How to memorize foreign words easily and effectively. How to memorize foreign words quickly and effectively

It would seem that a simple math problem from the fourth grade: if you learn 30-35 English words a day every day, how many words in English can you learn in a month and a year?

Of course, you easily calculated: you can learn about a thousand English words in a month and, accordingly, 12,000 words in a year. Interesting, but what does experience and practice say?

As vocabulary is reduced , so are the number of feelings you can express, the number of events you can describe, the number of the things you can identify! Not only understanding is limited, but also experience. Man grows by language. Whenever he limits language he retrogresses!

As vocabulary shrinks, so does the number of feelings you can express, the number of events you can describe, the number of things you can name. Not only understanding is limited, but also experience. Man grows through language. Whenever he restricts language, he goes into decline.

~ Sheri S. Tepper

As practice shows, you can learn something, but keep it in active stock and will not be used regularly in speech. Words without practice and associative links are quickly forgotten, which the creators are silent about.

True, you always have a chance remember a large number of English words- it all depends on the characteristics of memory and techniques for memorizing English words, which we will talk about today.

How to learn a lot of English words quickly

Learning English words is not like that difficult task as it might seem at first glance. Signing the names of unfamiliar words is one of effective methods for memorization.

Want to learn a lot of english words a short time ? The German scientist Ebinghaus found that with mechanical memorization, that is, when a person does not understand the meaning of the material and does not use mnemonics, after an hour only 44% of the information remains in memory, and after a week - less than 25%. Fortunately, with conscious memorization, information is forgotten much more slowly.

First of all, it is necessary to determine how it is easier for you to absorb new information: by ear, by sight or by writing down?

This will not take much time, but will greatly facilitate training and selection. efficient technician for you later. One of the tests that will help you determine how easy it is for you to remember new information is presented on this site. By answering 30 questions, you can know exactly what type you are.

In short, we recall that visuals easily memorize new words by seeing or reading, audials - by ear, and kinesthetics need to be in motion, for example, write down information on paper.

In the modern world, most people are dominated by a visual type of perception of new information. Remember how long annoying commercials seen on TV, or posters and banners that are full of city streets, are stored in our memory.

You also need to know that there are no 100% visuals or audials. But some channel is still dominant, and it is this channel that should be used if your goal is learn a lot of english words quickly.

Visual method of memorizing English words

Characteristics and scheme of perception of information by visuals.

If you've read Martin Eden by Jack London, you probably remember that main character taught a huge number of academic words, posting leaflets with new words at home.

visual method for memorizing English words is pasting all the objects that surround you with stickers with new words. How does the visual method work? You constantly come across an abundance of English words, read, memorize and, of course, use English words.

Purchase from the store or make your own cards with new words, translation, transcription, and even an example of use. It is convenient to take such cards with you if you have a long commute to work or constantly disappear in lines. They can be classically made on paper or downloaded to your phone.

On a note:

On the Internet you can find download apps for mobile phones which use a visual way to expand vocabulary. The most popular are Words, Easy Ten and Duolingo: Learn Languages ​​for Free.

Bright pictures with captions, memory simulators, verification tests that use these mobile applications will help you learn a lot of English words in a short time. And most importantly, they are always at hand!

If your level is not beginner (Pre-Intermediate and above), you can watch films, programs and videos with and without subtitles, writing out not only new words, but also useful colloquial phrases.

English audio tutorials and podcasts

Characteristics and scheme of perception of information by auditory people.

If you belong to a rare category of people (about 10%) who love and remember with their ears, then this method is for you.

The main conditions for vocabulary expansion- constantly listen English speech, whether at home in the kitchen or in a car in a traffic jam. New words and expressions can be written down and repeated periodically.

With this method, you will not be afraid to listen to speech, and your listening skills will improve.

TPR method for expanding vocabulary

Characteristics and scheme of perception of information by kinesthetics.

The third type of perception of information, which includes kinesthetics, prefers movement to static learning. If you are a kinesthetic learner, don't forget to write down new words on paper. It is better if you have a diary dictionary that you can refer to from time to time.

Often used in teaching children TPR (Total Physical Response) method. But believe me, if you are a kinesthetic learner, this method is also for you: with its help, you can easily learn English words and phrases.

The essence of the method is to memorize new words, phrases and lexical constructions using gestures, command execution, pantomime and games. For example, on the word ball (ball) you need to perform an action associated with this subject, for example, a ball game.

Simple and effective ways to memorize English words

Mnemonics and memorization of English words

A good example of how mnemonics works.

One of the most effective ways to memorize English, and indeed foreign words, is mnemonics. The method of mnemonics (or mnemonics) is based on creating images in your mind. You take the information you need to remember and turn it into an image through association.

First you need to understand that the brain does not remember the images themselves that arise in the head, but links between multiple images. This is very important to remember, because right at the time of memorization, you need to focus on this.

Mnemonics actively develops memory and thinking. The main task is to create images that are connected in the imagination different ways. The images must be colored, large And detailed.

Learning English words with the help of mnemonics is incredibly easy! We select the most consonant word (or several words) from the native language to the foreign word.

How mnemonics works when memorizing English words, let's look at an example:

puddle ["pʌdl] puddle

Approximate pronunciation (phonetic association) - "bad"

Mnemonic model: "I kept falling and falling into a puddle" .

Examples of using mnemonics in teaching English:

If you are using mnemonics to expand vocabulary, it is important to remember that you need not only to link words together and express in the form of a sentence, but also to present specific situation in which it happens or is said.

For example, do not just say: "A nervous person is walking along a narrow alley," but imagine nervous person, you can your friend, who is walking, looking around and shuddering at every sound, along a narrow dark alley. In this case, you will definitely not forget this foreign word.

On a note:

An association or a bunch of words that has arisen is necessary only for 2-3 repetitions from memory in order to remember a foreign word and its translation. Then it disappears behind uselessness, so you don’t have to worry that any nonsense will be stored in your memory.

Undoubtedly, for quick and high-quality memorization of foreign words, you need to practice, find your own approach, learn how to create your own associations, and even quickly. The process of creating associations will be slow at first, but be patient and keep practicing. As a rule, the speed and quality of association creation improves after the first thousands of memorized words.

It remains to be added that with the help of this technique it is possible to memorize words of any foreign language .

Mind halls for expanding vocabulary in English

Many people use flashcards to help memorize new words, but these flashcards are not always at hand, especially at the right time.

There is a great way to memorize new words and expressions - this is the power of your mind. It is called Method of loci (locus method).

You can also see names such as “mind halls”, “memory palaces”, “method of loci”, “spatial mnemonics”, “method of Cicero”.

When Sherlock Holmes, the world-famous detective, wanted to remember something important, he closed his eyes and plunged into the halls of the mind ( ‘mind palace’). Like Sherlock Holmes, you can also use this Method of loci to memorize new words and expressions. How it looks visually you can see in the video.

Video “The Hound of the Baskervilles” - “mind palaces” by Sherlock Holmes.

How does the locus method work?

We're building an imaginary place imaginary place) in our mind and put things and people there that will help us remember new words. You can store images both on the shelves and randomly. The main thing is that you yourself know where everything is and can quickly remember. The best activators are either completely ridiculous or very logical. It's even better to mix and match.

Remember simple rules, which in no case should be violated in the process of creating a connection:

• Represent images large(even if the items to remember different sizes, make them one: be it a ship, a coconut or a bee. Small images should not be presented. Connections between such images will be recorded very poorly.
• The images must be voluminous. For example, holographic images or images created on 3D graphics programs. Such images can be rotated and viewed from different angles.
• Images must be submitted colored. If these are the leaves of trees, then they must be green, the tree itself - brown, etc.
• The images presented must be detailed. If you imagine the image "phone", you need to mentally consider it and clearly see what parts the phone you represent consists of. If this cellular telephone, then you can select the following images in it: antenna, display, buttons, cover, strap, Leather Case, battery.

Then we apply the main mental operation in mnemonics - this is "connection of images". Let's look at how this is applied in the practice of learning English words.

Let's say we need to memorize the words associated with the word run, as well as its forms, so we will make up the following story in our minds: the imaginary setting of the city - the imaginary place is a city .

This is just a small example of how to memorize english words, connected with run, and its forms. Of course, you can add other phrases with this word, of which there are actually many, and as my imaginary city grows, I can use more and more words, and thereby expand my lexicon.

More details about memorization technique "memory palace" you can learn more from the video:

Any imaginary place can be, even a room in your house, and you try to come up with a situation that will be close to you, and the words will be remembered much easier.

In this manner easy to learn words on different topics, such as “food”, “kitchen”, “clothing”, etc. Arrange items however you like, and then it will be easier for you to remember the name of the item by its location in your "memory" palace.

And of course, develop deduction, attention to detail and creativity. Develop associative thinking.

Another tip applies to all "memory palaces", regardless of the purpose of their "construction". If you want to remember something for a long time (and not in the "passed - forgot" mode), you will have to periodically "walk" around the "palace".

Audiolingual Method in English

Automation of skills occurs in the process of training by repeated repetition of speech samples.

Audiolingual method- this is one of the methods of teaching a language, in which it is necessary to repeatedly listen and pronounce words, phrases and sentences, which leads to their automation.

This method has its pros and cons, but will suit mainly auditory speakers, since there is no visual support. The main focus here is on oral speech.

When using the audiolingual method, no explanations are given, since all the proposed material is simply practiced and memorized in the form of set expressions so that students can use them without hesitation in the future.

Training in this case is based on the development of some static models that students cannot change at all or almost at all. In this respect, this teaching method is the direct opposite of the communicative method.

let's consider positive and negative sides audiolingual method.

Positive sides

Negative sides

When developing this method, attention was focused not only on the content of the material offered to the student, but also on the very process of memorizing this material by the student. The very system of presenting new information and repeated repetitions lead to the inevitable memorization of the past. In the process of repetition, not only the memorization of the material takes place, but also the pronunciation is worked out, as well as the removal of the language barrier. Memorizing set expressions leads to the fact that, if necessary, they come to mind automatically, as when communicating in their native language.

The main disadvantage of the audiolingual method (not unreasonably) is that it does not pay due attention to independent study grammar. Students, especially initial stage learning, are deprived of the opportunity to understand why the phrase is built this way and not otherwise, or why the word is used in one form and not in another. As they learn, students have to independently, on the basis of the material covered, build for themselves certain grammatical constructions. This undoubtedly contributes to a more solid assimilation of such constructions, but only if the student is able to construct them. And this is not always possible, since there are exceptions to the rules that can confuse a person who is not familiar with the basics of the grammar of the language being studied.

Tips on how to improve your English vocabulary?

Thanks to the knowledge of many words, you will be able to express yourself different ways.

To replenish vocabulary, first of all, you need to systematically and regularly, preferably every day. There are many ways and they all work.

Choose the one that suits you best, and you can easily improve your English vocabulary. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Expand your English vocabulary with lists

Words surround us. Just looking up words in a dictionary may not be as interesting or exciting. Pay attention to English words around you - during TV shows and programs in English, reading the news - everywhere, at any time.

Important!

Regardless of whether you do it or not, we recommend that you write down what part of speech this or that word is (verb, noun, adjective), as well as derivatives of this word. For example, "fish" - fishing, fishy, ​​fisherman, etc. It will also be helpful if you add sentences with examples of these words.

You can also use notepad in your mobile phone. As soon as you hear an unfamiliar word, write it down. Make sure you have enough free space around it to make appropriate notes.

When you have free time, write down its meaning or translation, and possibly the context in which it can be used.

Learn English words by practice

As you make word lists, it is very easy to forget the words that were at the very beginning. All words are required use in your speech. The more we use them, the better we remember them.

Reread your lists, for example, at the end of each week. How well do you remember old words?

If any words are hard to remember, but they are very common, it is likely that you will meet them in the future. Therefore, add them again to new lists and over time you will remember them.

Games will help memorize English words

Scrabble- effective method learn English words and have fun with family and friends.

Who said learning new words is not fun?! Games like Scrabble or Vocabador offer great ways to learn new words .

Games are a great way to learn, not only because they're fun, but also because they give you context for new words. Believe me, you will very quickly remember the word that your friend was laughing at.

We also want to draw your attention free game Free Rice. This game gives you a word, and you need to find the right definition for it. If you answer incorrectly, the next word will become easier. If it's correct, it's harder.

By playing this game, you not only improve your vocabulary but also help the world in the fight against hunger. How? Try to play it!

Increase English vocabulary with context

As mentioned earlier, it's better (and easier) memorize new words in context. One way is to write a sentence with this word. You will not only memorize this word, but you can easily use it in a conversation.

Another way - memorize words in groups. If you want to remember a word humongous (very large), it will be easier for you to remember it from a chain of words: getting bigger and bigger-large, huge, humongous. It also makes it possible to memorize more words at a time.

For example, large, humongous, gargantuan. What do you think the word means gargantuan?

Dictionaries and social networks for memorizing words

Of course, you can look up an unfamiliar word in the dictionary! Especially since modern online dictionaries offer many additional options.

In many online dictionaries there are interesting articles, games, as well as the “word of the day” section.

And if you feel confident that you can read literature in the original language, check out the article.

Sites for learning English words

Below you will find best sites to increase and practice vocabulary which can be of maximum benefit to you.

Business English Site

BusinessEnglishSite - site for learning business vocabulary

This is one of the best and most popular sites to study. Here you can replenish the vocabulary useful phrases, expressions and even business jargon.

All words are divided into topics, for example, "Accounting", "Project Management", "IT" etc.

For each topic there are exercises to consolidate, which train not only vocabulary, but also grammar.

Blair English

With Blair English you can learn English words from scratch

All exercises and lessons on this site have been specially designed to increase and enrich your English vocabulary .

Here you will find over 190 free interactive exercises on various themes, such as IT-technology, Business, Communication and many others.

Also on the site there is a database of exercises to improve listening and pronunciation skills.

Lingualeo

Lingualeo - word practice resource

A very famous interactive resource that is interesting not only for children. It helps make language learning fun and visual, and also contains unlimited number of words for different levels.

To feed the lion cub and get a new portion of words, registration is required.

british council

British Council - The most British way to learn words

The British Council website has not left us without the practice of truly British phrases, idioms and expressions. You can also learn a few new words a day there.

Words filtered out by topic and level, which makes navigation extremely convenient, and the process of cramming English words - an exciting experience.

For teachers, there are lesson plans for various levels with handouts.

Test Your Vocabulary

On this site, you can not with 100% probability, but at least approximately understand what kind of vocabulary you have and what you need to improve.

The test interface in English is simple. The site is designed for users who study English or even are native speakers.

By ticking the words you know the translation of and answering a few questions about yourself, you will very likely know how many english words is in your active supply.

Instead of a conclusion

As you can see, there are plenty of methods and resources to enrich your vocabulary in various areas. The most important thing is to constantly work on it, and here everything depends on you. Daily work then it will be paid in full when you communicate with English speakers without any problems.

In contact with

You learn, you learn these words, but there is no sense! After a couple of days everything is forgotten.

Use a scientific approach to memorization! Here are three science-based techniques that will allow you to quickly and permanently remember foreign words.

HOW MANY WORDS SHOULD YOU KNOW?

To begin with, let's figure out how many words you need to learn in order to begin to understand most of the foreign speech, and to express your thoughts yourself. A five-year-old child living in an English-speaking country uses 4,000 - 5,000 words, and a university graduate uses about 20,000 words. However, a person who learns English as a foreign language has a vocabulary of only 5,000 words, despite several years of study.

But there is also good news : a vocabulary of 2,000 words is enough to understand 80% of foreign speech. The researchers came to this conclusion based on the analysis of the Brown Corpus. A linguistic corpus is a collection of texts on various topics.

Interestingly, after you have learned 2,000 words, replenishing your vocabulary for each subsequent 1,000 words allows you to increase the volume of understood text by only 3-4%.

HOW TO REMEMBER A WORD QUICKLY?

The first question that interests everyone is how to quickly memorize foreign words?

Scientists have come to the conclusion that information is remembered faster, which has an emotional connotation. Accordingly, it is a good idea to learn words through games, riddles, movies. I liked the song - do not be lazy to look at the translation incomprehensible words. These words will forever be associated with the song you like, which means they will leave an emotional trace in your memory.

Excellent reception - mnemonics. Create colorful associations - this will allow you to remember even hard-to-pronounce words. Usage example: the word weather is similar to Russian word wind, we build a wind-weather pair in our head, remember forever that weather is translated as weather. There are special reference books where you can find various mnemonic techniques for memorizing English words. However, it is better to come up with such associations on your own, since our associations and emotions are strictly individual.

HOW CAN YOU NOT FORGET A WORD AS QUICKLY?

So, you learned a couple of hundred words, but after a week, about ten of them remained in your memory. What is the problem? This is due to the existence of short-term and long-term memory. The mechanisms of short-term memory allow you to store information for 15-30 minutes, then, noticing that this information finds no use, the brain gets rid of it as something unnecessary. How can we make it clear to the brain that we really need these words? The answer is repetition. It's like with Pavlov's dog: the light bulb lights up - saliva is released. However, it is released only after 5-10 repetitions of the food + light chain. If food is not served when the light is turned on, the association of the light bulb with food in the dog's brain will be destroyed, and saliva will cease to be produced.

So how many times does a word need to be repeated in order for it to stably move from short-term to long-term memory?

German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus developed the Forgetting Curve, which characterizes the amount of information lost over time in the absence of repetition. During the first 20 minutes after learning the words, we will already remember 60%, and within 1 hour we will lose more than 50% of the information. Then, over time, more and more information will be erased, and by day 3, only 20% of the information will remain in memory. Thus, if you miss at least one day in repetition, you will not return the forgotten words.

The conclusion is obvious: without repetition, nowhere. Use words in speech, make up stories using new words, play flashcards on your smartphone for at least a couple of minutes a day - all this will help you save the learned words. Otherwise, the time spent on their initial study will simply be wasted.

We suggest using the following repetition schedule:

• 10-15 minutes after learning the words;
• After 50-60 minutes;
• The next day;
• After 1 day;
• After 2 days.

After that, most of the information will be fixed for life.

HOW TO EXPRESS THOUGHTS FASTER?

I really want foreign words to flow from my mouth without requiring excessive brain tension and several minutes to formulate a phrase. There is an opportunity to accelerate the formation of foreign speech - this is the development of muscle memory. By muscles here we mean the muscles of our articulatory apparatus. These muscles, like the muscles of the legs when riding a bicycle or the muscles of the fingers of a pianist, have a memory that allows you to perform automated movements almost unconsciously.

In order for muscle memory to form, it is important when learning words to pronounce them out loud, making movements with the tongue and lips. It is also useful to simultaneously present an image of the subject being studied. Over time, you will no longer think about what word to say - the muscles will do it automatically.

In this way, proper organization the work of the brain on the formation of short-term, long-term and muscle memory will allow you to quickly and permanently replenish your vocabulary.

Good luck with your learning!

Do you want to learn how to learn English words quickly and easily? We will tell you how many words you need to know, where to get them from, what tools to use and how to learn all this in general. Use at least a few tips and you can expand your vocabulary.

All students are interested in the question: "How to learn English words?" The more vocabulary we know, the better we understand what the characters of our loved ones are talking about. English films what is written on the Tate Modern museum plates and how much profitable terms deals are offered by our partners from the USA. Today we will give some recommendations that will help you learn new vocabulary effectively.

How many English words do you need to know

We recommend that you take the Online English Vocabulary Size Test (immediately click on the Start button) or Test Your Vocab to test your vocabulary. It will show your approximate vocabulary which you can compare with the average scores of native speakers and English learners. On average 3,000 - 4,000 words will be enough to communicate on most topics.

However, we want to warn you: do not rely entirely on the results of the test. It can only give a rough estimate of your vocabulary.

2. Special textbooks

Vocabulary tutorials help you learn new words and set expressions in which they are used. The benefits of manuals are that they provide lists of words along with examples of their use, so words are learned in context. We have presented a detailed one, be guided by it to choose the best manual.

3. Lists or dictionaries of high-frequency words

How to understand whether it is worth memorizing another new one at all English word that you met? It may have fallen into disuse or is rarely used. You can refer to lists of words that are most commonly used by native speakers. We recommend you lists from the Oxford Dictionary - The Oxford 3000 British Dictionary and The Oxford 3000 American Dictionary. This is the 3000 most meaningful words that every English learner should know. They have been carefully selected by linguists and experienced teachers. You can recognize these words in the Oxford dictionary itself by the key icon.

Tools for learning new words

1. Cards with words

This technique may seem old-fashioned, but it is still effective. All students at least once in their lives started cards and tried to learn new vocabulary from them. It is convenient and affordable: no need to spend money, because you write them yourself, and you can take the cards with you anywhere.

Before compiling cards, you need to help:

• choose a translation;
• get acquainted with typical phrases in which the word is used;
• study examples.

Then you should decide whether you will make paper vocabulary cards or electronic ones.

• On one side of the piece of paper we write the word in English, on the other - in Russian. We test our knowledge: we translate a word from Russian into English and vice versa.

  

• On the one hand, we write a word in English and paste a picture, on the other hand, a translation into Russian. This method is well suited for people with associative thinking. In your mind, you associate a new English concept with the subject it denotes.

  

• On the one hand, we write a word in English with a Russian context, on the other hand, a word in Russian without a context. When repeating vocabulary, try to translate the concept from Russian into English. And with the translation in the opposite direction, the second side of the card with the Russian context will help you.

  

• More experienced students are advised to use English-English dictionaries, such as Macmillan Dictionary. On one side we write the word in English, on the other - its definition in English. You can also write synonyms and antonyms of the concept under study.

  

• How to learn vocabulary? Remembering English words is best in context. Therefore, you can write on the card not just a word, but a sentence in which it is used. Example sentences can be found in electronic dictionaries, such as ABBYY Lingvo.

  

Electronic cards

If it's hard to tear you away from the computer, use your affection for good: create virtual stickers with words on your desktop and in a few days you will remember them well.

To create electronic vocabulary cards, we recommend the Quizlet service, which allows you to memorize words in different ways: choose the correct translation from four proposed ones, fill in gaps in sentences and play games with words. Here you can also track your progress: which words are harder for you than others, how quickly you learn new vocabulary. There is an app for iOS as well. An alternative resource is Memrise. Its free version has limited functionality, but it will be enough for compiling flashcards.

You need to constantly work with cards: review and repeat the learned vocabulary. Periodically change the cards to new ones, and after 1-2 weeks return the old ones again to repeat the words.

2. Dictionary notebook

This method is good for those who constantly lose something: your cards are unlikely to last long :-)

You can structure your notebook however you like. We present our version. Each page must correspond to a specific day. At the top, write the dates of the repetition of the words. In order for the studied vocabulary to be well fixed in memory, do not forget to train it. To do this, use the techniques described by us in the article "".

3. Mind map

You can easily learn English words of the same subject if you draw a mind map. Such a scheme clearly shows which topic the words belong to. In the meantime, you draw it, the vocabulary will be deposited in memory. A mind map might look like this:

4. Learning websites and apps

On the way to work in the subway or in line at the clinic, use any free minute to learn new words. Useful programs for your gadget you will find in the article "".

It is enough to practice 10-20 minutes daily to feel the progress.

1. Combine words by topic

How easy is it to remember English words? Groups of words related to the same topic are usually well remembered. Therefore, try to break the words into groups of 5-10 pieces and learn them.

There is a so-called Restorff effect, according to which the human brain best remembers the most prominent from a group of objects. Use this effect to your advantage: in a group of words on one topic, “introduce a stranger” - enter a word from a completely different topic. For example, when studying words on the topic “Fruits”, add one word from the topic “Transport” to them, in this way your studies will become even more effective.

2. Use associations and personalization

Many students love this method: to learn a word, you need to come up with an association in Russian. For example, you need to remember the word obstinacy (stubbornness). Break it down into three syllables: ob-stin-acy, you get "stubborn as a donkey against a wall." The word shoot (to shoot) can be remembered as "the jester shoots." You can make convenient associations yourself, the main thing is that they are clear to you and easy to remember. This will make it easier for you to increase your English vocabulary.

Training will be effective if you not only make a verbal association, but also visualize it: when pronouncing the word shoot, imagine this shooting jester, let the image turn out to be as funny and memorable as possible. Even better, a dynamic picture with your personal presence: you imagine how the jester next to you shoots someone (with a water pistol to make the spectacle comedic, not tragic). The more alive the picture, the easier it will be to remember the word.

3. Use the learned vocabulary in speech

How to learn English words and not forget them? Are you familiar with the use it or lose it principle? In order for knowledge to remain in memory, you need to actively “use” it. Good practice is to compose short stories using new words. The best remembered vocabulary is set out in a short funny text, which is written about oneself, beloved or dear to the heart of things.

If you take courses or study with an English teacher, try to insert new words into the conversation as often as possible: the more times you say the word, the better you will remember it. Do not forget about spelling: try to use new words in writing.

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

Tell me and I will forget. Teach me and I will remember. Make me do it and I'll learn.

Learn new words and put them into practice right away with .

4. Regularly test your knowledge

It is useful from time to time to take various tests to determine the level of vocabulary. For example, great picture tests (a joy for visuals and kids) are provided on the Vocabulary for learners of English page. After passing such a test, you will immediately see what is deposited in your memory, and which topics or words need to be repeated.

5. Follow your daily plan

7. Improve your memory

It is impossible to remember anything if you do not have a good memory. Learning a language in itself is a good exercise for our brain and improves memory. But to make it easier to remember, you can use the tips from our article "".

8. Consider your type of perception of information

Not all methods are equally good for you. Don't try to apply everything at once. Try text, video, or audio formats and choose the ones that help you pick up new words faster. So you will come to your author's mix of techniques.

The main thing - do not forget to move from theory to practice. Don't just read helpful tips about how to memorize English words quickly and easily, but also actively use them in Everyday life, then you do not have to puzzle over how to increase your level of knowledge.

Do you count cards and notebooks with the words "yesterday"? Then try to learn words according to the current British textbooks in the online English courses at our school. Our students learn words and phrases in context, use them in a lively dialogue with the teacher, memorize new vocabulary easily and quickly. !

“To own another language means to own a second soul”

Charlemagne

The importance of knowing a foreign language in the modern world cannot be overestimated. In order to travel, you must know the language of the country you are going to, or at least English. There are many foreign language resources on the Internet, the key to which is knowledge of the language. Increasingly, when applying for a job, knowledge of one or even several foreign languages ​​is required. And its study contributes to the formation of new neural connections in the brain.

The main difficulty in mastering a language is words. This article is designed to make this process much more interesting and easier.

If you are not yet familiar with basic principles mnemonics, .

Method phonetic associations

This method is based on the consonance of the words of a foreign language and native. In order to memorize a word, you must pick up a similar sound in your native language.

For example: pillow [ˈpɪloʊ] translated from English is a pillow. In pronunciation, this word is very similar to the Russian word "saw". We imagine how the saw cuts the pillow from above, feathers begin to crumble, etc. (do not forget about the brightness of the image). Or the English word hang - hang. It reminds me of the word "khan". We imagine how the khan hangs on the horizontal bar.

And what to do with the word elephant (elephant)? It's hard to find the right word for it. But you can divide it into parts and pick up several words. For example " ele ctronic" (the one where the wolf catches eggs) and " phantom ik". We imagine how an elephant with a trunk holds "Electronics", half wrapped in a candy wrapper.
Consider more complex example: suggest - offer. We imagine how Stalin holds a large open jar of jam over his head, a piece of cheese sticks out of it, and Iosif Vissarionovich actively offers buy it. We read the images in order (from top to bottom): sy R, je m, St alin. It turned out something very reminiscent of suggest. Here we recall the translation - to offer.

Important! When repeating words, be sure to pronounce the correct pronunciation of the word. Although you remember it not exactly, but only approximately, you will still remember it with periodic repetition. You can repeat as follows: first you read a word in a foreign language, remember the phonetic association and name the translation, and after some time you will no longer need to imagine how Stalin sells jam every time, you will be able to name the translation straightaway. If you want to communicate verbally, and not just be able to read and write, then this is the effect you need to achieve. It's not that hard. With regular reading, automatism can come even without much effort on your part. But some words will not appear in the text so often, so they will have to be repeated separately (allocate time in your schedule for this).

word formation

Study the word formation of the chosen language. How can you make a familiar word the opposite in meaning (happy - happy, unhappy - unhappy), how to make an adjective or adverb out of a noun (success, successful, successfully - success, successful and successful, respectively). Pay attention to words with two roots (snowball - snow + ball - snowball or snowball). Be sure to understand the formative prefixes and suffixes - this will make the process of learning a language much easier.

As you noticed, in order to memorize words, it is not at all necessary to highlight support images. But if you want, you can do it: create a memory palace with several corridors (one per part of speech) and place images in it. Then you will have a complete dictionary of the language being studied in your head.

Bonus: remembering new words in your native language
The process is similar to memorizing foreign words: we create a phonetic association, we find an image for semantic meaning words and connect.

For example: an epigone is a follower of some artistic, scientific, etc. direction, devoid of creative originality and mechanically repeating someone else's ideas. Phonetic associations: ep oleta, Yoke p H ikolaev. Imagine how Igor Nikolaev is sitting at the table and copying something from one piece of paper to another. On his shoulders are huge epaulettes. Ready.
Now you do not have to spend hours cramming a couple of dozen words. The rate at which your vocabulary increases will increase and the desire to learn the language will increase, because quick success in learning is very motivating. Don't procrastinate: learn 10-20 foreign words right now.

It is no secret that most of the time when learning foreign languages ​​is spent on memorizing words. At school, we were taught only one method - cramming. Yes, this is a cool method, although no! – not cool, inefficient and very boring. Through cramming, memorization seems like torture, but it's far from it. How to memorize foreign words effectively and interestingly?

In fact, when using right technology, is a very fast and fun process. And the main thing is that we can memorize huge amounts of information in a short period of time.

How to do it? How to increase the speed of learning any foreign language at least 2 times? The answer is simple - using the technology described in this article.

How to memorize foreign words We remember for one, two, three

The magic tool that we will use is called "mnemonics". Yes, good old mnemonics. This tool is by far the most effective assistant in memorizing any kind of information.

To memorize a foreign word, we need to do only three things:

→ Encode word meaning
→ Encode the sound of the word
→ Merge two images into one

Everything is very simple. Moreover, this method is suitable for memorizing the words of any foreign language.

Consider examples:

English language.

Word foot (foot) - foot

1. An image for meaning. We represent any foot. You can look at your foot first, then imagine it in your head.
2. An image for sound. We select the closest association. For example, t-shirt, football.
3. We connect two images. We wind a T-shirt around the foot, concentrate our attention on connecting these images and at the same time pronounce the word “foot” (foot-foot-foot) three times to remember the pronunciation of this word.
Or you can imagine how a football player hits the ball with his bare foot.
This is how nouns are remembered. How to memorize verbs and adjectives?

Similar:

Word press (pres) - iron (iron)

1. An image for meaning. Imagine an ironing board and an iron.
2. An image for sound. Pres. Imagine a person with a 6-pack abs.
3. We connect two images. Imagine instead of ironing board lies a man with a naked torso. You walk up to him, take the iron and start ironing on his abs. Concentrate on the connection point and say the word "press" three times.
Pictures may seem very strange, but the more unusual the images in your head, the better for memorization.

Word green(green) - green

1. An image for meaning. For example, a green apple.
2. An image for sound. You can take the Brothers Grimm.
3. We connect two images. One can imagine one of the Grimm brothers biting an apple and turning green.

What to do if you can’t find one image by the word? You then need to use multiple images.

Example:
Word Elderly (‘Eldali) – elderly

1. An image for meaning. A gray-haired old man with a wand.
2. An image for sound. Elf and Dali (El Salvador)
3. We connect two images. Introducing the old elf with Dali's mustache. Elf's mustache and hair are gray. Imagine, say this word three times and that's it, you remember it.

Some tips for working with images:

∨ When working with images, we do not close our eyes, they are directed upwards. This is the correct position to engage the visual channel
∨ You need to create objects of the same size, or at least approximately the same. If you combine the image of an elephant with the image of a fly, then the fly, in size, should be the same as the elephant.
∨ Most better ways for connection - sex, humor, violence. The easiest is to stick one image into another
∨ At a time, you need to concentrate on the connection of two objects. No more
∨ Focus not on the objects themselves, but on their connection

Mnemonics allows you to remember a large amount of information in a very short period of time, but in order to remember this information for a long time, you need to repeat it.

For the first 96 hours, repeat the learned words as often as possible. Then repeat the learned words after a month, then after 2, after 6 and after a year.

If you decide to memorize from 100 - 1000 words a day, then I recommend working in batches:

∨ memorized ten words
∨ Repeated them three times (from Russian to foreign, from foreign to Russian)
∨ Move on to the next ten words
∨ We repeated them three times, moved on to the next ten words, and so on.
∨ Accumulated three packs of 10 words, repeated all 30 words
∨ When they accumulated three packs of 100 words each, they repeated all 300 words, etc.