3 tricks: how to memorize English words using associations

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

What is the best way to memorize English words so that they are firmly entrenched in memory? This guest article by Evgeniya Khokhlova from will teach you how to find the right associations and memorize new English words better.

The feeling of a lack of words to express thoughts comes to us even in communication in our native language. What can we say about English.

A large vocabulary is the key to successful communication, which is why it needs to be constantly replenished. For beginners, learning English is the hardest part: to speak the most basic topics, you need to know at least 1,500 words.

When asked "", scientists and English teachers give different numbers. On one thing they agree: the more, the better.

The easiest and most effective way to memorize new words is to use associations. Here are three tricks that can help you tangibly replenish your vocabulary.

1. Reception Vladislav - Baby don’t hurt me

In scientific circles, it is known as the phonetic association technique. Foreigners who are eager to learn Russian use it to the fullest. The essence of the method is to choose a word from the native language that is consonant with the foreign word that needs to be learned. How to memorize the lyrics to What is love - Baby don’t hurt me? Replace the English phrase with friends and family "Vladislav".

With this method, babies memorize difficult words in early childhood. For example, how can a seven-year-old young man memorize the name of a great mill-fighter (suppose he has such a need)? “Don Quixote” doesn’t tell him anything, but “thin cat” is a familiar and funny phrase.

Foreigners have gone further: they can compete with children in terms of inventing phonetic associations.

• True Bar - Trumpet.
• Serve Coffee is a church.
• Horror Show is good.
• Our device is Korea - get dressed soon.
• Pale Man is a dumpling.
• Meaty or eat - meteorite.

The method of phonetic associations helps not only to memorize words, but also to learn the rules of pronunciation. English-speaking inventors have even come up with an association to pronounce the most romantic words on the planet, yellow blue tea bear.

What prevents you from choosing associations for English words?

• Keep it - boils.
• Afraid - eh, Freud!
• Necessary - carries a saree.
• What can i do - I will find vodka.

The pronunciation of the word "pedestrian" in English is not difficult to remember, although the associative array is on the verge of a foul (pedestrian - pedestrian). And associations, in addition to sound, are also semantic. It is also easy to connect to the word necessary and a lexical (semantic) association: necessary (necessary, necessary) - "carries a sari", because a sari is a necessary thing in India.

2. Taking Brad Pitt

This technique can also be called the technique of lexical associations. To memorize, you choose a word that is similar in pronunciation and at least remotely related to the word being studied by meaning. Even if there is no remote connection, then you can try to create it.

Let's look at an example. In order to remember the word heel - "heel", you just need to remember the name of the hero known for his death because of this part of the body. That's right, it's about Achilles. Now just repeat a few times: "Heel is the heel because Achilles." For a better memory, you can also imagine Brad Pitt in the movie "Troy".

Similarly, it is easy to draw parallels with other words:

• Palm - "palm" (think of a palm tree and its leaves, open like a palm).
• Skull - "skull" (you can imagine the Indians, whose favorite pastime was scalping).
• To look - "to look" (think about how difficult it is to watch someone cut an onion).

You can choose an association for a wide variety of words - you just need to connect a little imagination.

3. Reception of falling into a puddle

This technique is also known as the “autobiographical association technique”. To remember a word, you need to associate it with some event in your life. For example, have you ever fallen into a puddle? Remember the unpleasant sensations? Now repeat the word puddle several times - "mud", "puddle". It will not be difficult for you to remember it.

The word court, meaning "court," is easy to remember when you think of a tennis court. Have you played tennis? Imagine yourself stepping onto the court? Now think about the fact that earlier the courts were held in wide squares, where a crowd of onlookers could sit, and the word will be remembered.

The word inception - "beginning" - is easy to remember, because you most likely watched the film of the same name with Leo DiCaprio. To memorize new words, you just need to pay attention to the original titles of the films.

Many words are easy to memorize because they have already become part of your professional slang. For example, the slang of IT specialists is almost 90% filled with words of English origin:

• Fix - from to fix (fix, fix).
• Bug (debug) - from bug (error).
• Connect - from to connect.
• To use - from to use.

In many professions and in everyday life, we often use a huge number of words of English origin. We just need to remember (or Google) the words from which they originated:

• Shake - "shake" (here you just need to think about the bartender with a shaker).
• Roll - "to roll", "to roll" (all thoughts about sushi and Japanese cuisine).
• Escape - "run away" (remember the Esc key on the keyboard and how often you had to press it).

To increase the effectiveness of the study, all techniques can be actively combined. The main rule of learning English: do not torment yourself with memorization.

We wish you every success!