Memory? Yes, I mean the ability to remember things may have a lot to do with your learning. Some people even said that learning is just a matter of memory. Does that make sense to you?
You may have learned English for such a long time, which may mean you have read so many English books, articles, blog posts and other reading material. Also, you may have watched or listened to a lot of English movies/films, songs, TV programs etc - all in English, and most of them are things written or sung by native English speakers. But, did you possibly ask yourself how much you have really learned or truly memorized? When you are trying to write or speak by using what you have read or heard, chances are you'll be not so sure whether you have remembered them correctly, and thus you hesitate or even can't manage to write or speak anything. How so? How could I...? You didn't try to remember/memorize what you read or heard, or you didn't really learn them. Or, you may have tried but failed to remember them.
Memory "tricks"
Remembering things is not always so easy, though - it takes a lot of time and effort. There are skills or effective ways to help you to memorize words, phrases, sentences or even paragraphs, but you may find some of them work well for you while some not. Repetition can be such a good way but can also be boring. Some people may try to remember them as a group or a set or by comparing; some may try to write them down or make a sentence or even write a passage with them. Some people are really good at remembering, while some may feel so helpless or hopeless. Some people suggest using your imagination when you're trying to remember a word or words or whatever you're trying to remember. The key is that you should try to find a way or a trick which works well for you.
Do you think or agree that learning is a matter of memory? Can you share some memory tricks with us?
Comments
I always memorized things by repetition. As far as learning English and its vocabulary is concerned I memorized '504 essential words' and then started making my own note book of new words and started using them. These tricks helped me a lot in learning English.
Expector Smith!
GOOD TOPIC.
@Luci
Thanks for sharing your tricks. You're an advanced learner and you speak good English, so I expected you to share something with us. It seems you're so good at memory, though.
u came up with interesting topic and I agrree that we differ and what works good for me, won't work for u :) I am that one kind of human being who will never ever remember sth they have read. I need to listen to it. Yes, even when I used to be student I was repeating it all out loud. My sister hated me for it :D So in my case the most effective way to learn sth is to talk to somebody whose level is better..plus to write the blogs!
@Anele
Thanks again. That was amazing - I really enjoyed your story and can hardly wait to know more about your mentor. So, no wonder you speak good English.
Keep up your great work here, my friend.
@Anah
Thanks for sharing your tricks. I'm glad you've found the tricks which work so well for you.
Nice blog .. !
I agree with you that learning is a matter of memory. I am not good at memorizing things but I got some tricks to memorize them very well. Whenever I learn a new word or phrase I try to make a sentence or write a paragraph using that word or phrase, I can remember them easily that way.
Doc, she was an English author. Her books were my companions when I was growing up. I owe my encounter with this author from my grandmother who was an avid reader of her books. My grandmother was able to buy all her books and built a mini library for them.
It was a pity that the books were divided to her children when grandma died. Those books taught me a lot of things about life. It was more of guiding me during my adolescence to maturity than reading with mere pleasure. Second to my mom, the author of those books became very influential to me because her English became my English as early as my teenhood. Thanks to her, I learned English at a very young age which was not common to young people of my age that time.
It took me years before I came to realize where I began to learn English. I thought I went through an ordinary activity that normal teens in my place had undergone, too. When some people in EC asked me what I did to improve English, I began to realize gradually that there was actually a person whom I allowed to teach me English her way.
You will surely come to know about her, too, Doc. Soon!
@afro
Thanks for sharing your tricks. I was really impressed with your blog posts about confused words "similar but not same". You got it!
@courage
Thanks for the tips. I agree that interest, motivation and concentration are all important when it comes to remembering.
@Anele
Many thanks for the memory trick - it's unique. In fact, I wondered where Anele has learned all the English - now I know the secret. I'm looking forward to your blog about the amazing tutor. Is she a Filipino or a native English speaker?
My memory trick worked very well with me but it took me years before my skills were honed up to hmmm....shall I say near perfection (I still commit mistakes). Actually I didn't memorize any word or English phrase I encountered. It was a different kind of repetition that helped me recall a lot of vocabularies and English phrases in a quick recollection whenever I write.
My trick. I started reading at a very young age and never changed (not even once) the author of the books I read. Little did I know that by doing so, I would be able to embrace everything about this author. Her style of writing became my style, her words became my words, her positive attitude in writing became my attitude also. By patronizing only her books I was not aware that she became my personal tutor since at that age I was so poor in English.
It was only when I became mature that I realized she played a very great role in my pursuit to attain a good level in English. I will hold her name for a while if you don't mind, Doc because I am thinking of sharing my experience with this author in a blog. She had written more than 700 books. I never regretted reading all her books in place of other bestselling novels in the world. If I am able to write good English, it's because of her and her numerous books.
I told you it was a different kind of repetition because I only read books by only one author. And it was very effective for me.
I would like to find similar words...and rhyming words...rhyming words are really cool.
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