When learning a foreign language, almost every person has a question about how to memorize foreign words quickly. Currently, there are many techniques and techniques that will help you expand your foreign vocabulary easily and quickly, without resorting to boring cramming, which is often not useful.
The method of interaction of sensations
This method works most effectively when used in a duet with other ways and techniques of memorizing words.
The method of interaction of sensations shows how to better memorize foreign words through sensory perception. It is based not on a simple mechanical memorization of a word or phrase, but on their presentation and comparison with any sensations. This approach helps you to more confidently use the learned words in colloquial speech and not spend extra time just remembering them. At the mere mention of a person, object, action or phenomenon, previously used sensory associations will automatically remind the brain of the necessary word.
An example is the English word cup, which is translated into Russian as "cup". When using the method of interaction of sensations, one should not only memorize the "word - translation" pair, but also imagine the cup itself, the manipulations that can be performed with it, as well as the sensations that may be associated with it.
The method of interaction of sensations can be combined with mnemonics based on the search for consonances in the native language and the inclusion of sound associations and translation into a common, easily memorized phrase. The English word cup is very similar to the Russian "cap". Based on the consonant association and translation, it is easy to compose a phrase like: "Water is dripping from the tap into the mug: drip-drip-drip". This combination of techniques perfectly shows how to memorize foreign words quickly and efficiently. Mnemonics helps to translate a word into long-term memory, and the method of interaction of sensations is to fix it in memory and remind the brain about it when it needs to be used.
The card and sticker method
Based on repetition of 10-20 words throughout the day. Small rectangles are cut from thick paper or cardboard. On one side words are written in a foreign language, on the other - Russian translation. Words are viewed at any free minute: at breakfast, lunch or dinner, in transport, at work, etc. You can view both foreign words and their translation in Russian. The main thing is to try to remember the translation of the word or its original sound and spelling in a foreign language while watching.
Exercises with flashcards can be made more effective if it is carried out in several stages:
- Acquaintance with new words. Pronunciation, search for associations, initial memorization.
- Memorizing new foreign words. Restoring the translation into Russian in memory, constant shuffling of cards until all the words are learned.
- A stage similar to the previous one, but in reverse order - working with words in Russian.
- Consolidation of learned words. The fastest possible repetition of words using a stopwatch. The goal of this stage is to recognize words without translation.
The original version of the card method is the use of stickers. With their help, you can study the names of the surrounding objects and the actions that can be performed with them. For example, you can stick the English "door" on a door, and on its handle - "push" from the side from which the door is to be pushed, and "pull" from the side into which the door is being pulled.
Another option for working with stickers is sticking them in those places where the student can most often see them. This can be a place near the computer (including the screen), a mirror in the bathroom, kitchen shelves, etc. Any foreign words can be written on the stickers. The main condition is that the stickers should often be seen.
Using stickers clearly shows how to memorize words of a foreign language using visual information.
Associations
It is a very fun and easy way to learn, even for toddlers. Methods of lexical or phonetic associations tell about how to memorize foreign words using Russian consonant with them. At the same time, a foreign and Russian word consonant with it must be related in meaning. If such a semantic connection is not clearly traced, it should be invented independently.
For example, the English word palm, translated into Russian, means "palm" and is consonant with the Russian "palm". To memorize the meaning of the word palm using the association, one should think that the leaves of a palm tree are like human palms with spread fingers.
Don't think that there are exceptions to association methods. It is quite easy to pick up words similar in sound to one foreign word in Russian, the other is completely out of tune with anything. However, for any foreign word, you can choose either a consonant variant, or divide it into its component parts and look for a similar phrase in Russian.
Or divide one compound word into two simple ones already known to the learner of the language, and by combining their translations make a single association. For example, the English word butterfly is easily split into butter and fly. Thus, butterfly is easily remembered with associations such as "fly in butter" or "butter flies."
Association methods are described in many works of professional linguists and are widely used in the practice of language schools. Some of the most interesting works and effective methods were proposed by Igor Yuryevich Matyugin, the developer of a special technique that develops attention and memory. To make it easier to understand how to memorize foreign words, I.Yu. Matyugin presented the world with a book that contains 2500 English words with vivid and interesting associations.
Yartsev's method
It is best suited for those who are easier to perceive information visually. This method will not tell you how to memorize hundreds of foreign words a day, but it will definitely help to significantly expand your vocabulary, fixing it in your long-term memory.
The essence of Yartsev's method lies in the specific recording of words. An ordinary notebook sheet is divided into 3 columns. In the first, the word is written, in the second, its translation. The third column is intended for synonyms and antonyms, as well as examples of phrases and phrases in which the studied word will be present.
A pleasant aspect of using this technique is the lack of cramming. The written words should be re-read from time to time, thus gradually fixing them in memory. But reading alone will not be enough. Words, in addition to lists, should also appear in articles, films, etc. Thus, they need to be activated in memory.
Grouping methods
This technique helps you figure out how to quickly memorize foreign words. Combining them into groups can occur:
- Within the meaning of.
- By grammatical features.
In the case of grouping by meaning, words that are synonyms or antonyms are collected together. The purpose of this grouping is to maximize vocabulary enrichment. An example is the following group of words translated into any foreign language:
good, great, great, great, bad, never mind, etc.
There can be a lot of options for grouping words according to grammatical features. When composing groups, you can rely on words of the same root, on nouns of the same gender, on verbs with a specific ending, etc. Such grouping helps not only to replenish vocabulary, but also to improve understanding of the basics of the grammar of the language.
Mnemonic associations
Mnemonics is a creative approach to the question of how to memorize foreign words and bring them into long-term memory. According to this method, for each foreign word it is necessary to come up with a consonant Russian, which will be associated with a foreign original. Then the sound association and translation are combined in any phrase or story that needs to be remembered. The repetition algorithm looks like this:
- Foreign word.
- Consonant association in Russian.
- Phrase or story.
- Translation.
As part of the methodology, the algorithm for each word is spoken 4 times a day for two days. The result is the elimination of the "association" and "history, phrase" stages from the algorithm and the movement of the "foreign word - translation" pair to the part of the brain responsible for long-term memory.
Initially, the story gets into it, but the translation is delayed in fast memory for only 30 minutes. In the future, at one glance at the word, a sound association will pop up in memory, a phrase will be remembered with it, and then a translation is extracted from the phrase. The algorithm will work in the opposite direction: translation helps the brain remember a phrase, and a sound analogy is extracted from it or the story, which reminds of the original foreign word. Thus, the technique of mnemonic associations shows how to effectively memorize foreign words, keeping them in memory for a long time.
An example is the English word puddle, which means "puddle" in Russian. The sound association for him will be the Russian "fell", but as a phrase it will be suitable: "Nikita fell into a puddle many times." The word repetition algorithm will look like this:
- Puddle (original foreign word).
- Fell (sound association).
- Nikita fell into a puddle many times (a phrase or story containing a consonant association and translation).
- Puddle (translation).
Using the method of mnemonic associations, in order to easily remember foreign words, it is not necessary to come up with consonances and examples of phrases on your own. Currently, there are a large number of information resources that offer ready-made algorithms for memorizing foreign words and phrases.
Spaced repetitions
The spaced repetition method also suggests learning foreign words using flashcards. Its main difference from the card method is in proposing how to memorize foreign words. The spaced repetition method assumes that the words on the cards will be viewed and spoken at regular intervals. Thanks to this repetition algorithm, the studied foreign words will be fixed in the long-term memory department of the brain. But without the absence of repetition, the brain will "remove" unnecessary (in its opinion) information.
Spaced repetition is not always useful and appropriate. For example, when learning frequently used words (days of the week, frequent activities, etc.) that are constantly heard and regularly used in speech, repeating words will become a natural process - they will often occur in conversations, when reading and watching videos.
Listening
This method will be ideal for those who like to listen to music or any information. It is based on listening to foreign words, which must be pronounced correctly, as well as their repetition. As materials, both special educational audio recordings and a variety of videos with a detailed analysis of words, phrases and sentences can serve.
Reading
When deciding how to memorize foreign words, books, articles and other printed materials in the target language can be of significant help. Learning words while reading texts in a foreign language is appropriate when a person studying the language already knows about 2-3 thousand words. It is with the presence of such a vocabulary that understanding of simple texts comes.
The best way to memorize through reading will be writing out unknown words from texts. In this case, you do not need to write out all the incomprehensible phrases in a row. Attention should be paid only to those without which it is impossible to understand the general meaning of the sentences. Surely they will come in handy in the further use of a foreign language. Such memorization will be much more efficient, since new information is "extracted" from the context, forming brighter and more pronounced associations in memory.
The number of words to be written should also be limited. To replenish vocabulary without interrupting reading, it is enough to write out just a few of them from one page read.
If you wish, you can do without writing out, since the vocabulary is replenished even in the process of continuous reading. But memorizing words and fixing them in long-term memory in this case is much slower.
Watching a video
Memorizing new words from video also requires the learner to have certain knowledge of the language. Otherwise, it will be quite difficult to understand which foreign word, still unknown to the student, was pronounced. Watching videos in a foreign language allows you to achieve two results at once: expand your vocabulary and improve your listening comprehension skills.
The simplest approach in this technique is to watch the video without being distracted by writing out unknown words. But the most positive result will be achieved only if, while watching, you stop the film, take notes and parse new words and phrases for the language learner.
Which we study, we have known for a long time, but to replenish vocabulary and memorize a large number of foreign words are problematic for us. Because of this, the speech, although correct, is meager. What to do?
In this article, we will tell you how to quickly and easily memorize foreign words to expand your vocabulary and make it richer.
Foreign words
Set goals
The first step to learning a new language is setting goals. Many superficially refer to this point, but it is he who is the main one in this matter. As you work on it, you can ultimately determine if you've really achieved what you wanted. When you are faced with the desire or need to learn a new language, many questions, problems and small details come to mind: there are too many words, they are difficult to learn, the methods of study are different.
When you set a goal for yourself, work through what you want to get in the end, you focus on narrower areas. Research shows that people who work on goal setting are more likely to succeed than people who just start teaching without knowing what they need in the end. Use the following tips to successfully set and achieve your goal:
Focus on concrete results. Work through the details and determine what exactly you want to learn, not how much time you want to spend on it. For example, tell yourself, "I want to learn 30 English shopping words this week."
Set short term goals. Of course, having a serious goal is good, but if it is too extensive and requires a lot of time, it will not be enough to motivate you to work on a daily basis. Break your big goal into smaller ones, and successfully complete small weekly or monthly tasks.
Challenge yourself. Goals are always achieved much faster if they force you to put in the effort. The main thing is that you do not feel the burden and pressure. This method can work if you set one goal for yourself, but with different possible results. For example, say, "I'll learn 30-50 English words this week." The smallest number allows you to start working, knowing that the goal is not that difficult to achieve. The largest number will force you to put in the effort to show the best result.
Write down your goals. This obvious way really works, because organizing on paper allows you to focus on what you write to the fullest. In fact, you can use some other means to do this: notes on the phone, notes on the refrigerator, a marker on the wall, or your finger on the mirror.
Read also: 5 most unusual languages spoken by people
The most common foreign words
Make a schedule
Have you ever wondered how musicians memorize so many songs and remember them for a long time? It's all about daily practice, because for this they rehearse over and over again. This process takes time, but is rewarded later.
As you learn new words, you may think that it is taking too long, but what you already know is enough for you. However, you can speak beautifully, correctly and interestingly only when you enrich your vocabulary. In fact, it does not take a lot of time. Just make a schedule and you will see for yourself.
If you are someone who prefers to get up early, study words for half an hour - in the morning. Teach them while choosing clothes, washing and dressing while making tea. In addition, you can indulge yourself with small prizes for a job well done - allow yourself a new thing or a trip to a restaurant, for example, after a week of working with new words. Remember, this will only work if you actually learn the words every day.
Group words by topic
Many people, while expanding their vocabulary, make one common mistake - they start learning all the words in a row. In order to make it easier to memorize foreign words, you should not learn everything just by remembering and translating them. Create a list of words grouped by topic or category. For example, write down all the words for colors, food, animals, verbs of movement, and others.
This method allows you to split an entire huge vocabulary into small parts that are much easier to learn. In addition, associations with a topic will help you remember both the words themselves and the area in which they are used. Small lists of words will motivate you to learn them, because you will not feel oversaturation or pressure, but the result will not be long in coming.
Look for opportunities
"Learning a word" and "memorizing" are completely different concepts. A person who really learns new words always knows how and in what situation they need to be applied, otherwise all efforts lose their meaning. Otherwise, they are simply erased from memory, and you have to start over.
In order for the learned word to firmly settle in your memory, use it as often as possible. If the word is rare or unusual, find out when it is appropriate to use it. If the word is completely ordinary and the situation allows, start a topic that would require the use of the learned words. For example, if you are currently researching a list of animals that live in the forest, get the other person interested and tell him some amazing facts about the wild.
How to memorize foreign words
Video and audio
If you really want to enrich your vocabulary, but notice that you have poor visual memory, and you are tired of constantly repeating words out loud, use various training videos and audio recordings with the pronunciation of words. This will help you relax, go about your business, while listening to someone repeating words that are new to you.
You can use them as a background to your daily activities and listen to them when going to work or taking a bath. Thus, you will not only memorize words, but you will also know how to pronounce them correctly - this is a very important point in expanding the vocabulary and when communicating with native speakers.
Own words
In order to understand which words are most often used in everyday life, and which are almost never used, highlight the most popular in your speech and the speech of your loved ones. If you notice that you often use a certain word, or it often appears in the speech of your friends, write it down.
Over time, you will have a list of words that you can translate and learn, because not always the words that you are given to study in old books and textbooks are often used in everyday life. They are important for general development, but you should first find out how often and in what situations native speakers use them - otherwise you may get embarrassed or simply not understood.
Synonyms and antonyms
As in Russian, many foreign words have synonyms and antonyms. This paragraph will help you enrich your vocabulary and make your speech richer and more beautiful, because using the same word in a sentence several times in a row will not add beauty to it.
If you find a word that you use often, try to find a replacement for it. Learn a few synonyms - you will know what it means and the associations will do the trick. You do not have to search for a long time and memorize the area in which this word is used, because synonyms have the same meaning.
The method of phonetic (sound) associations (IPA) arose because in the most different languages of the world there are words or parts of words that sound the same, but have different meanings. In addition, in different languages there are words that have a common origin, but over time have received different meanings. Often people use this method without realizing that they are using it.
The first mentions of the effectiveness of the use of methods similar to IPA are found in the literature at the end of the last century. In the 70s of this century, Professor of Stanford University R. Atkinson was engaged in a detailed study of the use of associations in the process of mastering a language. He and his colleagues asked a group of Russian language students to memorize words using the "Keyword method", while a control group memorized the same words using traditional methods. Atkinson's "keywords" are nothing more than words that are phonetic (sound) associations to memorized words, words-consonance. Numerous experiments by Atkinson and his colleagues have proven the high efficiency of this method of memorizing foreign words. The method of phonetic associations as a method of memorizing foreign words is becoming more and more popular in the world.
Now let's take a closer look at what exactly the method of sound associations is. In order to memorize a foreign word, you need to choose a consonant to it, that is, a word that sounds similar in your native or well-known language. Then you need to compose a small plot from the word-consonance and translation. For example, the consonant word to the English word look (bow) "look" will be the Russian word "bow". The plot can be like this: "I can't WATCH when I cut" BOW. " The consonant word does not have to completely coincide with the foreign one, the consonant part is enough. For example: MESH (mesh) LOOP, CELL (net). The words "bag", or "interfere", or "linger" can be considered consonant - whichever you prefer Depending on the chosen consonance, the plots can be as follows: “The LOOP is hindering getting out” or “The bag is tied with a LOOP” or “It has gotten lost in the LOOP.” It is important that the rest (auxiliary) words in the plot are as neutral as possible, not evoking vivid images. there should be as few words as possible. This is necessary in order not to confuse them with the necessary ones when remembering, that is, with the words that you memorized. The necessary words (word-consonance and word-translation), on the contrary, are necessary by all possible and ways to highlight, focus on them. If you can't make a semantic accent, then at least an intonation one.
With IPA, you can memorize many words in one sitting. And most importantly, this method will help you get rid of endless repetitions of memorized words - it is enough to pick up a sound association to a word once and make a plot. Specific examples will tell you more about the nuances of using this method. DIVONA in Dari (the language spoken in Afghanistan) means "FOOL". The closest sounding Russian word to the word "divona" is "sofa". The consonance word does not have to completely coincide with the memorized foreign word, the main thing is that it can serve as a kind of key with which we could find the necessary word in our memory. But it can serve as a key only if we compose a plot of these two words, so that the actualization of one word from the plot entails the remembrance of the other. At the same time, as you already know, the more unusual and vivid the plot, the better it is remembered. For the words "sofa" and "fool" the plot can be as follows: "The fool fell from the SOFA." It is important to be sure to pronounce aloud both the memorized word and the word-consonance. First of all, this must be done so that your memory, in its natural course, captures how the word-consonance is similar to the memorized one and how it differs. As a rule, it is enough to say both words 2-3 times for this.
Here's another example: ARRESTO - STOP in Italian. The consonant word "arrest" (just the case when the memorized word and the consonant word have a common origin, but over time the meanings of these words diverged). The simplest plot is as follows: AT STOP someone was arrested. Here it is better not to specify who specifically, so as not to confuse the memorized word with this extra word during playback. In such cases, you can use pronouns, and when reviving the plot, imagine that the matter happened with some of your acquaintances, and even better with you yourself. At the same time, if you compose a story about yourself: "I was arrested at the bus stop," then it will be easy to apply the method of compassion to it to increase the efficiency of memorization.
Surely you will record memorized words, accords and plots on paper. In this case, do not be too lazy to highlight the memorized word, translation and that part of the consonance word that resembles the memorized one. To do this, you can use different sizes, italics, underlines, etc. It also contributes to better memorization (through the interaction of visual and auditory memory).
In general, the best effect in memorizing foreign words is achieved with the simultaneous use of MVVO and MFA.
Often, to memorize a foreign word, you have to select not one, but two consonant words. This is necessary when the word is long enough and there is no similar word in the native language. In this case, the foreign word must be divided into two parts and a consonant word for each of its parts must be selected (the words, if possible, should be short and contain as many common sounds with the memorized one). For example, for the English word NAPKIN (napkin) - NAPKIN we select two consonant words: "NEPTUN" (or "NEPOSEDA" or "NEP") and KINul. It remains to compose a plot, for example, "NEPTUN THROWS A NAPKIN at me." At the same time, in the plot, the first and second consonant words must necessarily follow one after the other, and there must not be any words between them. It's good if, by animating the plot and presenting it as a frame from a film, you use exaggeration of associations. For example, imagine that a huge napkin was thrown at you, so huge that it covered you with your head. Don't forget to use the feeling method as well.
Some people, choosing an association for this word, will prefer a longer, but more phonetically accurate association composed of two words: Fontan and GETR. And the corresponding plot: "I forgot the gaiters in Fontana". Another part of people will prefer the less phonetically accurate, but shorter association "bassoon" (here "a" is unstressed and almost "o" is heard) and the corresponding plot, composed of the words "forget" and "bassoon".
It should be noted that this method is not without reason called phonetic or sound associations. It is necessary to select an association specifically for the sound, and not the spelling of the word (after all, in many languages the sound and spelling of words are very different). Therefore, first of all, even before choosing a consonance, make sure that you pronounce the word correctly. There are other methods for memorizing the spelling of words.
It should also be said that due to purely anatomical differences in the pronunciation of sounds in different languages, the memorized word and the word-consonance will never sound exactly the same, even if, it would seem, completely coincide, as is the case with the English word " look "and its Russian consonance" bow ". Suffice it to note that the sound "l" in Russian and English is pronounced completely differently. Therefore, pronunciation, strictly speaking, must be memorized separately. The method of phonetic associations perfectly helps to remember the meanings of words. The method of phonetic associations is indispensable in conditions of lack of time: when preparing for an exam, for a tourist trip or business trip, that is, in any situation when a large number of words must be memorized in a short period of time. With its help, it is not difficult to memorize 30-50 words a day, which, you see, is not bad at all (this is at least 11 thousand words a year). Moreover, the most important thing is that this method allows you to avoid tedious cramming (which is simply impossible with traditional methods of memorizing foreign words) and can even turn memorizing foreign words into an exciting, creative process.
If you like this method and want to practice its application in practice, you can try the following exercise. Hope you can appreciate the benefits of the associative method. A little further you will find a variant of the associations for the words from this exercise, as well as some comments on them.
Exercise: Here are words in different languages. Pick up sound associations for them and make up stories to remember.
a) Here are 8 Italian words. They are read in the same way as they are written.
ARIA - AIR
FAGOTTO - KNOT
BURRO - OIL
FRONTE - LOB
GALERA - PRISON
GARBATO - POLITE
LAMPO - LIGHTNING
PANINO - BUN
b) Here are 8 English words with approximate transcription and translation.
BULL (bul) - BULL
CONCEAL - CONCEAL, CONCEAL
NUZZLE (mazl) - MORDA
LIP - LIP
DESERT - DESERT
HILL - HILL
SMASH (smash) - BREAK (smash)
PIGEON (pidgin) - PIGEON.
If for some reason you have not yet managed to find sound associations for foreign words or have difficulties with plotting - see how this could be done.
a) Italian words:
ARIA- AIR. "When you sing ARIA you get a lot of air."
FAGOTTO- KNOT. "PHAGOT was tied in a knot." (Such a plot must be presented.)
BURRO- BUTTER. "Burenka gives oil." / "BURATino slipped on oil." You can choose any of the proposed plots. Each has its own advantages. The first is good because it is close to the theme of "butter". The second is the most dynamic and funny. The third is faceless, does not evoke vivid images and is not memorable, in my opinion, but i may be liked by someone for its brevity.
FRONTE- FOREHEAD. "On the FRONT, he was wounded in the forehead." (Of course, in the Russian language there is also a close word - "frontal", but not everyone understands its meaning, especially since it means "front", "frontal" (in medicine), but still not "forehead".)
GALERA- PRISON. "They sailed from prison on the GALERK", or "On the GALERK it was (scary, uncomfortable ...) like in prison." In the word "galley" there are more identical sounds in a row with the memorized. But the avid theatergoer will rather like it, which means that the second plot will be better remembered.
GARBATO- POLITE. The key word is "Humpbacked" (we actually pronounce it "Humpbacked"). It is difficult to come up with a bright plot with these words. However, such moralizing statements are possible in the plot: “You have to be polite with the Humpbacks. Or:" All Humpbacks are polite. " give up space in transport. Then he pretended to be GORBAT, and the place is now giving way to him. "Of course, there are too many superfluous words, but the meaningful words are clearly highlighted.
LAMPO- LIGHTNING. "The LAMP flashed like lightning." Or "Lightning shone for a very long time, like a LAMP." I like the second plot more, because it is more unusual and unreal, which means it will be better remembered.
PANINO- BUN. The consonant word "PIANO". There can be many options for the plot. The main thing is not to forget about the rules when drawing them up. And DO NOT compose plots like: "The bun was on the PIANO." Much better if you can imagine how she fell off him. And, of course, it's very good if you learn to come up with more original plots to memorize foreign words, for example, this: "The piano had to be fed with buns from time to time."
b) English words:
BULL- BULL. There can be several consonant words: BULKA, BOLYZHNIK, BULavka, BUL'Terrier, BULvar, BULCHINS, etc. It is better to use the word that first came to mind, considering, of course, that it should be bright. Accordingly, there can be even more plots, and I leave the choice of the plot to your discretion.
CONCEAL- HIDE. "The CONSUL was hiding important facts." You can divide the memorized word into two parts and come up with a consonance for each of them: "HORSE" and "STRONG". "The horse was hiding that STRONG."
MUZZLE- MUD. "I WAS MAKED all over my face." It would be good to use here your real memories of how some familiar animal smeared its face, remember how it looked at the same time. In general, when a plot is intertwined with personal experience, it is remembered especially well, since not imaginary, but real sensations are actualized.
LIP- LIP. "Sticky lip" "Lip sticky". It seems to me that the second option is a little better, since it has an action. You can apply the method of compassion: imagine that you are trying to unclench your lips and cannot.
DESERT- DESERT. "DEZERTIR has fled into the desert." The word "dessert" also suggests itself as an associative, of course, you can also use it if you remember that in English the word "desert" is pronounced with the sound "Z", not "C", so it is still better as a sound association use "deserter" so as not to miss the pronunciation. The stress in this and many other words should be memorized separately, since it is not always possible to select such a consonant word in which the stress falls on the desired syllable.
HILL- HILL. "HILY climbs the hill with difficulty."
SMASH- BREAK (to smithereens). "Crashed to smithereens, but everything is RUNNING to him." / "Smashed everything to smithereens and now he felt FUNNY."
PIGEON- PIGEON. "Dove Drank Jin".
The human brain tends to save effort (some will call it laziness): if there is a chance to somehow simplify the process, it will definitely take advantage of this chance. Our ingenious "processor" does not admit new foreign words into the long-term memory at once; first they have to serve their time in a kind of waiting room - in short-term memory. If a new word is not used, not repeated, it will be forgotten quite quickly: the brain ruthlessly gets rid of unnecessary information. If you repeat a memorized word - and this should be done at strictly defined moments - you will remember it forever. What is the secret of correctly memorizing new information?
How we remember information: types of memory and the Ebbinghaus curve
So, human memory is divided into two types:
- Short-term or operational
- Long-term
The information that enters the brain is first stored in RAM. Over time, depending on the frequency of use, this information is transferred into long-term, long-term memory. At the end of the 19th century, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus experimentally proved the well-known postulate of a direct kinship between teaching and repetition. During the experiment, Ebbinghaus determined exactly when to repeat new words in order to memorize them for a long time, if not forever.
Sad fact: the most valuable discovery of Hermann Ebbinghaus is almost never used today. School analysts and developersSkyeng hopes to change this situation: a mobile app for learning new words using the Ebbinghaus discovery is currently in development. The app is planned to be released soon - stay tuned for the company's news.
Many methods suggest learning 100 words in an hour or 1000 words in 3 days - and this is possible. But the problem is that, once in short-term memory, new words do not pass into long-term memory: easy come - easy go (what comes easily, goes away easily).
7 + 1 effective way to memorize foreign words
So, the very first, even zero advice: to remember a new word forever, stick to the following repetition schedule:
The traditional approach to learning new words, tested by generations of schoolchildren, is as follows: foreign words are given in lists according to topics, for example, "Acquaintance", "Letter to a friend", "My day". The set of topics is standard and universal, which is not always effective: if the topic does not arouse interest, it is much more difficult to learn new vocabulary. The experience of our school shows: if the choice of the studied words is approached in strict accordance with the specific goals and interests of each student, at the intersection of useful and pleasant, the result is optimal!
For example, if you like the TV series "Game of Thrones", it will be much more interesting for you to learn words, generate images and concepts that are related to the plot of the film, for example: queen - queen, northern - northern, wall - wall, castle - castle.
The Law of Comprehension: According to Ebbinghaus, meaningful material is remembered 9 times faster. It is not so much the words and sentences that make up the text that are imprinted in the memory, but the thoughts contained in them. They are the first to come to mind when you need to remember the content of the text.
However, learning how to properly organize information at the moment of memorization is not an easy task. You can use key words, diagrams, charts and tables. The forecasting technique is also effective: after starting to read a paragraph, try, after the author has put forward several arguments, to independently draw a conclusion, to explain to yourself what you read, even if it seems obvious to you. Having formulated the information in your own words, you will remember it for a long time.
To better remember a new word, connect 5 senses plus imagination: feel the situation, imagine a picture, try to smell and taste, say the word - or sing.
Visualize, imagine: in the distant northern (northern) country behind a high fortress wall (wall) rises a majestic castle (castle), in which a powerful queen (queen) lives ... ! Create a picture in your imagination, live the situation and the new vocabulary will be remembered easily and for a long time.
Law of context: information is easier to remember and reproduce when correlated with other simultaneous impressions. The context in which this or that event takes place sometimes turns out to be more important for memorization than the event itself.
Our memory is associative. Therefore, try to change the place of preparation, for example, to teach different topics in different rooms (kitchen, bedroom), on the road (subway, car) and even at work (office, meeting room). Information is associated with the environment, recalling which will help to remember the content of the topic.
In learning - as in nutrition: it is better to absorb information in small parts, taking short breaks. It is better to learn a maximum of 10 objects (words or constituent parts of a rule) in one session. After that, you need to take a 15-minute break, otherwise the subsequent training will not be complete. Learn words in line, on the subway - impulse learning is much more effective than continuous learning.
The law of the edge, known to us from the movie "Seventeen Moments of Spring": the information presented at the beginning and at the end is best remembered. Especially difficult and intractable words are more effective to learn at the beginning and at the end of a ten-minute session - this way they are better remembered.
When learning a word, it is useful to choose an associative image-anchor, for example: clever (smart) - a smart cow eats a clover. The image should be vivid, understandable, possibly absurd - unexpected associations fix the word well in memory.
There are many ready-made mnemonic dictionaries available, for example //www.englspace.com/mnemo/search.php. The technique of memorizing words with the help of cards is effective and loved by many, when an English word is written on one side, and on the other - its translation.
But whatever the method of memorization, alas, there is still no methodology that allows you to learn a foreign language in one night. This is a big and difficult job, and it is important to choose the best approach in order to achieve more results with less effort. What we sincerely wish you!
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When learning a foreign language, it is very important to constantly replenish your vocabulary - to memorize new and new words in English. However, not everyone succeeds in doing this. Here are seven tips to help you memorize new words in English more effectively.
Make associative networks
Our brain takes in what we read and transforms it into images, ideas and feelings, and then forms connections between new information and what we already know. This is how memorization takes place - the new is combined with the old.
Imagine a tree. Isn't it easier to see a large, spreading tree with many branches and leaves than a small tree with several branches? The same is true for the brain. When you combine a new word or concept with something you already know, it is easier for the brain to find it and remember it at the right time.
How to do it? Very simple. Draw a network of concepts. Take what you want to remember (word, idea, sentence) and write it in the center of the sheet. Then draw lines from it in all directions, like a spider web.
At the end of each line, write down any English words, or even draw pictures that come to your mind when you think of the word written in the center. It doesn't matter what the associations are, just write down whatever you come up with.
It only takes a couple of minutes, and now all words or concepts will be interconnected in your brain. If you see or hear one of them, it will be easier for you to remember the rest.
To make it work even better, spell out how a particular word in English relates to others. The more often you do this, the more connections are formed. And the more connections, the easier it is for your brain to "see" the word you want to remember.
Memorize phrases (phrases)
Remembering a word is important, but English, like any other language, is not just a collection of concepts, it is a tool that people use to communicate and express their thoughts. Find examples of how a particular word is used in the text.
Write down not only the word itself, but also the adjacent ones. For example, if you need to memorize the English word “arrogant”, you could write “the tall, arrogant man”.
This will help you remember that "arrogant" is an adjective used to describe people. Then try three complete sentences to practice using it.
Use pictures
Draw small pictures to memorize the meaning of the word. Can't draw? It's not scary, it's even better. Our brain receives so much monotonous information that a strange picture is a kind of surprise, and we always remember surprises.
Our brains are better at reading visual information. Draw a funny picture to illustrate the meaning of a word, and you will remember it much faster.
Compose stories
English learners often complain that there are too many new words and they are difficult to remember. There is one trick you can use to learn words quickly. Write any story, even a ridiculous one, in which every word in English is involved. Present it in detail.
We can easily remember stories, especially strange ones, if we can recreate them in our imaginations. Feel free to combine words in funny and awkward ways. Let's say you need to memorize the following 20 English words:
shoes, piano, tree, pencil, bird, bus, books, driver, dog, pizza, flower, door, TV set, spoons, chair, jump, dance, throw, computer, stone
(shoes, piano, wood, pencil, bird, bus, books, driver, dog, pizza, flower, door, TV, spoons, chair, jump, dance, throw, computer, stone)
You can make such an incredible story out of them:
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There is a piano wearing shoes and sitting in a tree. The tree is strange because someone has stuck a giant pencil through it. On the pencil a bird is sitting and watching a bus full of people reading books. Even the driver is reading a book which is bad because he isn’t paying attention to driving. So, he hits a dog that is eating a pizza in the middle of the road and kills it. The driver digs a hole and buries the dog in it and then puts a flower on it. He notices that there is a door in the dog’s grave and opens it. Inside he can see a TV set with 2 spoons for antennas on top of it. No-one is watching the TV set because they are all watching the chair. Why? - Because the chair is jumping and dancing and throwing stones at the computer. |
The piano is sitting on a tree with shoes. The tree looks strange because someone pierced it with a huge pencil. A bird sits on a pencil and looks at a bus full of people reading books. Even the driver reads a book, which is bad, because he does not pay attention to the road. Therefore, he knocks to death a dog who was eating pizza in the middle of the road. The driver digs a hole and buries the dog, and then places a flower on top. He notices that there is a door in the dog's grave and opens it. Inside, he sees a TV with two spoons on top, which act as antennas. Nobody watches TV because everyone is looking at the chair. Why? Because the chair jumps and dances and throws stones at the computer. |
Try it. You yourself will be surprised!
Remember opposites
Memorize in pairs words with opposite meanings (antonyms) and words with similar meanings (synonyms). For example, memorize the pairs angry / happy and angry / cross at the same time. We remember similar and opposite things faster, as the brain creates connections between them.
Parse the word by composition
Use roots, prefixes and suffixes to guess what the word means.
For example: even if the word "microbiology" is unfamiliar to you, you can guess what it means. First, take a look at the "micro" prefix. Micro means something very small. You may know that the "-logy" part means science, the study of something.
So, we can already say that we are talking about learning something small. Also, you may remember that "bio" means the life of living things. Thus, we can conclude that "microbiology" is the science of microscopic living organisms.
If you make a list of common prefixes (un-, dis-, con-, micro-, etc.) and suffixes (-able, -ly, -ent, -tion, -ive, etc.) and remember what they mean, you can guess the meaning of words that are new to you in English.
The main thing is time
Memorization psychologists argue that there is a good way to memorize things quickly and for a long time. Use a new word as soon as you know it. Then use it after 10 minutes. Then an hour later. Then the next day. Then a week later.
After that, you hardly have to make an effort to remember it - the new vocabulary will remain with you forever.
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