EditeurEF

I have been using English for about 15 years, but have never attempted to enlarge my vocabulary. One exception. A friend had challenged me to read a GRE vacabulary book for one week and he would test me on any 50 words. I got 49 correct. (It was a real busy week. Apart from all the assignments, a friend had come to visit me. So, about two sevenths of my spare time was spent on the streets of Shanghai.

I did not use any special method. Or perhaps I have used some methods but I have not realized it.

Anyway, it does not matter now.

I have forgotten each and every of the words I learned during that week.

There are always people trying to teach ways to memorise words of a foreign language. They are all good. At least for some people.

Not a single is the best. It's safe to say that, I suppose.

What's important is whether it suits you. For me, to remember a word as it is is much easier than remember all the "brother going to brothel alone" things (by no means to offend accueil. It just does not suit me). A new word is already a burden for me, and now I am supposed to remember something else, even more burdensome.

What's more important, what are you going to do with your newly acquired vocabulary? To pass a GRE test? Go ahead! Any method is good, as long as you can still have anything left at the time of test. Or perhaps you want to write better English and communicate in the language. Then this sort of snatch-food way of enlarging your vocabulary would never work.

In the first post, I noticed the author proudly announced that you could explain a few of the difficult words you have learned to impress the foreigners. Can you? Do you know how to explain to a foreigner the meaning of a really difficult word? In Chinese, perhaps. By saying so, I do not intend at all to offend anybody. At least I have found it very difficult to explain an English word in ENGLISH, although I feel confident that I speak better English than a lot of our country people.

In summary, do not waste your not so plentiful time memorising something that you will forget tomorrow.

Do something real.

Speak English more often. If you do not know anybody to speak English with, talk to yourself. That's what I did 20 years ago.

Listen to the radio. Watch television. Better comprehension and speaking skills are more important and more practical than a few "big words", even if you CAN really impress a few foreigners.

Write something in English.

EditeurEF

Post by vcst
感谢boyboyfreely & editeuref 欢迎高手继续赐招！！！谢！！！！

本人并不好斗，所以无意“赐招”。

我也有过背单词的经历，所以理解背单词时的种种痛苦与快乐。现在还在背单词，英语，法语，甚至有的时候还要加上中文（别笑话，本人虽做了多年编辑，但还有好多中文词需要查）。许多英文单词，虽然都是老相识了，但多年不见面也有些陌生，不得不重新让词典引见一下。当然，该忘还是忘。谁整天记着那些平时难得一用的东西？当然，万事皆有例外，有人不就整天背地名吗？中国两千多个县的县名，一说他就知道在哪个省，还能说出很多相关的知识。那个东西，除了上电视表演一下以外，哪位还能找出什么实际用途吗？

背单词也是这样。常用的，不用你可以去记，见了面也认得。好像你平时上课，看见很多同学，平时都不说话，见面最多点个头，但在街上碰着了，你也会知道这个人是你同学，说不准还能说出点他（尤其是她）什么特点呢。你哪天看见了一个靓妞，几天茶饭不思，可过了几天，也慢慢淡忘了。再过两天一想，反而奇怪自己为什么那些天神魂颠倒？

背单词干什么用？再打个比方，有人刻意去记人名，把刚碰到过的人的名字问清楚，写在纸上，再加上一些他们的特征，不时拿出来看看。下回再看着了，一下叫出人家的名字，说不准能给人留下深刻的印象。有些政治家就有这样的本事。

其他人记那么多名字干吗？你好好想想，你大学同学的名字，如果毕业以后从未联系过，你还记得谁？（当然，那个当年暗恋过的除外）

又得提一下那个“哥哥一人上妓院”的东东，你猴年马月用得着？小说里头真看见了，“弟弟”不用知道哥哥的故事也能猜得出来。当然，要是“弟弟”哪天想要去那个地方了，恐怕真得问问“哥哥”，但是，有几位“弟弟”真的会去哪个地方？

所以我说，别一窝蜂的去学背单词，对中国人而言，单词问题不是学习外语最主要的问题。在蒙城的同胞，谁不得学过若干年的英语？但词总得有个三四千吧。如果有心，哪位统计一下，当地讲英文的人所使用的单词到底有多少是常用的？如果你能够熟练地组织这有限的三四千词（相信很多自称英文不好的同胞也远不止这个单词量。），能说出多少有用的话？能写出多少高深的论文？

那位说了，写高深的论文，那得多少词汇量？不多。你既然能写论文，自己专业的词汇总应该知道。我帮人家修改过不少论文，其实用错的多数都是小词，比如介词，连词等。（当然了，专业词汇用错了，我也不知道！）

说到底，还是语言应用能力的问题。不是词汇量的问题。词汇量大了就能读懂文章了吗？就能听懂当地人的讲话了吗？能写文章吗？不见得。举个手头的例子，《个人收入所得税法》INCOME TAX ACT中的文字不很难吧，除了那些专业的词汇（我的前提是专业词汇对专业人士不成问题) 之外，没有几个是陌生面孔。请问，看得懂的有几位？

讲税法的老师总不会忘记加上一句，用英文讲如何如何。

我奉劝要去提高词汇量的同胞，何不利用各位并不宽裕的时间来学些真正用得上的东西。不妨想一想，你有多少机会去使用那些刚学来的新词？如果一时用不上，在你想用的时候，还有多少是老熟人？又有多少成了陌路？

当然，如我在前面的帖子里讲过的，为应付考试而学习词汇不在此讨论范围。

snowhite

讲座还有吗？:confused:

想参加.

SIMSUN

不知讲座为何停了， 不会又是虎头蛇尾吧。 成立个学单词小组道也不错，就不知有人响应没有。 :rolleyes:

SIMSUN

这周有讲座吗 ？ 有的话， 提前通知大家一下吧。 其实大家还是很尊重你的劳动的。

lvemtl

msn & e-mail: wolf_beijing@hotmail.com