the more you speak -- the better your skill of speech is

Talking and practicing more is the best way I think , but it is hard to do so...If u are a beginer ,following a record and reading out loudly will work . I guess we can teach each other~

Hi, I know some people who speak Chinese reallllly well. We can talk together very smoothly, and some of them can even work in Chinese, in some business situations, even though they have more or less accent. So I want to tell you that the tones thing is a cool thing, but not the most important thing. Your pronunciation would be improved little by little without knowing, especially when you live in the country where the language is spoken.

I agree. The vocabulary and structure come first, and tones can be improved later with audio CDs and things like Rosetta Stone. 好运!

When I first started to learn English, I spent a whole month studying the KK phonetic system by following the textbook with tape and practicing. After that when I learn a new word I don't need to hear any example pronunciation to know how to pronounce it correctly if I have its KK symbol. I think it's the same for Chinese. You need to focus some time on learning Pinyin well. Get a good textbook with audible materials, dig into every detail of Pinyin system, practice till you think you master it, and you are all set.