Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

I have a plethora of word lists to help me, but I am sometimes at a loss of how to memorize them best. What would you guys say is the best way to memorize vocabulary?

By Phantesi (Phantesi) on Thursday, March 27, 2003 - 08:50 pm: Edit

I try to think of little tricks to remember words, like when I have a vocab test. But really, if you don't already know the word, memorization isn't going to help you for the vocab part of the test. There are just too many words out there.

By Virgo007 (Virgo007) on Thursday, March 27, 2003 - 10:16 pm: Edit

mneumonics

By Jason817 (Jason817) on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 12:25 am: Edit

mnemonics doesnt always work for me because i cannot associate some words to anything

By Incognito (Incognito) on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 12:31 am: Edit

Learning certain roots cant hurt. Mnemonics is an effective method ONLY if you're good at it. For example, when I first started learning words, I wasn’t really good at it. Eventually, I honed my skills, and I was able to use it for ANY word. Just pick one. Also, as I learned certain words, I learned roots, and hence simultaneously learned others. For example, when I learned the word bibliophile, I also learned the word philanthropist at the same time (phil- = love).

By Xiggi (Xiggi) on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 10:57 am: Edit

Like Chlorophyll

J/K

By Archie (Archie) on Saturday, March 29, 2003 - 12:07 am: Edit

Learn Greek and Latin roots. It certainly helps to take Latin. One statistic states that students with two or more years of Latin typically score 140-160 points higher on the SAT than their Latin-less peers.

However, I tend to dismiss that statistic only because, from my perspective, it seems the smarter students elect to take Latin.

A great book for learning SAT words AND Latin/Greek roots WHILE testing analogies is Mirriam Webster's Vocabulary Builder.

I hope this helps on your path to eloquence.

By Peach (Peach) on Saturday, March 29, 2003 - 12:14 am: Edit

A few suggestions:

1. Read, read, read.
2. Learn the word in context (but that is not enough on its own.)
3. Use the word when writing, speaking, etc.
4. Be able to define it in your own words before moving on to the next one. Don't just repeat the definition out loud.

Anyone can learn to be good at mnemonics. You can even associate words to things that are silly. I remember from my 7th grade math class, I think, the order that you solve equations within an equation, because of a great and silly mnemonic: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. First letter of each word is the order: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. I swear I will never forget that.

There are some really good tips on learning how to do this in a book called Word Smart (it's from PR). Visual or audio cues, etc. The tutorial on mnemonics (man typing that word is painful) is really good and actually helps me remember other stuff, like math equations and terms. Its an awesome book. It also has a pretty good SAT vocab list.

The other suggestion I can make is a technique I use whenever I am having trouble staying interested in a subject or am trying to memorize key points for regular tests. First, I read section of the textbook, and only that section. Then I write notes, using an outline/bullet format, and jot down the key points. I read the most important points out loud, to hear myself saying them. That actually has helped me to recall them on tests. I make sure I have read, written down, and either reread or said out loud these key points - it takes at least 3 repetitions in a short time period for our brains to commit new information from short-term to long-term memory. However, trying to do too many vocab words at once will short-circuit your memory, so do them in bursts.

Try that technique - it has worked like a charm for me. I also have a photographic memory, so that doesn't hurt either. I can sometimes actually visualize or remember writing down the info I needed to remember. Watch the pen move on the page, write the word in all caps or a different color, etc. Actually, here's a mnemonic device that just popped into my head: write "vehement" in a violet color. Vehement means urgent, passionate. Violet (purple) is a passionate color (purple passion). So when you write "vehement" in violet, and repeat to yourself "vehement...violet...purple...passion" you'll remember that it means passionate.

Once you get the hang of it, it's kind of fun to try. Trust me, especially if you're creative or goofy, you WILL get it!! Good luck!

By Pea04 (Pea04) on Saturday, March 29, 2003 - 02:41 am: Edit

if you've got the time, brute force works. straight memorization & making flashcards/notecards of the words you don't know. it's tedious, but it works!

By Seeker (Seeker) on Sunday, March 30, 2003 - 05:06 am: Edit

'Vehement' doesn't mean urgent or passionate. Beware the vocab police.

By Archie (Archie) on Sunday, March 30, 2003 - 03:36 pm: Edit

ve·he·ment   
adj.

1. Characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction; fervid: a vehement denial. See Synonyms at intense.
2. Marked by or full of vigor or energy; strong: a vehement storm.