The most effective way to learn English words. How to remember English words forever: the spaced repetition method

What determines the effectiveness of teaching a foreign language? Of course, on how rich your vocabulary. About 10 strategies and methods quick memorization words we tell in our article.

This method of memorizing new words found a dense ranks of admirers, but also the same number of opponents. The thing is that the latter express doubts about the efficiency in the speed of remembering an associative pair. Let's take a closer look.

Let's start with how our brain works when we see a written word. Ideas, images, pictures and even feelings are formed in its bowels, a stable connection is formed between what the eyes saw and what the brain formed. Long-familiar material gets a connection with the new.

Close your eyes and imagine a tree, let it be a sprawling oak or a slender birch. Now let's learn the word "tree", add three leaves to your tree. So, in your head, the image is a tree with three leaves, which is now forever imprinted in your head like a tree.

How to make an analogy in the context of a whole sentence? Write the expression or sentence in the center of the sheet. Recorded? Direct rays from the sentence in different directions, each of which will end with a word, and better picture. Don't think about this moment over how accurate and correct the associations are, the main thing is to write it down.

Now, every time you hear one of the words, the whole association and visual image of the sentence will be restored in your head.

Advice! To make the method even more effective, pronounce what is written, especially if you consider yourself a category of people who perceive information better by ear.

Work "in pairs" - remember phrases

If you have already started a personal dictionary, and we believe that you have it, write down the words in the form of phrases. To memorize the word "ugly" write down "ugly duckling" and immediately remember the work of Hans Christian Andersen " ugly duck". The next step is to compose at least 3-4 sentences with the learned phrase.

Memorize new words with pictures

Every day our brain receives great amount monotonous information, such unusual and funny pictures will become a kind of “surprise”, and surprises are very well remembered.

Write for health

A large number of words are difficult to remember and we will not deny this fact. If you have to memorize a large array of words, make up a story with them, even an absurd story will become your reliable assistant.

Let's take an example. Words needed for memorization: piano, shoes, tree, boy, bird, pencil, bus.

look! There is a piano, it is sitting under the tree and wearing shoes. As for me, the tree is so strange, little boy has stuck pencil through it. A small bird is sitting on the pencil and looking for a bus.

In translation, the text is very bizarre and could pass for an unfortunate joke, but our goal is new words, and for this it is quite suitable.

The simplest example is the well-known adjectives good/bad and bad/bum. Our brain is so arranged that we remember opposite and similar things faster than disparate single concepts.

Word by composition

Let's take the word "microbiology" as an example, it is not necessary to be a polyglot to understand that the prefix "micro" means something small, and the suffix "-logy" in Latin means science. And now a chain is already being established - a science that studies something small, "bio" - living beings, which means that we have a word denoting the science of microscopic organisms.

You can guess the translation of new words by studying the meaning of the most common prefixes and suffixes. The former include ir-, im-, micro-, dis-, con-, un-, il- (usually have a negative or opposite meaning), the latter -ly, -able, -ive, -tion, -ent.

• Il-- used with words beginning with the consonant l:

  Logical - illogical (logical - illogical); legible - illegible (legible about handwriting - illegible).

• Ir-- used with words beginning with the consonant r:

  Responsible - irresponsible (responsible - irresponsible); replaceable - irreplaceable (replaceable - irreplaceable).

• Im-- usually used before adjectives beginning with the consonant r:

  Polite - impolite (polite - impolite); personal - impersonal (personal - impersonal).

Choose the right time

Psychologists who are working on the study of memorization processes have long deduced the most optimal scheme for memorizing new material.

It is necessary to use a new word immediately after meeting it, then after 10 minutes, after an hour, after a day, and definitely after a week. After that, the probability of forgetting the word is minimized.

Stickers and flashcards are a great solution for learning words

The method has one, but a very significant drawback - it is limited to the topic "House".

If you do not want to limit yourself, replace stickers with cards, with reverse side which the words will be written. At your discretion, words can be divided into topics or according to another principle convenient for you.

The undoubted advantages can be called the fact that your training material will always be at hand and you can plunge into the learning process even on a long journey.

Folklore for vocabulary replenishment

If you want to learn new words not only quickly, but also fun, use sayings, proverbs, short rhymes and tongue twisters. All this is a great way to expand vocabulary and form correct pronunciation. In addition, you have a great opportunity to get acquainted with the culture of the people whose language you study with such diligence.

We listen and read

And of course, do not forget about the lexical load that reading and listening to texts entails. The advantage of reading is that the expansion of vocabulary becomes a necessity, and memorization occurs due to the repeated repetition of words in the text. So choose for yourself interesting books which you would enjoy reading.

The audiolinguistic method will appeal to those who classify themselves as auditory and remember well the information perceived by ear. The advantage of watching movies and listening to texts is that you will quickly get rid of the accent, but it would be unfair not to mention the disadvantage - the lack of a visual image of the word in memory.

Video with tips on how to memorize new English words:

You need to remember quickly a large number of English words. And as you have been told or you yourself have read online, it is very easy to learn them. But how did you not try to quickly memorize at least the necessary minimum, did you succeed? Perhaps you chose the wrong memorization methods or techniques? We will deal with this today.

To begin with, let's try to figure out why memorizing English words is so difficult? The fact is that a new concept is accurate information, the translation and pronunciation of which you need to know 100%. Try to pronounce a foreign word. Native speakers will not understand you, so it is important to memorize the word as accurately as possible.

Any new information is not remembered well. As a rule, even with exhausting “cramming”, only 20% is absorbed. But if you choose correct technique, which will allow you to quickly learn words, then this figure will increase significantly. Start learning basic English words right now!

Let's get familiar with best practices memorization of new English words:

Memoirs

Memorizing English words is a convenient and interesting style statements educational material in short rhymes or songs. Memorizing words will be effective if they themselves rhyme or are included in rhyming structures. This technique also contains elements of artistic association:

• A plum here and a plum there
  Plum in English plam
• I prefer watermelon to plums
  Watermelon - otherwise watermelon
• The price of melons is written with chalk
  Melon in English melon
• A fairy said to me in a dream:
  Pear in English pear

These are such meaningless, but very effective lines.

mnemonics

The very method of artistic association that allows memorizing concepts through creation in the head vivid images. Moreover, the more ridiculous the image is created, the better the word or phrase will be remembered.

Let's try?!

• "Spoon" (spoon), imagine funny little gnome Spoon sleeping sweetly in a spoon
• "chess" (chess) - chess pieces come to life on a chessboard, run up to each other and begin to scratch each other's backs
• "turnip" (turnip) - grabbing the horizontal bar with its leaves, the turnip spins on it like a gymnast
• "ship" (ship), imagine a ship with huge protruding spikes

Thanks to this technique, words are remembered very easily.

Cards

Popular simple technique memorize new vocabulary. Cut thin cardboard into small rectangles. Take a stack of these cards and write a word or phrase in English on one side and its translation on the other. Always carry these cheat sheets with you and repeat them at any opportunity.

Cards can be divided according to the subject of phrases or according to the phonetic sound of words. After examining one pack, you can proceed to the next pile. After a while, return to the material covered and repeat it. You will be able to transfer your passive vocabulary to active, that is, remember and freely use speech constructions.

Marking

The technique involves the following: a pack of sticky stickers is taken, words from your home or work environment or everyday life are written on them. Then you stick these tags to the corresponding items, thus marking a huge number of things. For example, tag "Salt" on a salt shaker, "Dining table" on a dining table, "Journal table" on a coffee table, "Door in a bathroom" on a bathroom door, etc.

The disadvantage of this technique is that you can only label specific concepts, but sticking a sticker on such abstract concepts as love (Love), joy (Pleasure), happiness (Happiness) will not work. Therefore this lexical composition it is better to memorize in other known ways.

Polyglot

This technique will allow you to easily and quickly memorize 100-150 new words every day. The method is a sequential mental operations and actions that form memorization skills.

Memorization scheme according to the "Polyglot" system:

• A translation of a word
• Pick up consonant Russian word to pronunciation
• Combine the image of the translation with the image of the consonant word
• "Take a picture" is a foreign word
• Write a word
• Check memory quality
• Write to card

• look - look
• “I can’t watch when they cut onions”
• On all sides, highlight the word with yellow cards, so that only “look” is in the center. Try to mentally photograph the word and remember graphic image read aloud several times
• write a word
• Checking the quality of memorization means writing a word from right to left ... k .ok .ook look
• Write the word on a flashcard for repetition.

Synonymic series

This technique allows you to quickly memorize words, thanks to the expansion of the synonymic series. It is better to keep a special notebook in which, as you learn the language, you need to enter new words. As often as possible, pick up new synonyms and repeat the ones you have already learned.

Memorizing vocabulary, thus, allows the student to accurately and richly express his thoughts in English, increases the speed of speech.

• energy-force-power
• little-small-tiny
• pretty-handsome-beautiful

Regardless of which method you choose, it is better to memorize words according to this scheme: Writing - pronunciation - translation". Memorization in this sequence is called "recognition".

And finally, classes should be regular. It is better to learn 10 words every day than 100 once a week.

Do you know other effective techniques? Unsubscribe in the comments.

There are many different techniques and techniques for memorizing English words. Someone cramms the words, repeating them before going to bed, someone uses cards with words, and someone pastes over the apartment with stickers with the names of objects.

Despite this, many often face the problem when learned words fly out of their heads in a day, week or month. We spend a lot of effort and time expanding our vocabulary, but the words are never remembered. As a result, you have to learn them all over again.

About, how to memorize english words fast I will tell you in this article. This technique is used on the course by our students, thanks to which they not only easily and in a short time memorize many words forever, but can also use them in speech.

How easy is it to learn English words?

Let's first clarify the meaning of the word "word". In the dictionary, "word" -it is a sound or symbol that serves to designate concepts, objects, persons, states, etc.. Simply put, when we say a word, it is a sound, and when we write a word, it is a symbol, by which we mean some kind of meaning.

Accordingly, in order to easily learn a word, you need to:

• know how it is spelled and pronounced;
• understand the meaning of the word, and not just know the translation.

Attention: Can't remember English words? Learn on how to learn words using the ESL methodnot to forget them.

How to learn English words so that they are remembered?

Method "how to remember English words"

This method will allow you to learn words with minimum effort so that they remain in your memory so that you can use them later.

It consists of three simple steps:

STEP 1. Look in the dictionary for the meaning and translation of the word

Translation of a word is how we translate a word into Russian. As a rule, this is one word (buy - buy, cat - cat).

Meaning is the meaning that this word means (buy - to get something by paying money for it).

English words tend to have multiple meanings, but we only want the one that fits the context (sentence or thought). The remaining values ​​do not need to be learned - it will be difficult to learn 3-5-10 values ​​​​at once.

I want to note that it is very important to know not only the translation, but also the meaning itself. Since sometimes in English words have the same translation, but different meanings and can be used in different situations.

STEP 2. We write our own sentences with the word

In this step, we need to learn how to use the word in practice in order to fix it in memory. For this we need write sentences with words that you want to remember.

All offers should be simple and light. The essence of the step is to learn how to use the word in writing.

How many proposals to make? From 3 to 7 sentences. For easy words, 3 may be enough, and for complex ones, all 10. It is important that you do not write sentences automatically, but imagine what you are writing.

STEP 3. Orally compose our own sentences with the word

In the last step, we need to develop oral skill use the word and learn how to pronounce it correctly. After all, we are not only going to read and write, but also to speak.

To do this, it is also necessary to make sentences, but this time orally. Once again, the sentences should be simple and short. The purpose of this is to consolidate the word in practice, and not to show their literary abilities in compiling beautiful and long exercises. The number of sentences is the same as in step 2.

Now you know the best way to learn English words.

let's consider use case.

Situation:
You are reading a book and come across a sentence: "My head is strict (My head is strict)".

STEP 1. We look at the meaning and translation of the word

You know that the word "Head" is a head. Looking at the meaning in the dictionary, we will see that “head” also means “boss, leader” (the person who manages something, someone).

STEP 2. We make sentences in writing with this word, while representing the situation in the head (consciousness).

My head is a good man.
My boss is a good person.

Do you know my head?
Do you know my boss?

STEP 3. We make sentences orally and be sure to pronounce them out loud!

She likes her head.
She likes her boss.

She is a new head of the company.
She is the new boss in the office.

You may think that this method of learning words of English language takes a long time, but in fact it is not. By clarifying the word like this, you spend everything 2-3 minutes per word, but in this case you will not forget it either in a day, or in a week, or in a month. You won't have to relearn words, which will save you a lot of time and expand your vocabulary quickly.

Why is this method of learning an English word effective?

It is known that a person cannot apply what he does not understand. If a person does not understand which pedals to press in a car, he will not be able to drive. Everything is exactly the same here.

This method just allows you to first understand the meaning of the word. After that, it is easy to use it in practice in the future. Here is a little secret of memorizing English words.

Our students, using this technique of memorizing English words, clarify about 40 words in one lesson, without cramming. Now imagine how many words you can learn using this method.

Try to use this method yourself, and you will no longer ask yourself the question: "how to learn English words quickly."

Summing up, I will say that English is not a dry theory. English is a practical skill. Only practice will help you master a foreign language like a native. And you can learn a language much faster than you think.

Vocabulary matters a lot. You know the words - you understand what it is about, even without knowing the intricacies of grammar. You don't know the words - you communicate like Ellochka the cannibal. Today we are talking about how to remember a lot and for a long time.

Ordinary memorization of words has a low efficiency. For example, for 11 years school curriculum students memorize an average of 1-1.5 thousand words. To speak like a native speaker, you need to know at least 8 thousand words, Upper-Intermediate level assumes knowledge of 6 thousand words. To understand CNN news, which are created taking into account the interest of a foreign audience, you need to know at least 3 thousand words.

Using traditional methods, it is easy to learn up to 10 words in one approach, but only a few can remember 30 or 50 new words in one day.

Words are quickly forgotten if they are not repeated;
- it is very difficult to learn many words at once;
- people just don't know how to learn words effectively;
When a word enters short-term memory, a person stops working with it.

Why is that?

In the course of experiments, it was found that after the first error-free repetition of a series of such syllables, forgetting occurs very quickly. Already during the first hour, up to 60% of all the information received is forgotten, 10 hours after memorization, 35% of what has been learned remains in memory. Further, the process of forgetting is much slower and after six days about 20% of total number originally learned syllables, the same number remains in memory after a month.

After a series of experiments in 1885, Ebbinghaus derived the Forgetting Curve (also called the Ebbinghaus Curve). On its basis, the following conclusion was made: for effective memorization, it is necessary to repeat the memorized material.

To remember information for a long time, after studying it, you need to repeat it at least five times:

1. 20-30 minutes after the first study;
2. after a couple of hours;
3. the next day;
4. after 1-2 weeks;
5. 2-3 months after the fourth repetition.

Other traditional methods

If you want to use a dictionary, it is more convenient to make a list of words on a specific topic, for example, select the category "Clothes" or "Travel". A community of related words is easier to remember.

- learn from sticker cards
On one side of the card we write the word in Russian, on the other - in English. You need to spend time making cards, but you can carry them with you and repeat words when you have a free minute. If you do not want to mess with paper, you can download a special application to your smartphone.

- Learn words in context
For example, when watching series or movies. For beginners, it’s better to start with TV shows, you can watch them with subtitles. Do not memorize an unfamiliar word separately. Write down or copy the whole sentence from the subtitles at once. So you remember in what situations it can be used.

The method of associations or "Mnemotechnics"

Facts about mnemonics:

Scientists have found that visual connections are best created in the human brain.
- The method appeared 2.5 thousand years ago. It was used by the ancient Greeks, including the famous thinker Socrates.
- Mnemonics gives fast results. Any person, if desired, can reach a memorization speed of 100 words per hour or more.

Why mnemonics?

Algorithm

Step 2
Find an association by similar sounding with a Russian word. Fist in English fist. You can, for example, imagine a pistachio clenched in a fist. Ridiculous and funny associations are best remembered: the brighter, the better. It is also worth creating your own associations, as they will be more vividly deposited in memory.

Step 3
Match the association with the picture. The picture depicting the word and the picture-association should be visually connected. For example, remembering the word crown (crown), you can imagine a crane lifting a crown. If the crane and the crown in your imagination are just next to each other, there will be no effect, it is better to imagine that the crane lifts the crown by the edge or on a rope. It is better to imagine a huge crown, since large objects are better remembered. You can also add a certain sound or music playing in the background, which would be associated with the crown.

Step 4
Repeat the memorized word aloud 4-5 times in English, slightly raising your eyes up, as if looking at the bridge of your nose. Scientists have found that with this position of the eye, the largest number neurons. Keep your eyes open, if you remember with your eyes closed, then you will remember with your eyes closed.

Step 5
Repeat the words - at least in an hour or two, in a day and in a month. Qualitatively created associations are stored in memory for a month. If you do everything according to the algorithm with repetition, you will remember the words for years.

Common Mistakes

- Immediately learn complex words that do not correspond to the level of knowledge of the language
If the word is even difficult to pronounce, do not learn it. Beginners need to learn the most commonly used words, which are about 400 words. More than half of them are verbs. Start easy and build up the difficulty.

- Don't repeat what you've learned
Without repetition, new words are forgotten.

- Memorize without understanding the context
You will not be able to use new words if you do not know in what situations they are used.

- Learn the wrong pronunciation
You must first listen to the correct pronunciation, even if you know the rules of reading well. The site wooordhunt.ru is good for listening.

And the most important thing

• Share your progress with your friends to keep you motivated.
• Reward your progress to get used to the fact that learning is good.
• Develop memory in general, not only in English.
• Practice the learned words in conversation clubs to finally reinforce the words in context.

Bonuses for Habr readers

We give you access to an English course for a year self-study"Online course".
To access, just go to .

Individually via Skype

Among our students there are already students from GeekBrains, ITVDN, Softengi, Netology. Join now! And we wish you only successful interviews and career success.

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Every second person wants to study and learn English. For some, this is easy, and for some, it is difficult, because. every word is spelled and pronounced differently, not to mention different meaning the same words., add grammar to this. To speak fluent English, you need not only to know the rules and grammar, use flashcards, stickers, etc., but you also need to have an extensive vocabulary.

How to increase the volume of words and learn English quickly and efficiently will be discussed in this article. We present the most relevant and simple exercises, as well as reveal the secrets of fast learning.

Seven Techniques of Memory

This section focuses on seven effective techniques, allowing you to easily learn and memorize new words, phrases and use them in conversation with foreign citizens. Note that English is a world language, so its knowledge is useful not only for studying instructions for household appliances but also during travel and work.

These are some kind of secrets for memorizing English words that will come in handy in life:

1. Formation of an associative series. The brain remembers images best, not words, producing a constant relationship with those pictures and emotions that a person has accumulated. Thus, we see that the brain, when memorizing new and old data, connects this information, making up a certain series of associations. For example, the crown of a tree is easier to see than one particular branch that is nailed through the ground. It turns out that if there is a relationship between old and new data, human brain much easier to navigate and find the right information. The practice is pretty simple.. You need to take a sheet of paper and write down the word that you need to remember in the center, if you are already a more advanced user, then you can indicate a phrase or phrase in the center. Draw lines radiating from the center, ending with a picture or other phrase that is associated with the task. Then, look at the sheet and without memorizing it, put it aside. Throughout the day, keep the word in mind. In order to remember the selected word, reproduce the associated image, so the brain will draw a logical chain, and you will easily remember the necessary phrase or word. If you are limited in time, then for a quick study, you can learn the language by pronouncing these words and the connections between them. We recommend making a card with a picture on it.
2. Don't forget to learn vocabulary. You can learn a word separately from a sentence only on initial stage. In the future, it is necessary to learn them in conjunction with a sentence or another word. This method is not only simple, but also effective. For example, you need to remember the word "strong" (strong), then learn it in context - "Big strong man" (larger strong guy). So the information is easier to perceive, because. there is a connection for the brain. After that, we advise you to compose five or six sentences with the chosen word, which will consolidate the material with the help of repetition. Cards can be carried with you and repeated at an opportunity.

Presentation on the topic: "How to quickly learn a lot of English words"

1. Remember the word? Support them with pictures (cards). Thus, for each new word or phrase, you will have picture cards. It is not necessary to draw them large, they can be small, like a cheat sheet. But be sure to contain the studied word and picture. Don't worry if you don't have drawing skills. It can also be a schematic drawing of an extraordinary performance, so the brain will remember the word even faster, because. visual information is processed faster.
2. Good storytelling skills (storytelling). For those who have a need to learn large amounts of information in English, we recommend adding various words and phrases in short story. It can be funny and absurd. And it will be better, because. you will be able to remember more words, and at the same time cheer yourself up. Note that the brain remembers information better if it is of interest. Therefore, if you create an easy and relaxed atmosphere for the lessons, then this will only be a plus.
3. Apply couples. Learning words is more effective in pairs. Along with this, study antonyms, synonyms. With this approach, the brain will create connections between the studied words. Accordingly, it will be easier to remember them, and the vocabulary will expand.
4. Break the words into their components. English, like Russian, has prefixes, a root and a suffix. Breaking up a word into components, you thereby leave it in memory for a long time. This task should be done with the help of a dictionary, because there is a need for careful scrutiny. This technique can be used by those people who do not want to wait, i.e. for the impatient.
5. Apply words. Once you have learned a word, use it in your daily vocabulary. Make sentences and speak it. Then, after an hour, return to it, then, after a day and a week. This allows you to memorize the language qualitatively and for a long time, without even using flashcards.

Subconscious Methods

Developing the brain, one should not forget about the subconscious mind that influences the process.

So, you should use the emotional component, with the help of which words are easily remembered.

Therefore, give your classes a strong emotional coloring. For example, speak with an accent or imitate a character from your favorite movie.

Then, when remembering a word that was previously endowed with emotion, the subconscious mind will reproduce the word. We recommend learning new words in the form of a game.

No cards, techniques or secrets will be as strong as game form learning, affect learning. With its help, you can quickly and easily learn the language. This technique is relevant for both children and adults.

Modern Techniques

To date, there are many methods and techniques that effectively learn foreign words: dictionaries, mobile applications, work with the subconscious, etc. These methods have almost supplanted traditional word cards, stickers and stickers, although they are still effective. What is the best way to memorize foreign words quickly and efficiently?

You can install a program that will remind you that you need to repeat a word, will display associations, build logical connections.

However, most people still use flashcards to learn the language. The convenience of this method lies in the fact that they can be laid out around the house, glued to interior items, and also carried in a bag. The cards are traditional method. Using it in conjunction with other techniques, you can improve daily.

Make and execute a personal plan every day. For a person, it is optimal to learn new words in the amount of 7-15 daily. Strictly follow it, adding the rules of grammar and vocabulary, which will fix progress in 1-2 months. It is important not to forget to move from theory to practical exercises applying them in everyday life.

DO NOT cram

Source of the problem educational process in public institutions is the cramming of new expressions. The essence of all lessons comes down to reading the text, retelling, translating the passage. Everything. The student passed the lesson. However, with this approach, the brain does not retain the learned lesson for a long time. Therefore, we recommend not to cram, but to delve into the meaning of the subject being studied.

The Secret of Difficulties

In an attempt to learn English or other foreign words, we, as a rule, simply do not understand in what cases it can be useful to us. , those. what are the benefits for the future. Psychologists and experienced teachers assure that as soon as a person overcomes this barrier, the process of memorization and reproduction will become not only comfortable, but also natural.

In order to achieve a result in memorizing the English language, it is necessary to translate foreign phrases from the “foreign” group into the “friends” group. Such a filter turns on in the human brain unconsciously. The subconscious mind independently decides what information to skip, and what to keep and what to distort, while skipping. Therefore, another goal is to overcome this invisible border and then you can congratulate yourself on the start of an exciting journey in the study of foreign languages. However, remember that only everyday training will help you effectively cope with the task.