Sometimes while I'm writing I must pause to think of the perfectly precise word for the occasion. Sometimes it takes me half an hour just to come up with a title. I savour le mot juste. I adore my well-thumbed, falling apart, 25-year-old paperback thesaurus. And all of this word obsession is for my mother tongue!
But what happens when I must speak or write in French? I yearn to be able to communicate as effectivley in French as certain panelists I listen to on Radio Canada or on Bazzo.tv. The challenge is that once you are very comfortable in a second language it takes a lot of motivation to improve your vocabulary. It's just so much easier to rely on the tried and true formula (did you get that idiomatic but over-used expression?) to express ourselves. If you are highly motivated to increase your word power, however, you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of accomplishment.
How about taking a vocabulary test at http://www.englishcorner.vacau.com/vocabulary/vocabulary.html
These activities quizz you on your mastery of the Acadmic Word List, a list of more than 500 words that every university student should master.
This test is really showing your understanding of English.
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