What English words do you need to learn first? How to learn English words: hard and easy ways. Communicate with native speakers

As we promised you in our first lesson, in this lesson we move directly to practical actions. Today we will deal with foreign vocabulary, namely: we will talk about what ways there are to memorize foreign words.

We have divided the material for today's lesson into three parts. From the first part you will learn about which words you need to remember first. In the second part you will become acquainted with special techniques designed for memorization. And the third part is dedicated effective technology repetitions.

Considering that the scope of our lessons is limited, without unnecessary introductions, let’s get straight to the point.

What words should you remember first?

Let us illustrate this with the example of the Italian football player and football coach Fabio Capello. This man was the coach of the England national team, and held this position for 3.5 years. As you understand, in order to train football players and explain all the intricacies of the game, tactics and strategy, it is necessary, at first glance, to ideally know English. However, Capello performed his duties admirably, knowing only a superficial level of English.

What do experts say about this?

And a couple more tips:

• To make it easier for you to remember items/objects, you can use in your learning so-called visual dictionaries, in which next to the item/object there is an image of it - a drawing, photograph or picture. Thus, you also use visual memory along with associative memory
• Among the huge number of words found in foreign languages, there are words called internationalisms, i.e., one might say, universal words that sound approximately the same in almost all languages, for example, the words “commercial”, “international” ( international), “association” (association), “political” (political), “financial” (financial), “forum” (forum), “company” (company), etc. Just pay attention to them and match them with similar words native language, and remembering them will not be difficult at all

This concludes our conversation about methods of memorizing foreign words, but there is one more very important point: no matter what method of memorizing words you prefer to use, all these words can easily be forgotten if you do not use them regularly. If suitable occasion no, then you must repeat the memorized words, because any information is quickly forgotten within a few days after learning. But repetition must be done not just anyhow, but using a certain technology. We want to introduce you to her.

Effective repetition technique

The technique we'll talk about is a repetition program based on the method of the German experimental psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, who studied the patterns of memorization. In the process of his research, he discovered a forgetting curve, according to which, within an hour after memorizing the material, about 60% of the data is forgotten (participants in the Ebbinghaus experiment memorized short syllables that did not have much meaning), after 10 hours another 25% is forgotten. Then the process of forgetting loses its intensity, but after 6 days the person remembers only 20% of what he memorized. This 20% remains in memory.

The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve looks like this:

The results obtained by Ebbinghaus and clearly displayed on the forgetting curve became the basis of a special regime that must be followed when repeating memorized data, in our case, foreign words.

Based on the fact that any associative series and relationships lose their relevance just an hour after memorization, the first repetition of information should be carried out immediately after studying. In the future, you can use one of the two most popular modes of rational repetition, which, by the way, is also discussed by modern experts.

First repeat mode

The first review mode is designed for when you only have two days to memorize the material.

• Repeat the second time 20 minutes after repeating the first time
• Repeat for the third time 8 hours after repeating the second time
• Repeat the fourth time 24 hours after repeating the third time

Second repeat mode

The second repetition mode is suitable when your time for repetition is unlimited, and you want to remember the words for the longest possible period.

The repetition is carried out like this:

• Repeat for the first time immediately after finishing the lesson (word learning stage)
• Repeat the second time after 20-30 minutes after repeating the first time
• Repeat the third time after one day has passed after repeating the second time
• Repeat the fourth time 2-3 weeks after repeating the third time
• Repeat the fifth time 2-3 months after repeating the fourth time

Of course, the time periods that are suitable for you also depend on the specifics of the information. For example, when perceiving speech and text information, it is recommended to repeat it 15 minutes after the first repetition, repeat it a third time - 8 hours after the second, fourth time - the next day, 24 hours after the third. And accurate information requires that it be repeated a second time - after an hour, a third - after 3 hours, a fourth - after 8 hours, and the next day - every 3-4 hours.

It is also important to note that there is no need to be intimidated by the huge numbers of repetitions that the Ebbinghaus technique assumes. The repetitions that you will do from memory will turn out to be much more interesting and easier than simply studying words. In addition, you can repeat words to yourself at any appropriate moment, in any place and in any environment, for example, while traveling to work or school, while waiting in line, while walking or even shopping. In other words, repeat foreign words you can do it all day long, but, of course, .

Now we, too, with a calm soul and clear conscience We can summarize the second lesson. And in conclusion, we will say that, naturally, three hundred, five hundred and even a thousand words are never enough to master a foreign language fully, so to speak, professionally. After all, a person who is a native speaker usually has a vocabulary of fifty and one hundred thousand words (just think about how many words you know in your native language). But in any case, at the very beginning of mastering a foreign language, you should not “raise the bar” to fifty thousand words. It will be much more effective to learn at least three hundred, because they will already open up horizons for you that seemed previously inaccessible.

In the next lesson we will talk about phonetics - we will talk about methods of pronunciation and correct transcription.

If you want to master the English language, you will have to learn one way or another English words. The more words you know, the greater your ability to understand what you read or hear and express your own thoughts. The question is where to get the words in the much-needed volume, and how to learn them quickly and reliably? After carefully studying this section, you will receive answers to these questions: we share with you not only specific English vocabulary(i.e. in words), but we also provide effective technologies for memorizing it (i.e., we teach you to learn English words).

✯ Golden rules for learning words ✯

Before you start learning specific words, you need to understand a few rules that will make the whole process easier and allow you to learn words easily and painlessly. Knowing these rules, you will avoid serious mistakes and failures.

Learn the most common words first

For a long time, lexicologists have done a lot of work on assessing the use of words, compiling entire lists in which each word was assigned a degree of frequency. For example, scientists have found that the most frequently used word in English language is the definite article the; The second most frequently used verb was the verb to be (to be, to appear), the third was the preposition to (to, in). If you are new to learning English, then... Even if you are already quite knowledgeable in English, we still advise you to look at the indicated page and make sure that all the words from the list are familiar to you. What to do if you know all the words from the proposed list? What words should I learn next? Of course, you can thoroughly scour the Internet and dig up something like the 150 most important words, the 1000 most important words, etc. However, our recommendation here is this: wherever you take the word from (from some list, from a text, from a dictionary, etc.), first of all, ask yourself the question: do I often use this word in my speech? If you use this word at least once a day, then add it to the list to be studied; otherwise, ignore it. Remember: your ability to learn words is limited, so priority should be given only to those that you really need. So, for example, you use the word “bread” immeasurably more often than the word “orangutan”. Or, for example, the verb “to eat” occurs in your speech more often than “to stall.” So decide which words to learn first.

Learn words using associations

Words are learned much easier if you associate them with sound associations. Let's say you need to remember the English word valley (pronounced Vali and translated valley). Perhaps you will remember it the first time and will remember it all your life. But the reality is much harsher - most will forget this word the next day. The word valley will naturally fall out of your head, because it has not yet acquired connections - attachments with what is already in memory. It hasn't caught on anything yet...
So, our task is to associate the word valley with what will keep this word in memory. Firstly, valley (we remind you once again that this word is pronounced Vali and translated valley) is consonant with the word lie around, A lie around possible in valley. So we created the first association - we tied the word valley through sound similarity to the concept lie around, which, in turn, is related to valley. By the way, teaching methodologists even came up with this way to memorize words special term– method of phonetic association. Here is another example of how this method works: the word valley is consonant with ate(meaning coniferous trees). Is it possible to see ate V valley? Why not... Here again we attached valley through sound similarity to the concept valley.
. Learning words using such dictionaries is a pleasure.

Learn words in groups

Words are easier to learn if they are not scattered on their own, but are combined into groups based on some attribute. For example, words can be combined by:

• topics:
• shopping: store, market, counter, goods...
• free time: cinema, theater, club, party, friends...
• travel: plane, tickets, flight, hotel, sights...
• associative rows:
• phone: call, buttons, dear, applications, tariff, connection...
• communicative intentions or speech tasks:
• rebuttal: not true; not true; not at all …
• greeting: hello; Good afternoon; Hello; Greetings …
• phrases:
• computer: buy, turn on, turn off, clean from viruses...
• party: a success, cancelled, postponed, failed...
• “chains” of actions connected by logic or temporary connections:
• every day: go to work, communicate with loved ones, read the news...
• airplane: landing, pilot, economy class, flight attendant, take off, turbulence...
• natural groups of words:
• I have everything: good, bad, very bad, super...
• classifications:
• transport: water (ship, steamship, boat...), railway (train, fast train, metro...), air (plane, helicopter, hot air balloon...)
• groups of cognate words:
• write, rewrite, note, writer...
• antonyms:
• strong – weak; big small …
• synonyms:
• big, huge, big...
• word-formation feature:
• survive, rewrite, rewrite, transmit, call back...

Get to know the rules of word formation

Word formation – its importance cannot be overestimated! English word formation primarily involves the use of prefixes and suffixes. Here's an example: it is known that the suffix -ment forms nouns from verbs. Knowing that in English “to develop” is develop, then “development” is development. If you know that in English “to attach” is attach, then how will you say “attachment”? Of course, attachment. Once you understand at least basic word formation, words will come into your head much faster. By the way, on our website there is.

Write words

It happens that some words cannot be learned. Then it’s time to connect the motor memory. Take a piece of paper and force yourself to write the word several dozen times. The method is far from entertaining, but effective.

Use harmonies

Most often, studied languages ​​like English are our not very distant relatives, and they have much more consonant roots than we think.

Learn to find these consonant roots - there is no better way to root a word in memory. Take, for example, the English word tear and its Russian translation “tear”, “tear”. Take a closer look at the consonants: tr – etc. Agree that they are consonant with each other.

In the end, I would like to say a few words about the physiological aspect of learning words. In fact, memory in general and memorizing words in particular are chemical processes, i.e. chemical reactions. Reactions in the body can accelerate under certain conditions, for example, during physical activity. Reactions are accelerated - the processes of memorizing information are accelerated. This is why many people love to listen to some information, say, during their morning runs. The benefits of light physical activity for memory processes cannot be overestimated! If you are not eager to jog, then just walk around the room or rhythmically squeeze the expander.

Chemical reactions can also be stimulated by taking dietary supplements. One of the most common supplements is glycine, which is sold in any pharmacy. Before use, of course, read the instructions carefully.

And very lastly: words are just means of expressing some ideas, i.e. some content. If you are interested in the content, then the words expressing it will “stick” to you by themselves. Look for what interests you, be it detective stories, science fiction, memoirs outstanding personalities, handicraft manuals, etc. You won't have problems remembering words if some of it is truly interesting to you.

Do you want to know how to learn English words quickly and easily and remember them for the rest of your life? In this article, we will introduce you to several tricks that can be used when learning not only English, of course, but any language, and which will help you quickly memorize new vocabulary. Choose convenient methods and no longer worry about not remembering something or keeping it in your head.

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

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

How to learn new English words quickly and effectively.

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

1. Make cards with words and expressions.

This is a very old method, but proven by generations: you take thick small sheets of paper (so that they do not show through), on one side write an expression in the language you are studying with notes on pronunciation, on the other - the translation, preferably with different pens. Try to write individual words only if they are a pair of antonyms easy— difficult, in other cases, write down phrases on cards go home or even whole sentences and questions Have you been to…? You need to teach them this way: look at the Russian translation and say the expression out loud, turn the card and check yourself, take the next one. Such cards will not cost you anything; you can store them in an envelope and always carry them with you. They are very convenient: repeat them while you are on the subway going to work or stuck in a traffic jam, and always before you go to bed. Double benefit: the cards will be better understood, and you will have a dream in English or Spanish)

1. Combine words by topic.

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

1. Say words and expressions out loud.

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

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

When young children learn their native language, 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, Small child begins to repeat it when he sees white snow, white paper, white sugar. And this is what helps him remember the word quickly and easily. Use a new word more often in different situations - try to use it by retelling the text, doing homework, or fellow students, with native speakers.

1. Make up examples with new expressions.

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

1. Make up funny stories and absurd dialogues.

If you need to learn a lot of new English words at once, make up a short story or dialogue out of them, funny and absurd. My students and I often use this method. The student writes a story or dialogue at home with new vocabulary and then reads it out in class. We do this at the very beginning of the lesson to relax, tune our brains to the language we are learning and have a good laugh.

1. Apply labels.

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

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

1. Make Mind Maps - intelligence maps.

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

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

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

1. Surround yourself with the words you study.

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

1. Connect your emotions.

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

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

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

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

1. Study on training sites.

If you can’t imagine learning without a computer, then learn new English words with its help. Study on educational resources if this is more interesting to you than classic cards or notebooks with words. We recommend the site lang-8.com, where you can practice the language by writing and sending texts to native speakers who will correct your mistakes and give recommendations.

1. Read texts out loud.

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

1. Install useful applications.

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

1. Test your knowledge.

It is useful to take various vocabulary tests from time to time. For example, you can find excellent tests for training oral and written speech at puzzle-english.com or englishteststore.net. After passing such a test, you will immediately see what is stored in your memory and which topics or words need to be repeated.

1. Execute your daily plan precisely.

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

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

If you think that self-study using cards and charts is not your method, we invite you to try them. They will teach you to remember words in context, immediately use them in conversation and put them into practice in everyday situations. Learning new English words in Skype lessons with a personal teacher - isn’t it a pleasant and effective way to spend your time?

LF School warns: learning languages ​​is addictive!

Today, self-development in the form of learning languages ​​and going to the gym is literally considered a trend that everyone is trying to keep up with.

All you can hear from everywhere is “Don’t give up!”, “Be better than yesterday!”, “Work on yourself!”. If you don't have a perfect figure, everything is clear - you need to follow proper nutrition and build muscles. However, is everything so simple in learning English? Let's see.

If you have gaps in English, you should improve your grammar and expand your vocabulary. What to do if your memory is bad and all these words can’t fit in your head? Is it possible to upgrade memory? The answer will pleasantly surprise you - you can.

Of course, some people will be able to quickly learn a number of new English words just by looking at them, while others will have to make an effort. It all depends on your desire.

In order to understand how you can pump up your memory, it’s worth taking into account several of your own characteristics - everything is individual. As you know, there are two types of memory - someone perceives new things auditorily, and others visually. There is one secret technique that we intuitively know at school, but over time we forget.

Remember how during recess, repeating a verse, you walked from corner to corner with a textbook. Indeed, movement helps to remember new things. And of course, memorization is significantly influenced not only by speed, but also by the quality of memorization or the level of attention. It is important to concentrate on what you are learning here and now, and not fly in the clouds.

Understanding what memory is, it becomes obvious that by working on yourself, adding more self-discipline, you can develop your memory and easily memorize required amount new memorization of English words. All the excuses you've used so far aside, it's time to get your act together and take the leap to learn English.

How to quickly learn English words

1. Learn words from context.

It is quite difficult to learn words if they are listed in the dictionary. This method can only be used if you are studying with a teacher who will help you use these words in context, build a dialogue with you using these new words, and transfer the list of new words from your passive vocabulary to your active one.

If you are at the stage of learning English on your own, then it is best to memorize words in the context of a topic that interests you.

In this method of learning new words, two types of memory work - visual and auditory. Subtitles are important because they will help you be 100% sure what the word was just said and how it is spelled. Agree, it is difficult to remember something that you are not confident enough in.

If you study English with a teacher, then he will definitely include podcasts in your classes, which are also a magic wand for expanding your vocabulary.

3. Don't grab every new word.

When learning words, you shouldn’t grab every new word and run to write it down in the dictionary. If only because the number of words in the English language is incredible!

To begin with, it is best to memorize the base of words that you need, depending on your age and lifestyle. Of course, an experienced English teacher will be able to point you in the right direction and tell you what to focus on.

However, you can try and independently determine what you should concentrate on and what words you can omit.

4. Read.

You may be surprised, but now we are not even talking about reading in English, but about reading in our native language. It doesn't matter if it happens fiction or quality articles.

Reading helps make your thinking more flexible and develops your memory, thereby improving your memorization of new words in English.

5. Learn words in combination with grammar.

Many people believe that the main basis of English is words, and you don’t have to work much on grammar. Perhaps someday in a parallel universe this myth will be dispelled, however, now it still exists.

Just imagine, if you know the conjugation of verbs, how many new words you will immediately recognize. For example, if you do not perceive that all these new words in the text are just the first or second form of an irregular verb, they all seem new to you and confusion arises.

6. Learn English with the help of modern technologies, away with old-fashioned flashcards!

Fortunately the world modern technologies This also helps to learn new words. For example, on our website there is a dictionary in a completely free format that will help you learn new words, memorizing them auditorily and visually. Learning takes place rather in a playful way, which helps make the process of memorizing new words much more enjoyable.

In order to remember an English word faster, you can draw a certain parallel with it in your mind. It doesn’t matter whether it will make sense to someone else, the main thing is that it carries a certain message for you and, remembering this association, you could remember a new word.

For example, the word "sing" is somewhat similar to the word Singapore. A parallel can be drawn with the phrase “singing in Singapore”. In this method, only your fantasy and imagination are important, add creativity.

8. Pay attention to words of common origin.

Words of common origin in different languages, cognates, seem to have been created to instill the belief that learning a new language is not as unattainable as it might seem at first glance. When learning new words, you will personally see that many English words are similar to Russian ones.

9. Communicate with native speakers.

It's no secret that the easiest way to learn a language is in an environment where it is spoken. However, you don’t have to go to another country to do this. You can find yourself a pen pal or call him on Skype. Communication with a native speaker will be very useful when learning new words.

There are even many websites where people from different countries They offer to improve your English for free, in return by learning something from your native language. However, it is better to use this technique when you already have fairly confident English. On initial stage It’s better to turn to a professional teacher so that he can point you in the right direction.

10. Use the S.M.A.R.T goal system.

Set goals when learning new words in English and you will see progress. It's much more enjoyable to learn English by noticing your progress. S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound - i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Promise yourself that in the next month you will learn 70 new words that are most in demand in the English language.

11. Speak and think like a native speaker.

When learning new words, pay attention to the accent and intonation with which the word is usually pronounced. Try to imitate these elements at the very beginning of learning the language. In the future, this will greatly help you overcome the barrier of communication with native speakers.

12. Don't be afraid to make a mistake.

In order to speak competently, it is not necessary to remember all the words that exist in English. It is enough, for starters, to master the basic base of words, of which there are about 300. Having studied the base, you will be able to express an idea even without knowing any word using the paraphrasing technique.

Learning a language no longer seems so out of reach. Is not it?

By the way! We recommend reading our article on how to quickly learn English. Not everything is so simple :)

How to help your child remember English words easily

What can you do to help your child learn new words?

There are many memory poems that will greatly simplify the process of learning English for children. Can methods for memorizing new words developed for children be used by adults?

Yes! Both children and adults can learn language through nursery rhymes.

For example:

We were given red tomatoes for lunch!(red)
And a lemon, when it is ripe, has a yellow skin!(Yellow)
I love running around the city in blue jeans!(Blue)
Orange means orange, the color is the same, we will eat it.(orange)
Let's call the mouse gray, he will be the gray mouse.(Gray color)
Black - our black master, as always, came alone.(Black)
Green - green grass, it grew on its own.(Green)
Brown is a new chocolate, I'm happy with brown.(Brown)
White color - white and snow.(White)

You can help children learn new words by studying rhymes and demonstrating objects about which we're talking about in a poem. This technique will be useful when working on the following poems:

This is a bear, this is a hare,
This is a dog and this is a frog.
This is a car, this is a star,
This is a ball and this is a doll.

One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
The little finger on the right.

With the help of poems, you can learn not only new words, but also remember temporary structures. For example:

To have
I have a father,
I have a mother,
I have a sister,
I have a brother.
Father, mother, sister, brother -
Hand in hand with one another.

Using this rhyme, you can work out the construction of the question:

How to learn English words for business

Don't be afraid, everything here is the same as in learning general English. The main thing is to select the necessary sources of study. It is worth focusing on videos on a topic that is relevant to you.

When choosing a textbook, you should also consider the business area you need. By studying business English with a teacher, he will help you place all the accents correctly and focus on the topics that you need, be it business, aviation or agriculture.

Do you need a mentor? Of course no one can say, for example, how to learn English words in 5 minutes;) But m We will select the best teacher who will lead you to results. Set goals and achieve them! Nothing is unattainable, the main thing is to set your priorities correctly and understand what to work on.

Good luck on your way to perfection!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Vocabulary matters a lot. If you know the words, you understand what it’s about, even without knowing the intricacies of grammar. If you don’t know the words, you communicate like Ellochka the cannibal. Today we are talking about how to remember a lot and for a long time.

Conventional learning of words has low efficiency. For example, over 11 years of the school program, students memorize an average of 1-1.5 thousand words. To speak like a native speaker, you need to know at least 8 thousand words; the Upper-Intermediate level requires knowledge of 6 thousand words. To understand CNN news, which is created taking into account the interest of a foreign audience, you need to know at least 3 thousand words.

Using traditional methods, it is easy to learn up to 10 words in one go, but only a few can remember 30 or 50 new words in one day.

Everyone who teaches foreign language, face the following problems:

Words are quickly forgotten if they are not repeated;
- it is very difficult to learn many words at once;
- people simply don’t know how to learn words effectively;
- when a word enters short-term memory, a person stops working with it.

Why is that?

German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted research on “pure” memory - memorization that is not influenced by thinking processes. To do this, the scientist proposed a method of learning meaningless syllables consisting of two consonants and a vowel between them, which do not evoke any semantic associations.

During the experiments, it was found that after the first error-free repetition of a series of such syllables, forgetting occurs very quickly. Already within the first hour, up to 60% of all information received is forgotten; 10 hours after memorization, 35% of what was learned remains in memory. Further, the process of forgetting proceeds much more slowly and after six days about 20% of the total number of initially learned syllables remains in memory, and the same amount remains in memory after a month.

After a series of experiments, Ebbinghaus developed the Forgetting Curve (also called the Ebbinghaus Curve) in 1885. Based on it, the following conclusion was made: for effective memorization, repetition of memorized material is necessary.

To remember information for a long time, after studying it, you need to repeat it at least five times:

1. 20-30 minutes after the first study;
2. after a couple of hours;
3. the next day;
4. in 1-2 weeks;
5. 2-3 months after the fourth repetition.

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

Other traditional methods

- Learn with the help of a dictionary, in order
Boring and ineffective. The words start the same but have different meanings, making them difficult to remember. Also, you don't know in what context the word is being used.

If you want to use a dictionary, it is more convenient to make a list of words on a specific topic, for example, select the category “Clothing” or “Travel”. A community of related words is easier to remember.

- Learn using sticker cards
On one side of the card we write the word in Russian, on the other - in English. You need to spend time making cards, but you can carry them with you and repeat the words whenever you have a free minute. If you don’t want to bother with paper, you can download a special application to your smartphone.

- Learn words in context
For example, when watching TV series or movies. For beginners, it’s better to start with TV series; you can watch them with subtitles. There is no need to memorize an unfamiliar word separately. Write down or copy an entire sentence from the subtitles at once. This way you will remember in what situations it can be used.

Method of associations or “Mnemonics”

The Mnemonics method is gaining popularity.
The main principle of this technique is to remember information by building visual connections between a word and its meaning.

Facts about mnemonics:

Scientists have found that the human brain is best at creating visual connections.
- The method appeared 2.5 thousand years ago. It was used by the ancient Greeks, including famous thinker Socrates.
- Mnemonics gives quick results. Any person, if desired, can achieve a memorization speed of 100 words per hour or higher.

Why mnemonics?

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

Algorithm

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

Step 2
Find an association with a similar sound to a Russian word. Fist in English fist. You can, for example, imagine a pistachio clenched in your fist. Absurd and funny associations are best remembered: the brighter the better. It is also worth creating your own associations, as they will be more vividly remembered.

Step 3
Combine the association with the picture. The picture depicting the word and the association picture must be visually connected. For example, remembering the word crown, you can imagine a crane lifting a crown. If the crane and the crown are simply next to each other in your imagination, there will be no effect; it is better to imagine that the crane is lifting the crown by the edge or on a rope. It is better to imagine a huge crown, since large objects are better remembered. You can also add a certain sound or music playing in the background, which you would associate with the crown.

Step 4
Repeat the memorized word out loud 4-5 times in English, raising your eyes slightly upward, as if looking at the bridge of your nose. Scientists have found that with this position of the eyes, the greatest number neurons. You need to keep your eyes open, if you remember with your eyes closed, then you will remember with your eyes closed.

Step 5
Repeat the words - at least after an hour or two, every other day and every month. High-quality associations are stored in memory for a month. If you do everything according to the algorithm with repetition, you will remember the words for years.

Common mistakes

- Trying to learn everything at once
Many people start studying intensively, wanting to learn English in a week or a month, and quickly give up. It is much more effective to allocate a little time, for example, half an hour, but every day. This way the brain will have time to process the information and there won’t be too much interruption that the word will be forgotten. At the same time, your memory will be in good shape, and there will be no overload.

- Learn right away Difficult words that do not correspond to the level of language proficiency
If a word is difficult to even pronounce, there is no point in learning it. Beginners need to learn the most common words, this is about 400 words. More than half of them are verbs. Start easy and increase difficulty.

- Don't repeat what you've learned
Without repetition, new words are forgotten.

- Memorize without understanding the context
You won't be able to use new words if you don't know in what situations they are used.

- Learn incorrect pronunciation
You must first listen to the correct pronunciation, even if you know the reading rules well. A good site for listening is wooordhunt.ru.

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

And the most important thing

• Share your successes with friends to keep you motivated.
• Reward your successes to get used to the fact that learning is good.
• Develop memory in general, not only in English.
• Practice the words you've learned in conversation clubs to finally consolidate the words in context.

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

Bonuses for Habr readers

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