Memorizing English words. The best techniques for memorizing English words

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 foundation on which these skills are based is word learning. After studying several tenses and practicing using them for a couple of weeks, you can speak quite clearly. But then another difficulty arises, this is the study of words. If you approach this seemingly tedious process creatively, you can speed it up many times over. You can even learn to enjoy it. Let's look at a few well-known ways to learn English words.

1. Write down the words in a notebook

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

2. Write words on cards

This method is much more effective than the previous one. You write words on cards on both sides. The English word and its transcription are written on one side. The other side is being recorded synonyms (if they are), example words in a sentence and translation into Russian. This 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 using cards. You can make the cards themselves from cardboard or thick paper, or you can purchase ready-made ones in the online store.

3. Select synonyms and antonyms

If possible, you need to think and find synonyms and antonyms for the word you are studying. In this form, words are remembered faster. For example, you know the word fast - fast. Then you came across the wordswift – fast, but you don’t know this word yet. You associate it with the word fast, swift = fast. This way it will be remembered much faster. And if you also find the antonym slow for it, then the connection will be stronger.

4. We are surprised by new things

If possible, create some kind of unreal association in your mind. For example, remembering a word fast – you are fast together with fast-food imagine the name slow-food . Such associations usually make you smile. They are unusual - so they are remembered much faster. This ability to change, design and be surprised is very important. You don't just assign one value to another, but look at it from different sides, from different angles. You are surprised, delighted and laugh at what you made up. Any information undergoing such processing will remain in memory much longer.

5. Looking for associations

Sometimes it's difficult to remember a new English word. Well, it’s not remembered, that’s all! In this case, it is necessary to find associations for it. For example, words are often confused blackberry – blackberry, bilberry – blueberries and strawberry - strawberry. If you break them down into their components, e.g. black - black, berry – berry. Bill similar to bill – account and straw - straw. You can remember these words quite easily.Blackberry remembered as “black berry”. And if you also remember the once very popular telephone, you will remember the meaning of the word even better.

Blueberries are remembered as “the berry that sits on the bill.”

Strawberry is remembered as “a straw stuck into a strawberry.”

For associations, it is better to use words that can be easily imagined, seen, given taste, color, touched, etc.

The more words you know, the easier it will be for you to find associations for 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 memorization habits and a huge vocabulary.

6. Remember words in context

Unprepared students remember words as “word” = “translation”. In this form they are remembered very poorly. The connections are too fragile. Our memory works with images, emotions, rhythms, so 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 the chair is occupied or not”, in Russian, we use the word occupied -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 using the examples given in the dictionaries.

7. Learn to express emotions using synonyms

We have already written that it is very advisable to find synonyms and antonyms for the words that you want to remember. New words are more easily associated 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 a person’s temperament, one or another component predominates in him. Therefore, it’s a good idea 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 organizing 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 that are similar to each other are remembered worse, so you should not learn words in alphabetical order. If the word is wrapped in a story, or better yet, in a ridiculous story, the effect will be even stronger. For example, you need to remember the wordceiling - ceiling. You imagine that you entered your room, and the entire ceiling was made of silicone. Some may find it difficult 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. Chatting with friends

In every difficult task, 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 can communicate in English. Now there are many different applications that allow you to find friends with similar interests from English-speaking countries and discuss some topics that interest you in the language that interests you. There are apps where you can exchange help with those learning your native language in exchange for advice on the language you are interested in. In this case, language ceases to be a goal, but becomes a means. This is well described in the book “We Passed By”.

10. Watching movies in English

Watching movies is one of the most effective ways to learn languages. You become immersed in the situation and struggle to understand what is going on. In this state of “special interest,” you remember words much better. We recommend that you do screenshots(screen photos) with the words you want to learn if you are a beginner and watch movies on the computer. After taking a screenshot and looking up the word in the dictionary, leave it without writing down the translation. This will keep your memory active. If you are watching a movie in a group 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

This old proverb is the key to success in learning any subject. Memory cuts off unnecessary information, and whether it is needed or not is determined by the frequency of its occurrence in your memory and your attitude towards it. We must really remember it. Hanging all the rooms, bathrooms and toilets with stickers with English words will not force our memory to remember them. She will find a way to let them pass by.

You need to develop the habit of repeating the material covered at each subsequent lesson. Move on to learning new material only if you have mastered the old one well. Proverb " so that it bounces off your teeth" will help you understand the meaning of what was said. Unfortunately, this principle is not taken into account in many training programs. There are such large gaps between repetitions that when the time comes to a test on the material covered, the student looks at the material already studied as completely new. Therefore, do not forget to bring what you have learned to perfection.

How often should you repeat 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 productivity is very highly depends on individual abilities, which, in turn, develop quickly with regular training.

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

12. Planning your 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 out the tasks and the time allotted to them. Track your progress by working on these tasks every day. It is not necessary that you can 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, it doesn’t matter. By recording your inability to do this now, sooner or later you will have a desire to do it. Well, you don’t want to read anything right now. Okay, watch movies. Well, you don’t feel like writing an essay today. Okay, correspond with John about music.Use your mood to study more effectively. Learning should bring joy, it is not torture. And most importantly, focus on your achievements, not on what has not yet been done. You need to feel progress and planning with reporting will help you with this. You can register and study words on-line, then in your personal account see how many words you have already learned, and how long you have studied them over time.

Knowing English in the 21st century is not just a way to broaden your horizons and once again prove your erudition, but also a real necessity. Without the ability to communicate and express yourself freely, the doors to the world outside the post-Soviet space are actually closed. And even more so, there can be no talk of any career advancement either. But if the logical basics (rules for constructing sentences, questions, punctuation) can be learned without any problems, then the question of how to memorize English words remains one of the most difficult for most people.

Say NO to cramming!

The root of the problem lies in the education system itself - at school and university we are forced to memorize new expressions. I retold the text, translated the passage, roughly speaking, “shot back” - and you can safely forget. But you won’t be able to expand your vocabulary this way. Therefore, it is worth listening to the opinions of experienced teachers and psychologists and finding out how to learn English words correctly.

Do you know why it's difficult for you?

In fact, when we learn English words (or try to do so), we often simply do not realize why we need all the information we receive and what exact function it will perform for us in the future. In fact, it is enough to overcome this barrier - and the process of memorization will become absolutely natural and enjoyable.

To achieve results and understand how easy it is to memorize English words, you just need to transfer new foreign expressions from the “foreign” category to the “your own” category. The process of filtering all information occurs uncontrollably in a person - the subconscious itself decides which part of it to skip, which part to retain, and which part to pass in an altered, distorted form. And the first thing we have to do is “hack” this filter.

How to do it?

To make this possible, you first need to reduce as much as possible the stress component, which inevitably makes itself felt in the process of memorizing new information.

You may not realize it or even feel it, but you are subconsciously afraid of that fear of vulnerability and insecurity - fearing not to give up something, forgetting, disgracing yourself, you put yourself in the position of a victim, not a predator. Change your perception of the situation and go hunting! For what? Of course, for new knowledge and a great vocabulary!

Ready to get to practice? Then we present to your attention the most effective ways to memorize English words!

Method number 1. Classical

Perhaps, of all the methods, this is the easiest, although it is inferior to others in terms of effectiveness. You will need a special notebook to write down new words. Write down about twenty words and other units of speech in a column so that the foreign expressions themselves are on the left, and their translation is on the right. Immediately prepare yourself for the fact that you need to learn all these words, and not for a couple of days, but for the rest of your life.

How to quickly learn English words this way? How easy it will be for you to learn new knowledge largely depends on you. The main secret to success is to concentrate 100% on studying. Although at first it will be very difficult, it is really worth striving for.

Read all the written English words.
Read the translation.
Repeat the described steps again.
Take a break for 8-10 minutes - during this time you can do what you want.
Cover the column where the translation is written and try to remember the meaning of each word yourself. Don’t suffer from excessive perfectionism - it’s impossible to learn everything at once. If the translation of a word stubbornly refuses to emerge from the dark depths of your memory, just move on to the next one.
Take another break of 3-5 minutes, relax.
Read the list of all the words and their translations again, paying special attention to those expressions with which you have difficulty.
Take a break again for 8-10 minutes.
Repeat the exercise, covering alternately English and Russian words.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated about how to memorize English words using this method. And one more little tip: after working through one batch of material, you don’t need to immediately move on to the next one - this way you will forget what you learned earlier. It's better to take a break and give your brain time to unconsciously repeat.

Another common mistake beginners make is constantly repeating newly learned words. This should not be done, since you will not contribute to better consolidation of the material in memory and will not speed it up, but, on the contrary, will interfere with the natural process of memorization. It is worth repeating the learned expressions after 7-10 hours, and then every 24 hours. It is generally accepted that after memorizing words you need to repeat them 4-5 times.

Method number 2. Subconscious

As in the previous case, you first need to make a list of 20 words that you plan to learn. We learn English words using this method exclusively before bed. Your task is to focus all your attention on the process of memorization and abstract from the rest of the world.

Try to exert all your willpower. After this, choose a new word and try to imagine it in your mind as vividly and vividly as possible. When this happens, repeat it in a whisper, and then to yourself, without opening your eyes. Then you should relax and work through all the remaining words on the list in the same way.

All information received is stored in the subconscious. When falling asleep, it is important not to think that you want to remember new expressions, take your mind off such thoughts and sleep peacefully. In the morning you will need to repeat everything you learned in the evening. The words that you have learned will remain in your memory for a long time.

Method No. 3. Background

Another interesting method for those who want to know how to remember English words well. On its own it will not be very effective, but in combination with other methods it can bring fantastic results.

Record about 40 new words and expressions or simple text on a tape recorder. Adjust the volume to a medium level and simply listen to the recording many times in a row. At the same time, you don’t need to constantly sit next to each other and listen to the pronunciation of every word and translation. Do what you want - after repeated listening, you will unconsciously remember new information.

Method number 4. Relaxation

How to remember a lot of English words? We offer you another interesting option in which you can use your memory. As in the previous case, new words need to be recorded on a tape recorder. However, the amount of information should be increased - to approximately 80-100 expressions.

It is important that quiet, calm, melodic music be played in the background of the recording. Sit down, try to relax and free your head from unnecessary thoughts, dream a little. Having turned on the recording, you don’t need to concentrate your attention on it and listen closely - let it just sound. You need to repeat this little ritual before going to bed and in the morning, immediately after waking up.

The secret of success is simple: when a person is in a state between sleep and wakefulness, the barriers of internal resistance are almost completely weakened, as a result of which we learn English words much faster and more effectively than usual. This exercise should take no more than 1/6 of the total time you devote to mastering a foreign language.

Method No. 5. Hypnotic

So, let's move on to the next method. How to quickly memorize English words without putting in almost any effort? Probably every person who reads this article has asked himself this question. This option is ideal for those who just can’t bring themselves to study the language seriously - in a word, a real salvation for the lazy.

Again, you need a tape recorder. This time we write down up to 35-40 words and expressions with translation. Before going to bed, re-read the material from the sheet twice, turn on the tape recorder and listen to the recording twice. You shouldn't focus too much on it - just repeat the words after the player. After that, go to bed. For 40 minutes, your assistant (yes, you can’t do this on your own) must play the recording, gradually reducing the sound. Fortunately, in our age of high technology, a computer program can also cope with this task.

In the morning, about 30-40 minutes before you wake up, the “assistant” should turn on the recording again. Now, on the contrary, you need to start with the minimum volume and gradually increase it. When you wake up, don't rush to get out of bed - wait until the recording ends. In just 20 sessions you can replenish your vocabulary by 100-120 words and expressions.

Method number 6. Motor-muscular

Most likely, you have already heard about him. The idea is simple - every new English word is compared with some real object and then learned. Naturally, you won’t be able to use this method with all expressions, but you can still use it with many.

How to quickly learn English words this way? It's simple - combine them with objects from your environment that represent a particular word. Let's say you need to remember the word “pen”. Take a pen in your hands, feel it, even write something while pronouncing a foreign term.

An important point: it is not enough to simply imagine the actions; you must perform them yourself. In this case, the entire memorization process is based on movements. To better consolidate words, you need to perform as many actions as possible. In this case, you should focus not on the term, but on the movement you are making.

Method No. 7. Figurative

Again, in order to learn the material, you do not need to make any effort - all information is remembered involuntarily. Just use your imagination and draw interesting pictures in motion. How to learn many English words in a figurative way? First, match the English word with a Russian word that sounds similar (for example, “snack” and “snow”). Now imagine how the snow and the snack come together. Logic is not important - the main thing is that the picture is suitable.

You can memorize up to 25 words at a time. When you get a little used to creating pictures for individual expressions, you can complicate the task. For example, you can take any dynamic picture or photograph from a magazine, memorize it and write down on a piece of paper the names of all the objects depicted on it, both in English and in Russian, and write down a consonant Russian word next to it.

Method No. 8. Composite

Regardless of the number of syllables, any foreign word can be divided into three parts. For each part it is necessary to select a Russian word that sounds similar to the beginning. The meaning of what you get as a result of such linguistic manipulations, in fact, does not matter at all. Having done this with each syllable, we move on to the next stage. All Russian words should be combined into one meaningful phrase, at the end of which there should be a translation of the word that you want to remember. Let's consider this using the example of the word “sinister” (sinister): A BLUE fog spread over the clearing.

It is very useful to combine 5-6 new words into one short text, and then learn it in its entirety.
Try not to learn all the words in a row, but only those that you really might need.
Memorize not only individual terms and definitions, but also the features of their use in various set expressions.
After your vocabulary exceeds the 1000 word mark, try to remember special formative statements and plug-in constructions that will help you make your speech smoother and more natural (“rather”, “probably”, “really”, “it should be said that.” ." etc.).
Use synonyms: even if you cannot say exactly what you wanted, it is better than remaining silent for a long time.

How to remember a whole text?

Now that you already know how to memorize English words individually, you need to say a few words about the secrets of memorizing coherent texts. First of all, read the entire article and understand it 100% - without this, nothing further will work at all. Having finished reading, divide the text into several parts and title each of them. You also need to learn it in parts, restoring logical chains in memory. At first, you shouldn’t mock yourself, trying to “drive” articles longer than a page into your memory; you need to increase the volume gradually - this is the only way the learning process will be easy and enjoyable.

Learning a foreign language (especially new words) is hard, painstaking work, impossible without tedious hours of cramming, isn’t it? Not really. “If you use the capabilities of your brain correctly, learning can become a much faster and more exciting process,” says Inna Maksimenko, founder of the original English language courses.

Why do young children learning their native language, as well as polyglots who easily master several languages at once, not experience any particular difficulties? Inna told us about the effective learning strategies 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? Only an English textbook or an 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 the girl you love (after all, this is what 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. Having 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 this word refers to something significant for us.

We recommend: Learn English with the help of texts, films, and books that interest you. Chat with people you are interested in. Then the experience of such learning itself will become a positive emotional factor that will help you remember the words.

Strategy 2. “Integrate” a 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, having heard 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 of previous experience, the 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.

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

Strategy 3. Believe in your capabilities.

Tell me, do you have a good memory? Is it easy for you 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: Beliefs about yourself often turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. By mentally repeating that languages are difficult for you, you are programming your brain to resist learning. “Why remember these words,” your unconscious is sure, “after all, nothing will work anyway.”

We recommend: If it seems to you that learning languages is not given to you, try to understand where this belief came from. “It’s been confirmed by past experience,” you say, “and at school I got a C in my 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 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 from your abilities in general, and believe in your strength.

Strategy 4. Remember forever.

“For how long will your English language skills last after your courses?” - many listeners ask. "If I don't use the language, will I forget it a year after I graduate?" The answer to this question also largely depends on the beliefs and motivation of the person himself. People who are successful in learning languages usually believe in their ability to quickly recover knowledge. “When I have such a need, I will quickly remember everything I need,” they say.

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

We recommend: Form in your mind an image of quickly recovering lost skills. Determine the period of time during which your skills will recover. For example: “A week of working 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: Keep the goal in mind.

Research has shown that people who have a compelling reason to learn 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 an internship abroad. Students who are told that certain words will be needed in the next lesson statistically remember them better than those who are not told.

Why it works: Any undertaking is impossible without a good reason, desire, motivation. Motivation gives strength. People who start learning English because it is fashionable often quit their studies halfway through. And if you have a goal, then your chances of successfully mastering the language are much greater.

We recommend: Remember why you are learning English. Perhaps you dream of going to study in the USA, or watching the famous musical "Cats" in the original version, 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, and learning about the world. A person who finds himself in the country of the language he is learning quickly “absorbs” dozens and hundreds of new words, along with the peculiarities of pronunciation and grammar. But they don’t sit over textbooks and don’t memorize words on purpose!

Why it works: It is no secret that the average 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 capabilities of their unconscious. It is known that the unconscious learns several times faster than the conscious. This happens at those moments when consciousness is “loaded” with other activities. For example, while you are watching a movie or talking with a friend, you are focused on the topic of conversation. And at this time, your unconscious remembers new words.

We recommend: 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 occupied with the plot, and the unconscious will be able to easily learn new words and expressions. “In our courses,” says Inna Maksimenko, “we do not teach words on purpose. And, nevertheless, they are easy to remember.”

I hope I have 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 your English. And then, one day, the ability to easily communicate or lecture in the language will become a reality for you.

Natalya Eremeeva, englishmax.ru

Learning English words is much easier than it seems. If you don’t agree with this, it’s probably because at school you were forced to cram columns of words that were difficult to remember and forgotten the next day. Fortunately, with the help of simple techniques, tutorials and easily accessible materials in English, learning words is now 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 just about memorizing words. Yes, you cannot remove words from the language, but their interaction in speech occurs according to the rules of grammar. Moreover, grammar will not be “brought to life” without practice in reading, listening, speaking and writing. Some of the techniques listed below involve memorizing words specifically in the context of live speech.

Cards with words

Ordinary cards made of cardboard 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:

Getting to know words. Look through the cards, saying the words out loud, trying to imagine the objects, actions, and even abstractions they represent. Don't try to memorize the words thoroughly, just get to know them, hook them on your memory hook. Some words will be remembered at this stage, but unreliably.
Repetition 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 passes). Be sure to shuffle the cards! Learning words with a list is ineffective largely due to the fact that words are memorized in a certain order. The cards do not have this drawback.
Repetition Russian - English. The same thing, but from Russian to English. This task is a little more difficult, but 2-4 passes will be enough.
Consolidation. At this stage, note the time with a stopwatch. Run the deck as quickly as possible, achieving instant recognition of the word without thinking. Do 2-4 rounds, trying to get the stopwatch to show a shorter time with each round. Don't forget to shuffle the cards. Words can be run in both directions or optionally in one (preferably in Russian-English, as it is more difficult). At this stage, you will achieve instant recognition of the word, without mental translation.

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

Spaced repetition method

The method is to repeat words using cards, but at certain intervals. It is believed that by following a certain repetition algorithm, the student consolidates information in long-term memory. If information is not repeated, it will be forgotten as unnecessary.

The most popular program for memorizing words using spaced repetition is Anki. Create a deck of words, and the application itself will select 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 the interval method. If you are learning a selection 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 appear very often in the textbook, when reading, in speech.

Remembering words when 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 your vocabulary by memorizing words using 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 down words from the text while reading. This will not be just vocabulary taken from the dictionary, but living words, surrounded by context, associatively tied to the plot and 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 basic meaning. Write down only a few words per page to reduce distractions while reading. After finishing an article or chapter of a book, you can quickly repeat the words.

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

Memorizing words from video and audio recordings

If while reading it is not difficult 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, rarely used words and more popular colloquial expressions. In addition, listening develops not only vocabulary, but also the skill of understanding speech by ear.

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

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

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

Remembering 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 words you already know, moving them from passive (at the level of understanding) to active.

When writing, be it an essay or informal correspondence in a chat, you have to constantly select words and try to express your thoughts more clearly and accurately. Often a situation arises when you want to say something, but do not know the appropriate word or expression. It’s not difficult to find it with the help of a dictionary, but don’t let this valuable find be immediately forgotten - write down such small discoveries and repeat them in your free time. Practicing active speech activity is a great way to identify such gaps.

During an oral conversation, of course, you won’t be able to look into the dictionary, but conversational practice forces you to 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. Conversation practice for learning a language is like training for the body: you strengthen and develop your “language form”, translating words from a passive stock into an active one.

Conclusion

The first two methods - cards and spaced repetition - are suitable for memorizing collections of words, for example, “In the city,” “Clothing,” and so on. Methods three to five are designed to memorize words during speech practice.

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

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

Cards with words

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

Getting to know words. Look through the cards, saying the words out loud, trying to imagine the objects, actions, and even abstractions they represent. Don't try to memorize the words thoroughly, just get to know them, hook them on your memory hook. Some words will be remembered at this stage, but unreliably.
Repetition 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 passes). Be sure to shuffle the cards! Learning words with a list is ineffective largely due to the fact that words are memorized in a certain order. The cards do not have this drawback.
Repetition Russian - English. The same thing, but from Russian to English. This task is a little more difficult, but 2-4 passes will be enough.
Consolidation. At this stage, note the time with a stopwatch. Run the deck as quickly as possible, achieving instant recognition of the word without thinking. Do 2-4 rounds, trying to get the stopwatch to show a shorter time with each round. Don't forget to shuffle the cards. Words can be run in both directions or optionally in one (preferably in Russian-English, as it is more difficult). At this stage, you will achieve instant recognition of the word, without mental translation.