photo tumblr.com

THREE SCIENCE-BASED METHODS THAT WORK

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! We present you three scientifically based methods that will allow you to quickly and permanently memorize 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, vocabulary replenishment for each subsequent 1,000 words allows you to increase the amount of text you understand 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 too lazy to look at the translation of incomprehensible words. These words will forever be associated with the song you like, which means they will leave an emotional trace in your memory.

An excellent technique is a mnemonic. 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 is not used, the brain gets rid of it, as if it were 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 everything will be erased more information, 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.

Thus, the correct organization of the work of the brain in 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!

Boring English for children and adults!

Why memorize English words?

Learning English has become a necessity for many people. For schoolchildren, it is dictated by the requirement to pass exams. For traveling people, this is an opportunity to communicate with representatives of other nations. Learning a language involves mastering several skills. The basis on which these skills are based is the study of words. Having studied several times and having practiced a couple of weeks in their use, you can already express yourself quite clearly. But then another difficulty arises, the study of words. If you approach this, at first glance, tedious process creatively, you can speed it up many times. You can even learn to enjoy it. Let's look at a few well-known ways to learn English words.

1. Write words in a notebook

This is the easiest way to accumulate new words. It is usually offered in schools. Maria Ivanovna gives the task to write out all the new words in a notebook and learn them by heart.Then she asks for their translation from Russian into English and from English into Russian. This method of memorizing words is not bad, but it has its drawbacks. The position of the words in the list is remembered. Difficulty concentrating on words that are hard to remember. In the future, words learned in this way are poorly recognized.

2. Write words on cards

This method is much more efficient than the previous one. You write words on cards on both sides. An English word and its transcription are written on one side. On the other side are written synonyms (if they are), example words in a sentence and translation into Russian. Such memorization of words allows you to divide words into " I know», « Don't know"And then focus on words that are difficult to learn, that is -" Don't know". Here is a more detailed description of the process of learning English words from flashcards. You can make the cards themselves from cardboard or thick paper, or you can purchase ready-made ones in the online store.

3. We select synonyms and antonyms

If possible, it is necessary to think and find synonyms and antonyms for the word being studied. In this form, words are remembered faster. For example, do you know the word fast - fast. Then you met the wordswift - fast, but you don’t know this word yet. You associate it with the word fast, swift = fast. So it will be remembered much faster. And if you still find the antonym slow for it - slow, then the connection will be stronger.

4. Surprised by the new

If possible, create some unrealistic association in your mind. For example, remembering the word fast – fast you along with fast food represent the title slow food . Such associations usually cause a smile. They are unusual - so they are remembered much faster. This ability to change, design and wonder is very important. You are not just assigning one value to another, but looking at it from different sides, from different angles. You wonder, admire and laugh at what you made up. Any information undergoing such processing will be kept in memory much longer.

5. Looking for associations

Sometimes it is difficult to remember a new English word. Well, it is not remembered and that's it! In this case, it is necessary to find associations to it. For example, the words are often confused blackberry - blackberry, bilberry - blueberries and strawberries - strawberry. If we break them down into components, for example, black - black, berry - berry. Bill similar to bill - account and straw - straw. It is quite easy to remember these words.blackberry remembered as "black berry". And if you also remember the once very popular phone, then remember the meaning of the word even better.

Blueberries are remembered as "the berry that lies on the bill."

Strawberries are remembered as "a straw that is stuck in strawberries."

For associations, it is better to use words that can be easily imagined, that can be seen, endowed with taste, color, touch, etc.

The more words you know, the easier it will be for you to find associations to new words. Therefore, many are surprised how 80-year-old professors sometimes remember words or other information better than teenagers. The secret lies in the right habit of remembering and a huge vocabulary.

6. Remember words in context

Unprepared students memorize words as "word" = "translation". In this form, they are remembered very poorly. Too loose connections. Our memory works with images, emotions, rhythms, and therefore information should be presented to it in this form. Don't forget to look at how a particular word is used. We have a tendency to use words that we use in Russian in English without specifying the context. For example, when we ask in a cafe “whether a chair is occupied or not”, in Russian, we use the word busy -busy . Unfortunately, we cannot say Is this chair busy ? Is this chair occupied? It would be correct to say " Is this chair occupied? Is this chair occupied? Word busy implies the absence of time, which cannot be applied to an inanimate object, in our case, a chair. Therefore, check the context of each word according to the examples given in dictionaries.

7. Learn to Express Emotions with Synonyms

We have already written that it is very desirable to find synonyms with antonyms for the words you want to remember. New words connect more easily with words you already know. Another aspect of such memorization is finding words to express certain emotions. We live in a world of emotions and logic. Depending on the temperament of a person, one or another component predominates in it. Therefore, it is good to have ready-made blanks in stock. For example, let's take joy. How can we admire this or that event? Let's find a few words that make it possible to do this.

It's cool!

It's wonderful!

It's beautiful!

It's amazing!

It's thrilling!

It's exiting!

It's breathtaking!

It's far out!

By forming words into groups according to their purpose, it will be easier for you to use them.

8. Ridiculous stories

We have already written that words similar to each other are remembered worse, so you should not learn words alphabetically. If the word is clothed in a story, or rather in an absurd story, the effect will be even stronger. For example, you need to remember the wordceiling - ceiling. You imagine that you have entered your room, and there the entire ceiling is made of silicone. It may be difficult for some to imagine silicone. Silicone is a material with elastic properties. The story is ridiculous, because ceilings are not made of silicone, so your memory will remember this image much better.

9. Chat with friends

In every difficult case, a person needs helpers. It is necessary to maintain your enthusiasm and one of the most effective methods is communication.Try to find friends with whom you will communicate in English. Now there are many different applications that allow you to find friends of interest from English-speaking countries and discuss some interesting topics for you in the language of your interest. There are applications where you can exchange help with those who study your native language, in return, getting advice on the language you are interested in. In this case, the language ceases to be an end, but becomes a means. This is well described in the book Passed By.

10. Watching movies in English

Watching movies is one of the most powerful ways to learn languages. You immerse yourself in the situation and struggle to understand what is at stake. In this state of “special interest,” you remember words much better. We recommend that you do screenshots(screenshots) with the words you want to learn if you are a beginner and watch movies on your computer. After taking a screenshot and looking up the word in the dictionary, leave it without writing down the translation. This will force your memory to be active. If you are watching a movie in a company and it is inconvenient to constantly stop it, then you can read the script in advance and learn all the unfamiliar words. In this case, it will look much more productive.

11. Repetition is the mother of learning

In this old proverb lies the key to success in the study of any subject. Memory cuts off unnecessary information, and its necessity or uselessness is determined by the frequency of its occurrence in your memory, and the relationship to it. We must really remember it. Having hung all the rooms, the bathroom and the toilet with stickers with English words, we will not force our memory to remember them. She will find a way to let them pass.

It is necessary to develop the habit of repeating the material covered in each next lesson. Move on to the study of new material only with a good mastery of the old. Proverb " to bounce off teeth” will help to understand the meaning of what was said. Unfortunately, this principle is not taken into account in many training programs. Such large intervals are made between repetitions that when the time comes to the test on the material covered, the student looks at the material already studied once as if it were completely new. Therefore, do not forget to bring what you have learned to perfection.

And how often do you need to repeat the learned words so as not to forget them?

There are many tips and tables showing memory cycles and effective repetition rates. It should be noted that they are designed for the average student or adult, while memorization performance in a very highly dependent on individual abilities, which, in turn, develop rapidly with regular training.

Start learning words proven 3 by 3 memorization technique with an interval between sets 2 hours and then see how it works for you. With a good result, you can increase the time interval between repetitions. If bad, it should be reduced.

12. We plan our training

Write down on a piece of paper the skills you are working on and the skills you want to develop in the future. Put them in a table, setting the tasks and the time allotted to them. Track your progress by working on these tasks every day. You don't have to be able to work on every skill every day. In our case over speaking, by reading, by letter and listening. Just systematically devote time to them, recording the results. If you don’t have the time or desire to practice a skill, then it doesn’t matter. Fixing your inability to do it now, sooner or later you will have a desire to do it. Well, you do not want to read something now. Okay, watch movies. Well, you do not want to write an essay today. Okay - chat with John about music.Use your mood for more effective learning. Learning should be fun, not torture. And most importantly, focus on your accomplishments, not on what you haven't done yet. You need to feel progress and planning with accountability will help you with this. You can register and study words on-line, then in your personal account you can see how many words you have already learned, and how much you have learned them in time.

Do you have trouble remembering English words and expressions? Do you find it difficult to remember idiomatic and slang expressions? Are you in constant struggle with grammar rules?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are not alone: ​​most people who study are faced with such problems.

Even native speakers have a hard time remembering how to spell a particular word, because there is often no direct connection at all between the spelling of a word in English and its pronunciation.

The secret to remembering new words and their spelling - for both native and non-native speakers - is to develop a good memory. If you are one of those people with poor memory, read on.

This article will explain a few techniques to help you memorize words and grammar in a much easier way.

First of all, you need to understand how memory works.

So how does memory work?

Our memory stores information. As soon as we see, hear, smell, taste or touch something, our memory puts this data in a certain place.

In some cases, however, when we need to extract this information, we cannot find it. Sometimes, even when we are trying to remember something, this piece of information simply cannot be "taken out" from its proper place in our memory.

Can I improve my memory?

Yes! You can use auxiliary tools - mnemonics.

These include pictures, sounds, rhymes, or acronyms that link to a word, expression, or spelling that is difficult to remember.

Imagine: the sea after a storm with parts floating in it and debris from a wrecked boat, algae and other debris floating aimlessly on the surface.

This is what happens to poorly organized memory. It is difficult to find anything in such a huge heap of disordered information.

Now imagine a port or harbor where each boat is anchored or docked in the correct spot. Everything is organized and in its place.

To The picture is a little unrealistic, but hopefully it will help you imagine what a well-organized memory looks like. Following this analogy, a mnemonic is an anchor that fixes a piece of information in a certain place, preventing it from “drown”.

Let's look at a few different ways using such "memory anchors" for language learning.

Using mnemonics to memorize the spelling of words

Spelling mnemonics are used by both native speakers and learners of the language, because it is very easy to get confused in the spelling of English words. If you can't remember how a particular word is spelled, create a mnemonic link to something that will help you remember.

Here is a great example: many people are not sure about the correct spelling of the word "vacuum" (vacuum cleaner). They know that there should be a double letter in the middle, but which one, "c" or "u"? The following video presents a wonderful mnemonics designed to help with this:

Hear, here! How to memorize English homophones

weather or whether? Hear or here? There, their, or they're?

It is especially difficult to remember the spelling of words that sound the same but have different meanings. And again, mnemonics to help us!

For example, you confuse the words compl i ment and compl e ment . There is a mnemonic that allows you to understand the difference between these words. Let's take a look at it and you'll never have a problem with those two homophones again.

Compliment is translated as "compliment", "praise". This is an expression of delight, admiration.

He told her he admired her music, and she returned the compliment by saying that she was a fan of his poetry. He told her that he loved her music, and she complimented him by saying that she was a fan of his poetry.

Complement, on the other hand, is something that complements or enhances - a complement.

The necklace was a perfect complement for her dress. The necklace was the perfect complement to her dress.

Both words can be both verbs and nouns. Also, both can have other meanings, depending on the context, but these meanings are the most important.

The difference in spelling between these words is that the word compl e ment has an e in the middle, and compl i ment- i. For those who are fluent in Russian spelling, there will not be much difficulty here, since we also write the word compliment through and. But what if you get confused with the Russian language too? How then to remember how each of the words is spelled correctly.

Here's a mnemonic for you: antonym compl i ment- i nsult (insult). Stroke starts with i, so compl i ment in the middle is also a letter i .

When one thing complements another (one thing complements another), it improves it in some way (enhances). Enhance starts with the letter e, so just remember the phrase: if one thing enhances another, it complements it- and you will remember the letter e in the middle of the word.

A barefoot bear drinks beer

Another way to memorize words that have the same sound and pronunciation is to create a mnemonic sentence that includes all the words you are trying to remember.

This sentence should make some sense and be simple enough to visualize and remember. For example: A barefoot bear drinks beer . The sentence is a little silly, but it is well remembered and helps to learn the difference between homophones.

Idioms and slang expressions

A picture expressing a literal interpretation of an idiom can be an excellent mnemonic.

For example, in order for the value of the expression " to be all ears” stuck in your memory, imagine a person with large elephant ears facing you. Such an image will help you remember the meaning and main idea this idiom.

What do people use to hear? Ears, of course. So, if a person has big ears, it means that he listens carefully to what you say.

By the way, how do you like such a literal image of the phrase to be all ears?

Now you may remember this expression forever. I hope you are not reading this article at night, as there may be some trouble.

What about grammar?

If the grammar structure of English differs from your native language, it can be difficult to understand the logic behind the "alien" grammatical concepts.

Learning grammar rules can take a lot of time and effort before you really master them.

Mastery means that you feel completely confident in this and use the grammar rules 100% correctly.

Look at 4 rules that will help you understand these very “alien” grammar rules. Perhaps they will remind you of your own experience.

1. I read the rules and read/see/hear examples of their use. I understand the meaning (or at least I think I do). The rule makes sense. More or less…
2. I begin to do the exercises, and now I realize that I do not quite understand them. I need to see/hear/read a few more examples before I start applying them myself.
3. Now I understand the idea, but there are so many expressions! I hear native speakers misuse this concept. Are they just wrong, or is there something that neither my textbook nor my teacher has told me yet?
4. Now I know (I hope) how to use this part of the grammar. I can use it correctly and I know several different occasions when it needs to be applied. Now I own these rules.

A very important question arises: is it possible to skip one or two steps in this process?

Answer: Yes. It's difficult, but possible.

How to use mnemonics for grammar

It is important to be able to visualize (imagine) a new concept; mental image will help you understand and remember it.

Here is an example. Slavic languages ​​do not have auxiliary verbs for the perfect tense (I have read the book) or for a long time (I am reading the book).

If we draw an analogy with English, in Russian, for example, there is no difference in the sentences "I read" and " I am reading"(in both cases -" I read "), since we understand the difference from the context. But there are no differences in the forms of the verb.

In order for us, Russians, to comprehend the difference between the simple present and the simple perfect tense in English, we need to try to imagine two pictures.

For repetitive actions (for example, Present Simple: " I read every day" [I read every day]) imagine a kangaroo jumping up and down the calendar: I read Monday (jump), Tuesday (jump), Wednesday (jump) and so on.

Well, or such a mnemonic for the phrase "I read every day"

For actions that are happening right now (for example, Present Continuous: “I am reading”), you can imagine a river in front of you, filled with words and phrases. You are sitting on the bank of a river, the text floats past from left to right, illustrating that the reading process is happening right now.

At first, the difference between these two activities can seem like a lot of confusion - one is repetitive and generic, while the other is unfolding right in front of you right now.

But the pictures definitely help visualize the difference and eventually internalize it as well.

And another grammatical example

Let's look at another example of a complex grammatical concept: stative verbs.

These are verbs that are usually not used in continuous forms, even when we are talking about temporary situations or states. Have you ever been confused by the logic of state verbs? How can one and the same verb designate both a phenomenon and an action in the same situation?

Example: compare “The girl is smelling the rose” and "The rose smells good" .

How can we know if it's an action verb (and then we can use the Present Continuous) or a state verb (then we can't use the Present Continuous)? Visualization will help us again.

Imagine every tiny step in this process: you are a girl, you take a flower in your hands, bring it to your nose and calmly inhale the refined scent of a rose. Where is the action here?

I hope you see the action and understand that, in fact, in this case, the action is associated with this whole process.

Now imagine that you are a rose.

What are you doing? What is your action? If you think about it for a couple of seconds, it becomes clear that the flower does not perform any action.

Let's look at a couple more examples:

The cook is tasting the soup. The soup tastes good. (The cook tries the soup. The soup is delicious.)

I'm feeling your forehead. Your forehead feels really hot. Are you sick? (I can feel your forehead. Your forehead is very hot. Are you sick?)

Can you imagine being a chef? What about soup? And can you imagine that you are a forehead?

How to create mnemonics

1. Not all words and expressions are equally important. Therefore, not every vocabulary item "deserves" to have a mnemonic created for it. Identify words and expressions that really have professional or social significance for you, and first create mnemonics for them. Don't worry about too rare and "mysterious" words that you can't remember.

2. Create mnemonics in English, not in your native language. If your mnemonic is a picture, then try to think of it only in English.

3. Don't overdo it: don't make too many mnemonics. If you do this, you will have to spend a lot more time memorizing mnemonics instead of reading, writing or speaking English. We all have limits on how much we can remember, so find your limit.

4. Not every mnemonic makes sense to other people. Mnemonics can be divided into two groups: private and public. Public - those that can be easily understood by other people. Personal, on the other hand, will only be understood by you. Your own mnemonics will be difficult to explain to other people, but don't worry about it: the only thing that matters is your own ability to quickly recall a word or concept from your memory.

I am an English tutor. For three years of practice, I had a lot of students aged 18 and older. Usually they studied the language from their school years “quite actively” and 90% of them were concerned with the following question: “how to learn English words quickly?”.

My first thought is: “I'm a tutor, not a magician. You have to learn to remember." Whether it's rude or not, I don't care. I know from my own experience: if you don’t work (this applies not only to learning a foreign language), then nothing, nothing will work out at all.

I have a two-step tip that will give you a chance to plant harmful words in your head for quite some time.

Step 1. Learning words

Agree, the concepts of “easy” and “quick” have nothing to do with learning words. But we have to forgive them because if we don't know the words, we are absolutely useless with our grammar, good pronunciation and ability to "catch the basics". Therefore, we pull ourselves together, convince ourselves that without this we can’t go anywhere and start studying.

Here, first, a few words should be said about the sources of vocabulary replenishment. You can memorize words in lists, linking them to some topics or categories. And you can learn words from the context, that is, choose a variety of stories, dialogues, anecdotes as the source of new words. Then the meanings of the words will be tied to the specific situation in which they were used. Then reading, retelling and doing exercises for such texts will already be a kind of practice of their application.

Naturally, there are ways to simplify this hard work a little. Here we are looking for different colorful, bright and inherently magical applications and programs like: “learn 100 words a day”, “5 words in 5 minutes”, “an easy way to learn 5000 words”, etc., etc. . They undoubtedly have a number of advantages, maybe after passing through several levels something will remain in memory, but we have one nasty thing - we abandon everything, because the result is not magical.

The problem remains, right? We need to know the words, we cannot clearly express our thoughts. The main advice: well, these synonyms and everything like them in the bath! If you are an ordinary person who plans to communicate with the same ordinary people, you do not need to learn six variants of the word “good”! This is a waste of time and effort. Various: "100 most popular verbs", "250 favorite English words", etc. are your main friends. Not topics, when there are 15 names of diseases in the topic “Hospital”, you use them in your native language 3-4 times in your life, what can we say about a foreign language.

So, we figured out how to learn English words. Now is the time to apply them.

Step 2: Putting What We Learned into Practice

But after you've worked your butt off and learned your 50-100 words from a specific list, you should run headlong and find a way to put them into practice.

Why is it so important? Let you repeat the same word eighty-four times, scroll through your head the same number of times and put it aside with the thoughts that it is “yours”, it will cease to be if you do not use it. If you don't believe me, try it.

Where to find practice? If you are not going to live in a country whose language you are learning, you will have to search a little. I will offer several options.

The first is conversation clubs. People like you go there - those who want to speak English or any other language, depending on which one you learn. Some clubs arrange their meetings so that everyone speaks without fail, usually this is done with the help of various games. And there are clubs in which the order "if you want - say, if you don't want - don't say" reigns. If you have communication problems, it's best to go where you have to speak. If you love strangers and the company of them, then go anywhere. For me personally, the conversation club is the best option. But such clubs are rarely found in small towns or may be located far from you.

Therefore, I propose an alternative - communication on the Web. On the Internet, you need to look for those who want to improve their language skills, and not those who write “pretty” and “sweetie” through the word, inviting guests.

You can go to the screening of films in a foreign language, and after watching this film, discuss it with the others. This option is also good because you very often leave there with two or three interesting phrases or idioms. They are well remembered, because usually before the film there is an analysis of interesting phrases, and then you meet this phrase while watching and concentrate your attention on it.

When there is no way to “get” to living, talking people, such friends come to your aid: series, magazines, books, films, radio, etc.

From all of the above (and this is only a small part of what is), choose close to you - and go! Don't let the learned words run away from you, appropriate them for yourself by putting them into practice.

What gives a good result in memorizing words?

Returning to the contextual memorization of words, online services will help memorize words correctly. For example, our site contains a lot of short stories of different levels of complexity, and exercises are given for each of them. Passing even one lesson a day, you can significantly increase your vocabulary by systematically putting into practice the learned words. For example, after completing a lesson with such a simple comic story, you will remember not only the names of several animals, but also useful phrases on the topic of medicine:

- Doctor, doctor, I "m not feeling very well.
- What's the problem?
- I work like a horse, eat like a bird, and I "m dog-tired.
- You don't need a doctor.

Listen "You need a vet"

Do you need a veterinarian

Doctor, doctor, I don't feel very well.
- What is the problem?
- I work like a horse, eat like a bird, and I'm tired like a dog.
- You don't need a doctor. You need a veterinarian.

Learning English words with online exercises

How to learn English words effectively? Of course, with the help of online exercises. It is easy to follow them, as well as to find out the correct answer. Let's try one of them.

Let's summarize. We learn words wisely, i.e. Don't waste time on rarely used ones. And as we learned, we immediately use it. No matter how, the main thing is to do it. Never let knowledge lie idle.

Learn foreign language(especially new words) - hard painstaking work, impossible without tedious many hours of cramming, isn't it? Not really. "If you use the power of your brain correctly, learning can become much faster and more exciting process", - says Inna Maksimenko, the founder of the author's English courses.

Why do young children who learn their native language, as well as polyglots who easily master several languages ​​at once, not experience any special difficulties? Inna told us about effective learning strategies that these people use. Take advantage of their secrets, and you will also learn to memorize words much easier and faster.

Strategy 1. Use the power of emotions.

Tell me what comes to your mind when you mention the word honey (honey)? Only an English textbook or English-Russian dictionary? But people who memorize English words most quickly and easily are able to associate them with something important to themselves.

For example, the same word honey can bring to mind the image of a beloved girl (after all, this is how Americans call those they love). And if you come across a new word in an interesting story, then it will be associated with the emotions that you experience while reading the story. An interesting conversation in English will also help you remember a new word quickly.

Why it works: Any positive emotions activate our ability to learn. After all, they signal that the word refers to something meaningful to us.

Recommended: Learn English with the help of interesting texts, films, books. Chat with people you are interested in. Then the very experience of such learning will become a positive emotional factor that will help you remember the words.

Strategy 2. Embed the new word into your experience.

"When young children learn their native language," says Inna Maksimenko, they begin to notice a new word in a variety of situations, environments, and 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.

Why it works: Thus, the brain forms associations with various parts previous experience, a new word is associated with what the child already knows well, becomes more familiar and familiar. And to reproduce it in memory, you no longer need to strain, you just need to remember sugar or snow.

Recommended: Use a new word more often in various situations - try to use it by retelling the text, doing homework, practicing in English speech with fellow students, with native speakers.

Strategy 3. Believe in your abilities.

Tell me, do you have a good memory? Do you find it easy to memorize English words? Whatever your opinion about your own abilities, sooner or later it will turn into reality. People who successfully learned English believed in their ability to do so.

Why it works: Self-beliefs often turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. By mentally repeating that languages ​​are difficult for you, you are programming your brain to resist learning. "Why memorize these words - your unconscious is sure - after all, nothing will work out anyway."

Recommended: If you think that learning languages ​​is not given to you, try to understand where this belief came from. "It is confirmed by past experience," you say, "and at school I missed the troika for the language, and at the institute I passed the exam twice." In fact, these events have nothing to do with your abilities at all. The reason for the failure could be poor health, lack of time to prepare, or the fact that you did not need knowledge of the language at that time. Learn to separate individual failures and your abilities in general, and believe in your strength.

Strategy 4. Remember forever.

"How long will my knowledge of English last after your courses?" many listeners ask. "If I don't use the language, won't I forget it a year after graduation?" The answer to this question also largely depends on the beliefs and motivation of the person himself. Successful language learners usually believe in their ability to quickly recover knowledge. "When I have such a need, I will quickly remember everything that I need," they say.

Why it works: Our beliefs form not only the ability to perceive information, but also the ability to store it. We can believe that we have a good, in principle, memory - only a little short. "It will fly in one ear and fly out the other," we say in such cases - and the reality, as always, confirms our expectations.

Recommended: Form in your mind an image of a quick recovery of lost skills. Determine the period of time during which your skills will recover. For example: "A week of work on the language will be enough for me to remember everything." "Two hours of communication with a foreigner is enough for me to start speaking fluently and confidently again."

Strategy 5. Remember the goal.

Studies have shown that people who have a good reason for learning a language are able to master it much faster than others. For example, one of the Moscow doctors managed to master English in just a month - knowing that this would allow him to go on a foreign internship. Students who are told that certain words will be required in the next lesson, according to statistics, remember them better than those who are not mentioned about it.

Why it works: Any undertaking is impossible without a good reason, desire, motivation. Motivation is empowering. People who start learning English because it's fashionable often drop out of school halfway through. And if you have a goal, then your chances of successfully mastering the language are greatly increased.

Recommended: Remember why you are learning English. Perhaps you dream of going to study in the USA, or watching the original version of the famous musical "Cats", you want to get a promotion, or you dream of giving lectures in English. When memorizing words, choose, first of all, those that you actively use in Russian.

Strategy 6. Learn unconsciously.

A small child easily masters his native language in the process of playing, communicating, learning about the world. A person who finds himself in the country of the language being studied quickly "absorbs" dozens and hundreds of new words, along with the peculiarities of pronunciation and grammar. But they do not sit over textbooks and do not memorize words on purpose!

Why it works: It is no secret that an ordinary person uses only a tiny part of the potential of his own brain. But people who successfully master any language were able to use the hidden possibilities of their unconscious. It is known that the unconscious learns several times faster than the consciousness. This happens in those moments when consciousness is "loaded" with other activities. For example, while you are watching a movie or chatting with a friend, you are focused on the topic of the conversation. Meanwhile, your unconscious remembers new words.

Recommended: Learn English words in practice. For example, read an interesting story, watch movies, listen to audio materials, news, and communicate with people in English more often. Then your consciousness will be busy with the plot, and the unconscious will be able to easily learn new words and expressions. "In our courses," says Inna Maksimenko, "we don't learn words on purpose. Nevertheless, they are easy to remember."

I hope I convinced you that it is quite possible to memorize foreign words easily. You just need to set a goal, believe in yourself and start working on English language. And then, one day, the ability to easily communicate or lecture in the language will become a reality for you.

Natalya Eremeeva, englishmax.ru