over and over again consistently boring the reader with the same adjectives and adverbs.

A thesaurus extends your vocabulary by giving you an array of options for describing nouns and increasing the eloquence verbs. Peppering your description of nouns and verbs with poignant, descriptive phrases makes your speech and writing more profound. Grab the attention of listeners and readers with phrases that stand out and go against the conventional boring communication.