摘要：Many learners of English as an additional language reach a plateau and then either remain in the communicative comfort zone or have the realisation that vocabulary acquisition is crucial to further development. The call of `I need to learn more words’ is all too common. While syntax and communicative interaction are vital in English language learning, it is clear that an accurate grasp of vocabulary enhances ones productive and receptive skills. Research recognises that reading with pleasure requires knowledge of 95% of the words of a text while related research suggests that English for academic purposes requires a core vocabulary of at least 5000 carefully chosen words (Coxhead, 2000; Nation, 1990). Learning a new word also includes spelling, pronunciation, meaning and how a word works in different registers.
