this is going to sound crazy, but (on the other side) I'm trying to build my vocab by reading Chinese magazines, and whenever I see a word I dont know, or a term I can't understand, look it up in my little CH/EN dictionary, and THEN, add to my Wordlist..all the words related to that character.. eg 无视.. when you look it up under 无.. add all the 无－ words and 四个字的词 to your wordlist, this is arduous, it makes me feel more confident, knowing that i know ALL common uses of a word/term

Some other tips that might help you as well: 1. Use vocabulary learning methods to focus quickly on the vocabulary you need to study. 2. Don't make random lists of new words. Try to group words in themes. This will help you memorize new words more quickly. 3. If you have the time, and even if you think you don't have the time, try to add context. Writing a few example sentences using new vocabulary will help you remember the words in context. 4. Keep a vocabulary notepad at hand whenever you are reading in English. 5.Watch a lot of movies, listen to songs, write the lyrics and keep looking up new words and adding them into your vocabulary trees . 6.Read a lot texts at your comprehension level and look up new words. I hope on the long run those tips will help you increase your vocabulary and thus improve your speaking skills. Good luck* :)

Hello Shirley, "vocabulary" Some tips to increase your vocabulary: - Create vocabulary trees and think in vocabulary groups. In this case When you see a cup your mind will quickly relate such words as knife, fork, late, dishes, etc. - Create a list of vocabulary themes, include the vocabulary, a definition and an example sentence for each new item. For example jobs, kitchen utensils, fruits and vegetables etc.. - Use Technology to help you. Watching DVDs is a great way to help you understand native speakers of English. You will pick up the accent and learn many new words. - Use visual dictionaries. A picture is worth a thousand words. It's also very helpful for learning precise vocabulary. There are a number of excellent English learner visual dictionaries for sale. - Use Collocations. Collocations refer to words that often or always go together. A good example of a collocation is to do your homework, take a break, have a seat ,keep a promise etc.... - Use Corpora. 'Corpora' are huge collections of documents that can track the number of times a word is used. By using a corpora, you can find which words are often used together with target vocabulary words. Combining corpora use with vocabulary trees is a great way to learn key vocabulary for specific vocabulary target areas. You can get started by visiting the British National Corpus.

read a lot =)