Anisa, here are a few of my favorite ways to increase vocabulary in all the languages I'm learning: 1. Live Practice: I find that the words that really stick in my mind the best are ones that I learn WHILE talking with native speakers in person and on Skype. You can do this via free language exchange if you are willing to spend half your time helping the other person to learn your language. If you'd rather spend a bit of money you could schedule speaking practice sessions with teachers and tutors such as myself so that the entire focus is on improving your vocabulary in a certain area--that's what I personally prefer. I used to do language exchange with my Japanese friends, but for me it just took more time than I was willing to spend. Now I focus on entire sessions with native speakers that are all about ME and MY learning--that's giving me much faster progress. 2. Podcasts & Audiobooks: Free podcasts are great because you can listen when you want and play them over and over. Try to find podcasts that tell a story or let you listen in on a situation that involves something you're interested in. The higher your enjoyment of the podcast, the better you'll remember new vocabulary. The same goes for audiobooks. If you listen to a book about something that you're very interested in you'll surely find lots of new words and phrases to use. Don't worry if you don't understand everything you hear--that's part of the learning process. As your vocab improves you'll understand more and more. 3. Reading & Flashcards: Neal's suggestion is very good too, and I'd like to add that when you find new words you like it is a good idea to write (or type) them out so you can practice them again and again. Don't just READ new vocab, SAY it out loud. Even better, record yourself and listen to yourself--that's a super-effective way to improve pronunciation! I hope these suggestions help you. Talk soon, -Cai

Reading stories is probably a good way. Simpler stories at first. Even for native speakers, reading is one of the best ways to increase vocabulary.

If you wish to reach for more useful vocabulary, you should learn words from academic articles.