And now you need to ask where the nearest pharmacy is, but this word - "pharmacy" completely slipped out of my head ... You find it in the dictionary and indignantly hit yourself on the forehead: Pharmacy! Exactly! How could I forget that?!"

Familiar? English words are forgotten or just settle into the PASSIVE vocabulary. The question arises: how to learn English words quickly, easily and most importantly - effectively? Get ready: you will find a huge, but the most complete and useful article on this topic.

To compile 8 rules for learning English words, we interviewed 6 experts. Two methodologists: Olga Sinitsyna(head of methodology and content department) and Olga Kozar(founder of the school English with Experts).

And four practitioners of the language: Alexander Belenky(traveler and famous blogger), Dmitry More(professional translator and author cool vlog), Marina Mogilko(co-founder of LinguaTrip and author of two videoblogs) And Xenia Niglas(A graduate of Cambridge, a Fulbright Scholar and also a popular video blogger). They will illustrate our rules with personal examples.

The table of contents of the article (it is really very large):

What English words to learn first

Our answer will be useful for both beginners and experienced students, because we often step on the same rake ...

Rule #1 – Learn only the words you need!

When you learn a new language, the temptation is so great to memorize something like this: "superficial", "wither", "piercing" etc. Perhaps it will be possible to shine if refined interlocutors come across.

But why do you need a word "savor" if you don't know 3 forms of the verb "eat"? Why "fulminant" if you don't know the words "speed"? Do you need sophistication if the basic vocabulary is not yet flying off the teeth?

In the later years of the university, we studied specific vocabulary on the topic "International Relations" (my specialty is "International Relations and American Studies").

At the end of the 4th year, we went to the states under the Work and Travel program. Once I see that my classmate is sitting thoughtful. I asked what happened, and he says: “We have been going through all sorts of complicated concepts like “a treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons” or “detente of international tension” for four years now. But today at work, I realized that I don’t know how to say “bucket” in English.

By the way, those complex terms did not come in handy for me. So not all English words and topics are really useful.

WE RECOMMEND: do not waste time and memory resources on words that you do not actively use in your native language. It is better to use the saved forces for practicing and repeating words that have already been studied and are really needed. Go through and remove the excess from there without a twinge of conscience.

What then to learn? Base + area of ​​interest

The required vocabulary is compiled according to the formula: base(high-frequency words used by all people, regardless of profession, interests, religion, etc.) + words related to your interests and language learning goals(What do you need English for?).

At the same time, it is better to look for vocabulary in trusted sources, since sometimes something is given out as high-frequency, which in fact is not.

I remember how at school we learned many different words related to the traditions of English-speaking countries. These words have never been useful to me in my life.

For example, the word "shamrock" stuck in my memory, but I never used it.

It’s easier to ask what a word means in the course of the situation than to try to prepare yourself for all kinds of traditions (and to ask, you just need frequency vocabulary - approx. author).

Where will we look for basic English vocabulary

1. Study lists with high-frequency English words. Why go far: there are lists on Lingualeo, and frequency words. If your language level is already higher, then take larger lists, for example, The Oxford 3000.

2. "Take out" the words from the adapted literature. That is why it is called adapted because rare and complex words are replaced by simple and high-frequency ones. You will find a selection of 16 cool books adapted by English-speaking experts.

3. Study the news in an adapted language. The principle is the same as with books: read the news (you can find them at learningenglish.voanews.com) and write out unfamiliar words. Use our to immediately translate them and add them to the dictionary.

Better to have news, literature, etc. adapted by English-speaking experts: you will be sure that this vocabulary is really used in life.

I remember a school course where we were taught that breakfast is breakfast, lunch is dinner, dinner is supper.

In practice, it turned out that not only no one speaks supper, but even no one understands.

It turned out to be quite a local British word.

In fact, lunch is lunch, and dinner is dinner.

Where to look for words for areas of interest

As an answer, I’ll tell you a case: in the summer of 2016, our communications director went as a volunteer to the Olympic Games in Rio. She was appointed as an interpreter for the beach volleyball section. Her English is excellent, but she did not speak sports terminology.

To prepare, Katya watched volleyball videos in English from the Games in London. So all the necessary vocabulary was at her disposal.

Dmitry More shared the same experience: to prepare for the wheelchair volleyball project, he watched recordings of the Paralympic Games, read articles in English, etc. Ksenia Niglas learned vocabulary for her bachelor's work in the same way. I think you understood our recommendation 🙂

Another cool tip from Marina Mogilko:

For children who are learning English for a specific area, I recommend according to its theme and watch-watch-watch in the original, because such a movie is filled with the necessary vocabulary.

There, these words are constantly repeated, and if you hear a word in context 3-4 times, it will stick in your memory.

So, while watching House, M.D., I picked up medical vocabulary, and with the series Suits, I unconsciously remembered the words of a legal subject.

Rule #2 – Learn More Verbs!

Especially at the beginning of language learning. Any noun can be described as a last resort with the words "such a thing that ..." - and then a description of the actions.

Gina Caro in the book "English for Ours" describes an exercise: look around and describe in English using verbs all the nouns that you meet:

the bed is the thing I sleep on, the chair I sit on, the table I eat at, and so on.

All the verbs that come across are good verbs, they are worth remembering. The only noun you need thing.

Rule number 3 - Learn set phrases!

These are natural combinations of words for a native speaker. For example, take a photo, but not do a photo, fast food, but not quick food and others. We have already devoted this rule, in which you will find a list of phrases + dictionaries, where there are even more of them.

Why this is important: a person who does not speak a foreign language well, first thinks in Russian, and then translates these thoughts into English. But the norms of word compatibility in these languages ​​are different.

Imagine: you need to explain that the car has a flat tire. You go to Google Translate and type in a word "deflated" (or "deflated"), and the translator will give descended (or deflated). But there is a stable phrase for this situation.

Once, when I was traveling in America, I had a tire puncture. It took me a long time to figure out how to explain it.

And only then I heard from the specialist who advised me the expression “flat tire” (which translates as “flat tire”). Then I remembered him well.

Although before that the word “flat” was associated with the word “apartment”. But this is a British version, in America an apartment is only called an apartment.

WE RECOMMEND: learn more set phrases. Google collocations examples or common collocations and look at the result. Or just read. In addition to learning phrases, we recommend memorizing whole phrases. Teach them in the form you will use (1 literal unit). This is the advice of the polyglot Kato Lomb, which we are talking about.

How to learn English words quickly and easily

It can be seen from the previous part of the article that the sources of new words are English-language materials and word sets / dictionaries. And so you learn, for example, a phrasal verb to get down. At this stage, typical mistakes begin.

Rule #4 – Learn words only in context!

Suppose the verb to get down you first came across in a song by KC & The Sunshine Band. You wrote it out on a card and noticed that in addition to the meaning used in the song "let's break away, ignite" the verb has others: make someone unhappy, write someone down, leave the table after eating and etc.

"So cool! In one word I will cover so many necessary meanings!- you think and start memorizing all the meanings en masse.

And the wonderful musical context with disco rhythms has already been forgotten, and the word has become a set of letters that have a dozen unrelated meanings ... Alas, most likely, you will not remember this word when you need it.

WE RECOMMEND: learn to ignore that this or that word has some other meanings besides the only one that you need right now. Let this word exist only in the context in which you met it. If in another place you see to get down with a different meaning - well, you will go to the dictionary again. But even then, don't get stuck thinking it's the same word. Let them exist in your mind separately, each in its own context.

If we found a word in English-language materials?

Then keep this context in mind. Parse the text of your favorite song, add a word to your study, and the context will always be with you.

I added This is a word from a Rolling Stones song. .The line at the bottom of the vocabulary card will always remind me of the context.

If we take a word from a list like "Top 100 frequency words"?

Then immediately put the word back into context. According to scientists, we need to see each word 7-9 times in different situations in order to remember it. There are many sources for these situations. For example, English explanatory dictionaries always supply words with good examples. These are Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary, Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, etc.

By the way, in them (explanatory dictionaries) it is best to look at the meaning of a new word for you (namely VALUE, not TRANSLATION), because this way you will be insured against all sorts of uncomfortable situations.

Once one of my students came to the lesson after training and the question “How are you?” replied "My press hurts".

Indeed, if you go, say, to Google Translate and type in the word “press” there, it will give the answer “press”. But the problem is that "press" is a hydraulic press. And the one that hurts is abdominal.

And in the English-English explanatory dictionary, you will immediately see that “press” is not what you need.

Another source of context is search engines in English-speaking countries, such as google.co.uk or google.com.au. You type a word into a search engine and see in what situations it is used.

The third source is English corpora (specially prepared databases of texts with reference English). The most popular are the British English Corps and the American English Corps. You need to work with them in the same way as with search engines: you drive in a word and study examples.

After you have found a suitable example (context) for yourself, you can add it to your word.

Learning English words online

WE RECOMMEND: never learn a "lonely" word! When you start learning a new word, first of all, find good examples for it, the right context. In order, firstly, to remember it better; secondly, it is correct to use and combine with other words.

Rule number 5 - Use intralingual links!

Some English words may have distant relatives in other languages ​​- French, German and even Russian. Also, the word probably has close relatives in its own language - these are words with the same root, like ours: table, dining room, feast etc. You can look for such “connections” in special etymological dictionaries, for example etymonline.com.

Also look for synonyms (similar in meaning) and antonyms (opposite). The explanatory dictionaries that were above will help you with this. And catch another one: dictionary.com.

WE RECOMMEND: for new words, especially rather complex, abstract ones, look for context within the language itself: cognates, synonyms, antonyms. All this will help create strong neural connections and associations.

Rule #6 - Come up with your own word examples!

You did everything according to the rules: you found an example, together with it you "placed" the word in your head, but it is still forgotten ... Why? Because it is better to remember what is related to you, your personal experience.

When you have learned a word, immediately come up with your own examples for it, or better, act out a whole dialogue. Let's remember our to get down(in meaning "break away, ignite").

- Let's come off This Friday! - Can you free yourself? After all, if we want a long time break away so you need to start early. - Yes. I want to start break away at 8, and finish only in the morning! etc.

So, along with memorizing a new word, you will repeat the grammar.

When you yourself have used a word several times, it is remembered forever.

I remember the story with the word oatmeal (porridge). During my first trip to Britain, I did not know this word. In the meaning of "porridge" she used the word porridge all the time, as we were taught at school. But no one understood me, because porridge is a very formal, bookish word (no one uses it).

I was corrected once, corrected twice. Then I repeated this word several times myself - and that's it. I have not forgotten him.

WE RECOMMEND: after you have seen examples of how the word is used, come up with your own context. Starting from it, come up with several examples (coherent dialogue or separate sentences) and say them loudly and clearly. If it’s hard to come up with a situation, then remember the last time you used this word in real life, and reproduce this situation in English.

How to learn English words online: simulator

How not to forget a new word?

If you learned a word in accordance with these rules, then it will settle in your head for permanent residence. But! If you do not use it in speech for a long time, over time the English word will move from an active vocabulary to a passive one. How to avoid it?

Rule number 7 - Come up with a bright association for yourself!

This will especially help with abstract concepts, long and difficult words to write, etc.

For example, our service has a special field for entering an association. For owners of associative thinking and developed visual memory, this is just a godsend: close your eyes and remember this phrase.

Here is my stupid example of the word admiration (admiration). "Admirate" is a fiction based on the word "to die". Silly, but works for me.

Rule #8 - Use the Spaced Repetition Technique!

In repetition, the main thing is not the character (HOW to repeat), but the timing of the workout (WHEN to repeat). It is better to do this when you are about ready to forget what you have learned. These moments of forgetting were established by the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, who developed the so-called "forgetting curve".

Suppose you have learned a word. Repeat it a few minutes after that, then after a couple of hours, then after a day, then after 2 days, then after 5 days, then after 10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 8 months, etc. .d. After a while, the word will firmly sit in your head.

Let's summarize. How to learn English words every day - program

1. Learn only the words you need! This is the base + specific vocabulary for your area of ​​interest. Also learn more verbs, stable combinations and whole phrases. You can find all this in special sets, dictionaries and materials in English (adapted - for the base, thematic - for special vocabulary).
2. Learn words only in context! If you "get" a word from an article, song, etc. - then keep it in your head with this context. You take a "lonely" word - look for a context for it. And in no case do not try to immediately learn all the meanings of a polysemantic word! You will only get confused and lose touch with the main thing - with the context.
3. Immediately try to apply the word in life! If there are no communication situations in English yet, then invent your own examples: play a scene with this word, remember the real life situation associated with it. Remember that for a strong memorization you need to meet the word 7-9 times in different situations, and preferably in those that are related to your close experience.
4. So that the word is not forgotten, come up with a bright association for it: graphic, auditory, funny, stupid - it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that it matches the type of your thinking (are you auditory? visual? kinesthetic?) and work for you.
5. Keep your repetition rate to a minimum by using the spaced repetition method.

Did you even notice how many pages you dashed off?!

You may think that this is too long. Which is easier, just memorize cards and hope for their “magic” effect.

You promised to tell how to learn words in English fast!

But the same Lingualeo is TOOL, which gives you the opportunity to add an example (context), your picture and association. The ability to take a word from that very context () and drive it away from all sides.

But you can use this tool in different ways. You can thoughtlessly drive away word cards in the hope that they will be remembered if necessary. Or you can take responsibility for learning and take it seriously.

Then you will not only recognize the word in the picture (passive vocabulary), but you will be able to use it in speech (active vocabulary).

P.S. As you can see, this article does not give "magic tricks" and "easy methods" (by the way, those do not exist). In return, she talks about the seemingly obvious rules for how our memory works, which many have forgotten about in the pursuit of speed. If the article turned out to be really valuable and useful, share it with your friends and make their English learning more effective.

Want to learn how to learn English words quickly and easily and remember them for the rest of your life? In this article, we will introduce you to a few tricks that can be used when learning not only English, of course, but any language, and which will help you memorize new vocabulary quickly. Choose convenient ways and no longer worry that something is not remembered or kept in your head.

Do you want to speak, read, write and listen fluently in English? Then we are pleased to offer you private lessons with a professional teacher via Skype. We have developed a universal course «» so that at the end of the course you can feel confident in oral and written communication with foreigners, work colleagues and friends, click on the link above to learn more and sign up for a free trial lesson.

Tell me and I will forget. Teach me and I will remember. Engage me and I will learn.

NB! don't try to learn everything if you're doing it on your own! Study only what you will really use, what you will talk about. Of course, the topics “home”, “family”, “food”, “work” are mandatory, everyone should know the vocabulary on these topics. However, if you want to learn something that is far from your life and almost never occurs (you are a lawyer, and you learn huge lists of words on the topic “medicine” for the sake of interest), you will only waste your time - the brain is unlikely to let the information in which he doesn't need. And now to business!

How to learn new English words quickly and effectively.

Let's just say one important thing: always learn words in phrases and expressions, and never - just one word! Having learned one word out of context, then you will not clearly understand how to use this word.

1. Make cards with words and expressions.

This is a very old method, but proven by generations: you take thick small pieces of paper (so that they do not shine through), write an expression in the language you are learning with pronunciation notes on one side, and a translation on the other, better with different pens. Try to write single words only if they are a pair of antonyms easy— difficult, in other cases, write out word combinations on the cards go home or even whole steady sentences and questions Have you been to…? You need to learn them like this: look at the Russian translation and pronounce the expression aloud, turn the card and check yourself, take the next one. Such cards will not cost you anything, they can be stored in an envelope and always carried with you. They are very convenient: repeat them while commuting to work on the subway or standing in traffic, and be sure - before you go to bed. Double benefit: and the cards will be better absorbed, and you will have a dream in English or Spanish)

1. Combine words by topic.

To quickly memorize new English words, try to combine them into semantic groups on a topic. For example, your favorite food:cheese, salads, fish, dry red wine, milk chocolate. The brain remembers well what is close to you.

1. Say words and expressions out loud.

It is better, of course, to pronounce them in a secluded place - at home or in the office, while no one but you hears, in order to avoid unnecessary questions and puzzled looks. This method is really effective, by pronouncing words and expressions you train your auditory memory, and it is very important in memorization. Pronounce the words, try to imitate the manner that you hear in the speech of native speakers of the language you are learning. If you are watching a movie or listening to a song, do not be too lazy to repeat the words or phrases you like.

1. “Build” the new word into your experience.

When young children are learning native language, they begin to notice a new word in a variety of situations, environments, contexts. For example, when hearing the word “white” for the first time, a small child begins to repeat it when he sees white snow, white paper, white sugar. And this is what helps him remember the word quickly and easily. Use a new word more often in various situations - try to use it by retelling the text, doing homework, or fellow students, with native speakers.

1. Make up examples with new expressions.

Taking a new word or expression, try to write it in a sentence. Firstly, you will remember its spelling, and this is important, and secondly, check whether you correctly understand and use its meaning in context. Read the compiled examples to your teacher or a native speaker you know and check together.

1. Compose funny stories and absurd dialogues.

If you need to learn a lot of new English words right away, make up a little story or dialogue from them that is funny and absurd. We often use this method with our students. A student at home writes a story or a dialogue with new vocabulary and then reads it out in class. We do this at the very beginning of the lesson to relax, tune the brain to the language being studied and laugh heartily.

1. Stick labels.

Take a pack of sticky notes and write down words from your home or work environment on them. Then glue these leaves to the appropriate items: “ a bathroom door” - on the bathroom door, "Salt"- on the salt shaker « a dining table"- on the dining table “ a laptop” - on a laptop.

The disadvantage of this technique is that you can only stick stickers on accessible physical objects around you; abstract concepts, as well as actions, cannot be signed - they will have to be taught in other ways we have proposed.

1. Make Mind Maps - mind maps.

mind map- this is a kind of scheme in which we attach certain vocabulary to a concept or event. In this case, new words may belong to different parts speech. Words will be remembered more easily thanks to associations, as well as division into groups.

Let's look at an example mind map to understand how it works. For example, you want to learn vocabulary related to work (the activities you perform at work). The main word in this scheme will be work. We will refer to it the following lexical group:

• Get to work - get to work
• To make a call - call
• Chat with colleagues - chat with colleagues
• Check email - check mail
• Reply to letters - reply to letters
• Sign documents - sign documents

1. Surround yourself with learning words.

Do you know what the apartment of one of our students looks like? On one made of paper! When she, behind her on the walls, furniture, almost on the ceiling, leaves are glued with words and expressions that she is studying. We suspect that this is the case throughout the apartment! Every morning she brushes her teeth and repeats the words. Prepares breakfast - repeats the words. Painted for work - repeats the words. After some time, she removes the old remembered leaves and replaces them with new ones. The point is that the cards catch the eye and come across where we spend a lot of time, for example, at our favorite computer. Use technology to your advantage: write 5-10 words on the screen saver, in a couple of days you will remember them well.

1. Connect emotions.

Emotional attachment and imagination are very important in memorizing new words. Emotions can even double the amount of information we remember. You must be interested in what you teach! Choose films and books that are fascinating for you in the language you are learning, read jokes and short funny stories. Watch the translation of your favorite songs, and then sing along. Watch news, travel and animal channels, solve crossword puzzles, play Gallows.

You have to love the language you are learning, without that nothing will work. Our teachers will do everything possible so that the “need” with which you came to us turns into a “want” after the first lesson!

How to learn even more new English words? You need to put them in a certain associative array. Let's take, for example, ride a bike(to ride a bike), imagine that you decided to teach your son or daughter to ride, taught, and now ride together. Using this expression, remember how much enthusiasm the child had when he went on his own without your support ...

Using this method, you will always be able to quickly find the desired expression in your vocabulary - it is enough to be in a situation where you have the same emotional associations that were used when memorizing it.

1. Check out learning websites.

If you can't imagine learning without a computer, then learn new English words with it. Study on learning resources if you are more interested in it than classic flashcards or notepads with words. We recommend the site lang-8.com where you can practice the language by writing and sending texts to native speakers who will correct your mistakes and give you recommendations.

1. Read texts aloud.

The more you read, the more you come across new words and the more likely you are to remember them. Do not look up the meaning of every unfamiliar word in the dictionary, this will turn reading from pleasure into torture. Choose only those that are often found in the text or without which it is impossible to understand the meaning of the sentence at all.

1. Install useful applications.

If you don't have time to make flashcards or draw mind maps, you can install a special program on your smartphone or tablet and learn new English or Spanish or whatever words you like. We recommend using Lingualeo, Busuu or Duolingo - they are free and effective.

1. Test your knowledge.

It is useful from time to time to take various tests on the level of vocabulary. For example, you can find excellent tests for practicing speaking and writing at puzzle-english.com or englishteststore.net After passing such a test, you will immediately see what is stored in memory, and which topics or words need to be repeated.

1. Stick to your daily plan.

The average person is able to learn 5-10 new words a day. Be sure to follow your plan for learning new vocabulary to see progress. Regardless of which method you choose, it is better to memorize new English words according to this scheme: Writing - pronunciation - translation". Remember that classes should be regular. It is better to learn 10 words every day than 100 once a week.

Memory is like a muscle, it can atrophy if it doesn't work. The best way to train your memory is to do constant repetitions. If you want your memory to work well, then make it work a little every day.

If it seems to you that self-study using cards and diagrams is not your method, we suggest you try them. They will teach you to memorize words in context, immediately use them in conversation and put them into practice in everyday situations. Learning new English words in Skype classes with a personal teacher - isn't it a pleasant and effective pastime?

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Learning a language is impossible without memorizing new words. But besides the banal and boring cramming, there are many simple, and most importantly, effective ways to learn unfamiliar words.

First you need to figure out exactly how you best perceive information. There is a small but very important checklist for this. If you are an auditory person, then the "read the notebook" method will work much worse for you than the "listen to the list of words to the text" method. And you can not even think about it and long and hard, to the bitter end and feeling your own worthlessness, look into this stupid notebook and not understand why nothing is remembered!

Traditional Methods

1. Yartsev method (visuals)

We take a notebook. We write out the word - translation in 2-3 columns. We give a number of synonyms \ antonyms \ examples. From time to time we read lists, we just read, we don’t crammed anything.

I don’t know how it works, but, for example, I didn’t crammed German, but just read a notebook from time to time. The teacher did not arrange dictations, he never checked us against the lists. And I still, after many years, remember a bunch of words.

It turns out that you do not strain, do not try to pour 100 words into yourself in 30 minutes, just systematically, from time to time you refresh the material. But you should immediately warn that these words should be found in textbooks, articles, i.e. you must, in addition to reading the notebook, somehow activate them.

1. Card method

The second popular way. We take and cut a bunch of cards or buy square blocks of note paper. On one side we write the word, on the other - the translation. For advanced users, we indicate examples. We drive the cards in a circle, putting aside those that we know well. From time to time we repeat the past, in order to refresh. Of the minuses - if there are a lot of words and little time, you will spend a lot of time creating the cards themselves.

As an entertainment, you can arrange them in piles of 10 pieces in different places of the apartment, from time to time stumble upon them and repeat. Audials to this method must necessarily add speaking aloud. Cards are great for children, this can be turned into an interesting game.

1. prescribing method

Classics of the genre. You take a word and write it many, many times. Works great for Chinese characters. Minus - melancholy green. But the method has been tested for centuries.

1. Half page method

This is one of my favorite ways. You bend the sheet in half, write a word from one edge, with reverse side- translation. You can check yourself quickly. For me, as a visual, it works well, because. I easily remember in which part of the sheet a given word was written. Minus - you get used to a certain word order.

1. Method "Interior Designer"

If you learn some specific vocabulary that surrounds you, you can make original “labels” everywhere - stick stickers with the names of objects. You can also stick on the monitor the most nasty words that do not want to be remembered. The advantage of this method is that it is fun. Minus - the brain can begin to ignore all these pieces of paper, and then they will hang somewhere for a long time.

Optimization methods

1. Grammar grouping method

If you have a large list of words, the worst thing you can do with it is to learn it haphazardly. It can and should be processed and grouped. For example, first you write out verbs, and write them out not in a row, but group them according to the type of endings, or write out masculine nouns, then feminine and separately exceptions that do not fall into these lists.

Thus, since most of the words we do not apply to exceptions, you begin to see the logic of the language and memorize words in conjunction with their like.

1. Meaningful grouping method

You write out and memorize the word and its synonym/antonym right away. This is true for both beginners and advanced. So you learned the word “good”, find out right away how it will be “bad”. And if you still remember “excellent, so-so, disgusting”, then you will greatly enrich your vocabulary.

1. Method for studying single-root words

We take words, group them around the root, for example, “deed / do / done”, and learn several parts of speech with the same root at once.

1. Etymological method

Works well for those who have learned multiple languages. When you study several languages ​​within the same language branch, you start to see similar roots. This actually comes with experience, and there is no need to learn a huge amount of words again. At some point, you just already know enough. And if I understand that this word does not categorically tell me anything, I climb into the etymological dictionary and get to the bottom of where it came from. While I do this, I remember it.

1. chains of words

You take a list of words that you need to learn, and make up a story (even if it’s crazy) from them. So you will learn not 30 words, but 5 sentences of 6 words each. If you approach this matter creatively, you can have fun and usefully spend time.

Ways for those who do not like old-fashioned methods

1. Spaced Repetition ( spaced repetitions)

Memory retention technique, which consists in repeating what has been learned educational material at fixed, ever-increasing intervals. In fact, you install an application on your phone, and the program will automatically show you the words in the specified order and with the desired frequency. You can use both ready-made lists of words, and create your own.

Pros: capitally crashes into memory.

Cons: takes a lot of time. If you have already memorized the word, it will still pop up from time to time in some programs.

In Memrise, you can choose from ready-made lists of words or create your own. If the word is categorically not remembered, you can use special funny pictures that users create using mnemonics, or you can upload your own. Memrise also recently added a new option - you can not only hear the voice acting of a word, but watch a video of how people pronounce these words.

A service for working on written speech for those who have already mastered the basics of language practice. The user writes the text in the language being studied, after which the native speaker of the corresponding language takes to check the written text and makes his own corrections.

"Magic" Methods

Magic methods are very fond of luring various marketers and language gurus. Usually the essence of the methods lies in the "secret techniques of the special services", which, objectively speaking, are described in a pile of literature. And they ask for unhealthy sums of money.

1. mnemonics

Mnemonics is one of the most popular methods, the essence of which is to come up with funny and absurd associations to a word that you can’t remember in any way. You take the floor and come up with some kind of associative image, which should be very bright. But in this image there should be a “key” to the memorized word.

Example: "grief" ("woe") - woe to a wounded tiger, vultures are circling over him.

For auditory

Rule #1 for you: Always speak out loud what you are learning. If you use cards, speak up. If you are reading a list, read it out loud. Listen to the words, this is the fastest way for you to remember them! Naturally, you will have to write them down, but things will go faster than if you read and wrote silently.

1. listening to words

You can put audio recordings of word lists and repeat after the announcer. Usually in good textbooks a well-read list of words is given for the lesson. You can also listen to high-quality podcasts in which there is a detailed analysis of the dialogues.

1. Multiple repetition

A method similar to writing words in a row, rather tedious and boring, but effective - repeat out loud several times. There is an opinion that a word can be considered learned if you have used it 5 times in context. So try to give 5 different examples of the use of this word. Naturally, out loud. You can fix it by writing it down.

Methods for those who absolutely do not want to work with lists

1. Reading (lots of reading)

If the level is high enough and there is no urgent need to expand the vocabulary, it is easiest to read a lot. You can mark new words and even write them out (this works best, but not everyone likes to do this). By reading, you learn to understand the meaning of the context, you are “saturated” with words, they themselves become your passive reserve. But reading usually does not help much to translate them into an asset, i.e., in order to progress in the language, you need to do something else besides reading.

1. Learn what is really needed

In one of my textbooks, the word "hoe" appeared in the vocabulary before the words "short and long" appeared. Do not learn "hoes" and any unnecessary garbage until you learn really relevant and vital vocabulary.

How to determine relevance? There are many tutorials and lists from the 1000 Most Common Words series. First we learn frequency, then - "hoes", not earlier. If you have not yet learned to count and do not know pronouns, it is too early for you to learn colors, no matter how much you want to.

1. Get creative with the process

If everything infuriates you, words do not fit into your head and you want to quickly close these lists, experiment. Drawings help someone, someone walks around the apartment and recites aloud, someone communicates with his cat. If you are interested in something, do not be lazy to climb into the dictionary. Study what is close to you. Don't dwell on methods that don't work.

Language learning,

Educational process in IT

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 of the 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, the 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.

Everyone who teaches foreign language face the following problems:

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?

The German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus was engaged in research on "pure" memory - memorization that is not affected by thought processes. For this, the scientist proposed a method for memorizing meaningless syllables consisting of two consonants and a vowel between them, which do not cause any semantic associations.

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 goes much more slowly and after six days about 20% of the total number of initially learned syllables remains in memory, the same amount 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.

With the help of traditional methods (and repetition is one of them), it will not be easy to achieve a great effect. Effective methods are little known, so it is very difficult to learn many words at once.

Other traditional methods

- Learn with a dictionary, in order
Boring and inefficient. Words start the same but have different meanings, making them hard to remember. Also, you don't know in what context the word is being used.

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"

The method of mnemonics is gaining popularity.
The basic principle of this technique is the memorization of information by building visual links between a word and its meaning.

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?

- The visual lobes that are most involved when using this technique are the most powerful in the human brain, as they contain the most neurons.
- Any word in a person's head has a meaning in the form of a specific picture. By building associations, neural connections arise, they can be compared to a wire connecting a word to a picture, for example, when we hear the word “dog”, we imagine a dog.
- Associations are the shortest way to access any information. For example, you hear a familiar song and remember the situation in which you heard it before.
- This technique in practice showed really excellent results - after a few trainings, you can remember 100-300 words per approach.

Algorithm

Step 1
Present a bright, concrete picture. Let's say you want to learn the word fist (fist), you need to vividly imagine a clenched fist.

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 eyes, the largest number of neurons are activated. 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

- Trying to learn everything at once
Many begin to study intensively, wanting to learn English in a week or a month and quickly quit. It is much more effective to allocate a little time, for example, half an hour, but every day. So the brain will have time to process the information and there will not be too much break for the word to be forgotten. At the same time, the memory will be in good shape, and there will be no overloads.

- 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.

- The more practice the better.
Experience has shown that after 300 learned words errors disappear, associations appear in the imagination very quickly and the end of the word is remembered well, even if the association is consonant only with its beginning.
- It is important to learn quickly, without delay.
For example, choose a thematic list for yourself, set a timer and read all the words in one minute.
- Increase the load gradually.
- Move from simple to more complex words.
Choose the simplest ones that are easiest to learn. Then set aside five minutes to learn them, and five minutes to rest. Then learn more difficult words from this list.
- Organize words into groups according to topics and parts of speech.
First it is better to learn nouns, then adjectives, then verbs.

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.

By the way, we just have a great free section on the site. In it, we tried to take into account all the components of successful memorization of words. You can choose from ready-made sets of words, as well as create your own. In addition, many more useful things await you: from videos and a blog to conversation clubs and lessons with a teacher via Skype.

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Learning English words is much easier than you think. If you do not agree with this, then, apparently, because at school you were forced to cram columns of words that were difficult to remember, but were forgotten the next day. Fortunately, now with the help of simple tricks, tutorials and easily accessible materials in English, learning words is a pleasure.

Learning English words and learning a language are not the same thing.

First of all, we note that learning a language is not limited to memorizing words. Yes, you cannot throw words out of the language, but their interaction in speech occurs according to the rules of grammar. In addition, grammar will not be “brought to life” without practice in reading, listening, speaking and writing. Some of the techniques listed below involve memorizing words precisely in the context of live speech.

Cards with words

Ordinary cardboard cards are a powerful tool for memorizing words. Cut out cards of a convenient size from thick cardboard, write English words or phrases on one side, Russian on the other and repeat.

For greater efficiency, take sets of 15-30 cards and learn words in two directions - English-Russian and Russian-English - in four stages:

1. Introduction to words. Look through the cards, pronouncing the words aloud, trying to imagine the objects, actions and even abstractions they represent. Don't try to memorize the words thoroughly, just get to know them, pick them up on the memory hook. Some of the words will be remembered already at this stage, but not reliably.
2. Repetition of English - Russian. Looking at the English side, remember the Russian translation. Go through the deck until you can guess all the words (usually 2-4 runs). Be sure to shuffle the cards! Memorizing words in a list is inefficient, largely due to the fact that words are remembered in a certain order. Cards do not have this disadvantage.
3. Repetition of Russian - English. The same, but from Russian to English. This task is a bit more difficult, but 2-4 passes will suffice.
4. Consolidation. At this stage, mark the time with a stopwatch. Drive the deck as quickly as possible, achieving instant recognition of the word without hesitation. Do 2-4 rounds, trying to get the stopwatch to show less time with each round. Don't forget to shuffle the cards. Words can be driven in both directions or in one direction (preferably in Russian-English, as it is more difficult). At this stage, you will achieve instant, without mental translation, recognition of the word.

It is not necessary to make cards out of cardboard, there are convenient programs for creating electronic cards, such as Quizlet. Using this service, you can make voiced cards, add pictures to them, teach in different modes, including games.

Spaced repetition method

The method consists in repeating words with the help of cards, but at some intervals. It is believed that by following a certain repetition algorithm, the student fixes information in long-term memory. If the information is not repeated, it will be forgotten as unnecessary.

The most popular program for memorizing words using the spaced repetition method is Anki. Create a deck of words, and the application itself will select partially forgotten material and offer to repeat it at a certain frequency.

The convenience is that you only need to load the words, and the program itself will tell you when and what to repeat. But sometimes there is simply no need for an interval method. If you are learning collections of common words such as days of the week and months, verbs of motion, vehicles, then there is no need to repeat them according to a special algorithm: they will already be encountered very often in the textbook, when reading, in speech.

Memorizing words while reading in English

It makes sense to learn words with the help of cards when the vocabulary is still insufficient even to understand the simplest texts. If you do not yet know such basic vocabulary as days of the week, colors, verbs of motion, politeness formulas, then it is convenient to lay the foundation of vocabulary by memorizing words from cards. According to linguists, the minimum vocabulary for understanding simple texts and speech is about 2-3 thousand words.

But, if you can already, try to write out words from the text while reading. It will not be just vocabulary taken from a dictionary, but living words, surrounded by context, associatively tied to the plot, the content of the text.

Do not write down all unfamiliar words in a row. Write down useful words and phrases, as well as words without understanding which it is impossible to understand even the main meaning. Write out only a few words per page to reduce distractions from reading. After reading an article or a chapter of a book, words can be quickly repeated.

They can greatly simplify and speed up the memorization of words. For example, when reading texts online, you can save words with a translation with one click and then repeat them using the Leo Translator browser extension.

Memorization of words from video and audio recordings

If during reading it is easy to underline or write out a word, then with a film or audio recording it is more difficult. But listening (listening) for learning vocabulary is no less interesting than books. In the live speech of native speakers, there are fewer bookish, little-used words and more popular colloquial phrases. In addition, listening develops not only vocabulary, but also the ability to understand speech by ear.

The easiest way to learn English from movies and audio recordings is to simply watch or listen without being distracted by writing out words. This is the easiest approach, but this way you are unlikely to learn something new, just reinforce already familiar words well (which is also important).

If you write out and then repeat new words, then you will not only enjoy the movie, but also replenish your vocabulary. Of course, while watching, it is very inconvenient to be distracted by pressing pause and writing out words, but you can take short notes, and then return to them and analyze the material in more detail. As with reading, you do not need to write down all the incomprehensible words in a row.

It is much easier to engage in audio and video with the help of special sites. The most suitable for this are the popular online services LinguaLeo and Puzzle English, which use a special interface for easy video viewing with the ability to quickly (click on a word in subtitles) translate and save words.

Memorizing words while writing and speaking

Reading and listening are passive speech activities, speech perception. Written and spoken language is the active use of language. When you write or speak, vocabulary develops differently: you have to practice using the words you already know, moving them from a passive vocabulary (at the level of understanding) to an active one.

When writing, whether it's an essay or informal chatting, you have to constantly choose words and try to express your thoughts more clearly, more accurately. Often there is a situation when you want to say something, but do not know the right word or expression. With the help of a dictionary, it is not difficult to find it, but do not let this valuable find be forgotten right there - write down such small discoveries and repeat in your free time. Practice in active speech activity helps to identify such gaps.

During an oral conversation, of course, you won’t be able to look into the dictionary, but conversational practice makes you practice already familiar words and constructions. You have to strain your memory, remember everything that is stored even in its most distant corners in order to express a thought. Speaking practice for learning a language is like training for the body: you strengthen, develop your “language form” by translating words from a passive stock into an active one.

Conclusion

The first two methods - cards and spaced repetitions - are suitable for memorizing collections of words, for example, "In the city", "Clothes" and so on. Methods from the third to the fifth are designed for memorizing words during speech practice.

If you want words not only to be remembered but also not forgotten, practice reading and listening regularly. Having met a familiar word several times in a living context, you will remember it forever. If you want to not only have a passive vocabulary, but also express your thoughts freely -. So you will turn dry knowledge into confident skills. After all, we do not learn languages ​​in order to know them, but in order to use them.