Do you have problems remembering English vocabulary or expressions? Do you find it difficult to memorize idiomatic expressions or slang? Do you struggle to understand grammar concepts?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re not alone: most language learners have these problems.
Even native speakers of English have a hard time remembering spelling for some words because often there is no direct correlation between English spelling and pronunciation.
The secret to remembering new words and spellings – for both native and non-native speakers – is to develop a good memory. If you are one of those people who think that they have a poor memory, read on.
This article will explain some techniques that will help you remember vocabulary and grammar much more easily.
First, we need to understand how memory works.
7 Ways to Remember Vocabulary Words and Definitions
Read
No matter what language you are trying to learn, the best way to get hold of that language is to read. Reading exposes the reader to a wide and lavish world of vocabulary.
Readers are free to read whatever he/ she wants, be it a novel that they enjoy, a comic or even the newspaper. In order to learn and remember new words, the task has not to be boring, it can be done in a fun way too. There are endless reading opportunities on various online websites.
The reader can choose their favourite piece and boost their language skills. This is a win-win situation for any reader as they learn about new things plus also improve their words.
Memory Techniques
This is a mental shortcut and one of the best ways to memorize vocabulary words which are not even so easy. Learners can create associations between words. To memorize vocab words in one night, one can even come up with acronyms like when he/ she needs to go to the STORE to buy Spinach, Tomatoes, oranges, Rolls, Eggs.
There also one has to remember the acronym but with regular practice, one can come up with useful and creative connections. Creating and practising more and more acronyms is one of the best ways to memorize vocabulary words.
Use in Sentences
It’s amazing that you have learned a good amount of new words and even made a list of those words, but, what is the result of so much effort if you can not use those properly? So if you are wondering how to memorize words quickly? then putting that listed word in context is the best way to memorize vocabulary words. By practising this you can see the usage of those words in real-life conversations.
Be Creative
It’s easier to remember things that are not so usual or weird than things that are boring. Relating a new word to something funny or bizarre will help the learner to picture the word in a better way thus helping in memorizing the word.
For instance, the word ‘banal’ can be remembered easily if the learner can picture a banana peel that might be floating on a canal. Whenever the learner will think about this, he/ she will be able to remember the term ‘banal’.
Solve Crosswords
This is an old but super effective method for memorizing vocab words in one night. There are daily crosswords given in the newspapers. Learners can simply grab a copy of English daily and start solving the crossword.
This practice is one of the best ways to remember vocabulary words and definitions as while solving the puzzle one has to understand the meaning well.
Word Games
Even though crossword puzzles are available in newspapers, there’s a chance that someone might miss it or it can be hard for people to carry a newspaper every time and solve the crossword puzzle while in transport.
Well, there’s a solution for this too. There are plenty of word puzzle games available in the Android/ Ios play store, once you can simply open that and download some of the top-rated games.
These types of games are usually very interesting as well as challenging. With each level, these games challenge the user with difficult words and this process keeps on going as the player clears the levels.
Flashcards
This is another great way to remember new words and their definitions fast and easy. It is a good practice to write the new words on a small card along with its definition on the back. For memorizing vocab words in one night or in a short period of time, one can easily go through these flashcards several times a day.
And what about grammar?
Grammar is like a game. Some who are well-versed with the language learn grammar intuitively; some struggle with tenses, clauses, sentences, and so on. Below we put forward some effective ways to learn & improve English grammar.
1. Read the rules and connect with examples
Read grammar rules and explore examples to better undestad the rules.
2. Practise everyday
One of the best ways to improve your grammar is to solve as many exercises as possible.
3. Keep a grammar book at your disposal
Keeping an English grammar book will allow you to revise what you have learnt in class, as well as force you to learn grammar as often as you can.
4. Read more in English
This is one step you can’t skip if you want to get better at grammar. Reading helps you to see how the grammar works. Choose something that you are interested in and read about it. Find books, magazines or newspaper articles that suit your current level of English. You will find new words every time you read, you will start to understand the ‘tone’ of the writer and how they deal with grammar aspects. Whenever you find something that seems different to you, Google it. Indeed, when you are grammatically incorrect, the correct sentences could sound strange to your ears.
5. Watch English movies or TV series
Watch English movie and series with subtitles. Note the usage of language, tenses, subjects and verbs — the three areas people usually mess up in.
6. Listen in English
You can learn English all day, every day by looking at and listening to what is happening around you, on the street, on the bus or train, in the supermarket. Keep your mind, ears and eyes open and you will be amazed how much English, and the culture of the people using it, you will pick up.
