I believe vocabulary is the most comprehensive and most difficult aspect of English for foreign learners to master thoroughly. They should concentrate first on learning the most frequently used and therefore most important English vocabulary for their practical real life needs.
Multiple sense English words and synonyms (words with a similar meaning) present special difficulty for foreign learners. Other difficulties with learning and using English vocabulary include fixed word collocations, phrasal verbs, idioms, proverbs and regional differences in vocabulary usage. There are differences in English usage in English-speaking countries in terms of spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. I know some specialized books dealing with British and American English differences.
English usage can also be formal and informal. Formal English is the language of the mass media, education, business, economy, commerce, technology, science, etc. Informal English includes colloquial, slang and dialect usage. It is harder for foreign learners to master informal than formal English vocabulary.
Thematic general English dictionaries combined with English synonym dictionaries are a valuable tool for mastering English vocabulary logically, comprehensively and intensively for real life needs of learners. Extensive reading on a variety of topics is another effective method for expanding English vocabulary knowledge by learners of English.
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I'd agree that vocabulary acquisition is the hardest part of the language, even native speaker can struggle with this aspect. I believe a solution would be reading books and magazines that the student finds interesting.
I am now some how good at vocabulary. My friends usually ask me for meaning if they find any new words instead of searching from a dictionary. . Dictionary will also help you to learn phonetics and pronunciation. For that, I had the habit of learning around 300 new words with synonymn daily. Read these words which some of you may find interesting!
Ref: http://www.scribd.com/full/13148231?access_key=key-1zmw1vv4a5qqnmi00o0o
Reading is the most natural method to improve vocabulary. We try a lot of short cuts like word lists, flash cards etc, but they fail becos we are learning words out of context. I had this difficulty during preparing for the GRE exam. So I created a web application to help learn words painlessly by reading, referring a dictionary and then revising them. Check this applicaiton at http://www.wordzo.com
You can see a how to video on the appliation here http://vimeo.com/32073942