Increase Memorization Skills in Language Learning

Confession time: I am not a fan of memorization. However, in learning a language, especially in learning Grammar and new vocabulary, memorization is important as it is the first step to mastery. Memorization might be difficult, especially for people who have short term memory. There are several ways to improve your memorization in order to master the most important language components.

Here are several ways to do it.

1.       Use word association. This is one of the easiest ways to remember new vocabulary. Tie the word which you want to learn to a world you already know.

Example:

If you want to remember the difference between complement and compliment, then you can associate complement with the word complete. You spell both words with an “e”. These words are synonymous.

2.       Channel the Inner Mathematician and bring it to learning Grammar. People say that English and mathematics are two different realms of study. I beg to disagree. The great thing about language is that it is made up of sentences, and sentences can be broken down to structure. Having a structure means that language is not a chaotic mess – it can be broken down to a logical system of sequence. This is where formulas would come in.

Example:

If you are learning tenses of the verb, then it may be a good time to tell you that, in the very core of a sentence, a verb will always exist. Thus, in memorizing the structures of a sentence and learning the format of a tense of the verb can be done simultaneously. Cool, right?

Let us say you are trying to learn the present perfect tense. Consider this: a sentence is made out of a subject and a verb.

Sentence = Subject + Verb

Present perfect tense for a singular subject:

Sentence = Singular Subject + has + past participle

Present perfect tense for plural subject:

Sentence = Plural Subject + have + past participle

And it is like this EVERY SINGLE TIME.

3.       The Lazy Way Out. For us who despise memorization, what we do is this: use the word or sentence pattern consistently, correctly. Eventually you’ll memorize it.

Although memorization is important in the beginning of language training, remember that language is about use and so the best way to learn a language is through correct and consistent use. Memorization is a byproduct of effective practice.

Good luck!

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