Learning new English words. How to quickly learn a lot of English words: effective memorization techniques

Of course, the basis of the language system is grammar, but without an established lexical base, knowledge of grammatical norms for a beginner is unlikely to be useful anywhere. Therefore, we will devote today’s lesson to replenishing our vocabulary and mastering techniques for quickly memorizing new vocabulary. There will be quite a lot of expressions in the material, so we recommend dividing these English words for study into each day in advance, working on 2-3 dozen new phrases and be sure to repeat already studied examples. Before moving on to practice, let’s find out how it is recommended to learn foreign words correctly.

Learning vocabulary is half the battle; it is also important to try to constantly use it, otherwise it will simply be forgotten. Therefore, the main principle of learning English words is not to strive to memorize absolutely every word you come across. In modern English there are about 1.5 million words and stable combinations. It is simply unrealistic to learn everything, so try to choose only the vocabulary that is most used and necessary for you personally.

Let's assume that you have already decided on your area of ​​interest, selected the necessary vocabulary material and started learning it. But things don’t move forward: words are slowly remembered and quickly forgotten, and every lesson turns into unimaginable boredom and a painful struggle with oneself. Here are some tips that will help you create the right learning atmosphere and learn a foreign language easily and effectively.

1. Combine words by meaning, creating thematic dictionaries: animals, pronouns, action verbs, communication in a restaurant, etc.. Generalized groups are more easily stored in memory, forming a kind of associative block.
2. Try different ways to learn words until you find the method that works best for you. These can be popular cards, interactive online simulators, stickers pasted on various objects in the house, and applications for tablets and phones. If you perceive information better visually and auditorily, then actively use educational video and audio recordings. You can study in any way, the main thing is that the learning process is a pleasant pastime, and not a boring duty.
3. Immediately remember how to pronounce the word. To do this, you must either refer to the transcription or use interactive resources. A program for learning the pronunciation of English words will not only help you remember the sound of the expression, but will also check how correctly you pronounce it.
4. Don't throw away words you've already learned. This is a very important point. It seems to us that if we learn words for a long time, we remember them once and for all. But memory tends to delete unclaimed information. Therefore, if you do not have constant speaking practice, replace it with regular repetitions. You can create your own notebook with days and rotating repetitions, or use one of the interactive English learning apps.

Having worked through these tips, let's do a little practice. We bring to the attention of students the most popular vocabulary of the English language. These English words are suitable for studying every day, as they are divided into several tables and presented in the form of small semantic groups. So, let's start expanding our vocabulary.

Let'slearnsomewords!

English words to learn for every day

How to learn new English words without cramming and boring exercises? We offer you several interesting sites for memorizing English words, where you can expand your vocabulary for free and even... help those in need without spending a penny from your personal funds. How to do it? Read below.

Useful selection: 5 sites for learning English words

An interesting resource is a website for English learners, which contains hundreds of colorful visual thematic collections of flash cards that will be understandable even for beginners. The section for learning new words can be found at the following link.

In addition, a variety of tests are provided for English language learners. Beginners will be interested in vocabulary tests, which are also presented in the form of colorful flash cards. For higher levels, the site has exercises for finding synonyms and antonyms for words, testing knowledge of all forms of irregular verbs, as well as testing vocabulary for those who are preparing to take exams.

With this simple and beautiful resource, you can work not only with vocabulary, but also improve your grammar, listening, speaking and reading at the same time. All skills need to be developed at the same time, and you can do it on one site.

Pay attention to - a site for learning English words, extremely easy to use, but no less interesting. In the First words subsection, words for levels are divided by topic. Most of the exercises are presented in the form of a visual dictionary. The advantage is that you are not given a translation into Russian, so an association will arise in your memory: a certain picture is associated with a word in English. Many linguists believe that this way of learning vocabulary is the most productive, since in this case you give up the habit of mentally translating a word into Russian from English: a certain image will be clearly associated with a specific word.

In addition to visual exercises, you will find equally interesting developmental tasks to find synonyms and antonyms for a word, as well as question tasks that test your knowledge of vocabulary on a particular topic. There are also exercises for using prepositions, breaking words into different categories, filling in missing words in dialogues, eliminating an extra word from a group of concepts, etc. All the tasks are exciting, varied, and presented simply and clearly.

The Harder words subsection is intended for level and above. The tasks here are no less varied and interesting. There is a visual dictionary and selection of the desired word in sentences. In addition, here you will find an unusual task for finding errors when replacing one word with another that sounds similar to it (a phenomenon called malapropism).

Both subsections have special exercises aimed at developing vocabulary. In them you are given 15-20 words to study and 15 different tasks aimed at practicing these words. We advise you not to complete all 15 exercises in one sitting: “stretch” them over three days, 5 tasks each. Thus, during this time you will thoroughly consolidate the new vocabulary in your memory.

In addition to these sections, on the site you will find exercises for learning phrasal verbs, idioms and proverbs, various grammar tests and educational articles for English language learners.

Do you think that learning words using flashcards is a thing of the past? On the site you can find flash cards in electronic form and learn English words online: progressive and convenient. You are offered three stages of learning new words:

• At first you just look at the words and try to remember them by association with the picture.
• Then they show you a picture for a while, and you try to remember the word.
• At the third stage, you test your knowledge: write a word in English next to the picture.

The exercise is quite simple, but for beginners this is exactly what you need.

On the same site, in the Mistakes section, you can work on exercises with words that are often confused in English, for example, any and some, borrow and lend, etc. On the Word Games page you will find a variety of games to expand and practice vocabulary: crosswords, memory games (memory training games), unusual sea battles, etc.

In general, the resource is simple even for beginners, the graphics are somewhat outdated, but you won’t be distracted by beautiful pictures with cats while working with the dictionary. :-)

Not as colorful a resource as the previous ones, but very useful for learning English. It has several sections for learning the most commonly used words, as well as sections with colloquial phrases where you can learn new words in context. The site is suitable even for beginners: you need to mark Russian in the list of languages, then you will see instructions in your native language and translations of words and phrases. For “continuing” students, you can try using the English version of the site. In this case, you can find out the meaning of unfamiliar words in the English-English dictionary; just click on the word you need to get help.

On the site you will find a section 1500 Most Common English Words and Vocabulary. It will help you expand your vocabulary. All words are voiced by native speakers, learn them and repeat after the speaker.

After that, go to the section 1000 Most Common English Phrases. Here you can learn new words in context. All phrases are voiced by native speakers, and the recordings are presented in two versions: at normal speed and in slow motion. You can sort them by topic, for example, if you are preparing for a trip, select phrases on the desired topic and study them.

Then go to the “100 free lessons” section. It is presented in the form of short dialogues on various topics. You can take phrases from there and memorize them: they will definitely be useful to you in the future. Dialogues are also recorded in normal and slow motion: listen and repeat. You can listen to each phrase separately and try to pronounce it the same way as the announcer.

The most unusual of all resources. Let’s say right away that it is not suitable for beginners, but from the Pre-Intermediate level you can try training with it. Here you are given only one exercise: you need to indicate what a particular word means, and they offer four possible answers. That is, in fact, you need to choose a synonym for the word.

What is the “trick” of this game? The whole point lies in the so-called “reward”. For each correct answer you “earn” 10 grains of rice. At the end of the game, the site's sponsors recalculate the number of grains earned into a monetary equivalent and transfer this amount of funds to the account of the World Food Program - the largest organization providing humanitarian assistance to starving people (usually African countries). The site's motto: “Play and feed hungry people.”

Let's reveal all the cards at once: according to the calculations of foreign experts, the approximate amount of money that you can earn for the hungry in 10 minutes of the game is only... 3 cents. Yes, a little, but what if millions of people play this way?

To summarize, we can say that this is not the best resource for charity, but you can combine business with pleasure: practice your vocabulary and help those in need a little.

These are not all sites for memorizing English words. In future articles we will continue to share useful links with you. However, words can be learned not only online, but also offline. In the article “” we talked in detail about how to learn new English words. Study and hone your knowledge. And in the article “” you can learn about good tools for increasing your vocabulary.

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.

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?

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.

Other traditional methods

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”

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 the 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?

Algorithm

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 eye position, the largest number of neurons are activated. 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

- Immediately learn complex words that do not correspond to the level of knowledge of the language
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.

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.

Bonuses for Habr readers

We are giving you access for a year to the English course for self-study “Online Course”.
To gain access, simply go to .

Individually via Skype

Among our students there are already students from GeekBrains, ITVDN, Softengi, Netology. Join us! And we wish you only successful interviews and career success.

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• englishdom
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A rich vocabulary is a basic condition for mastering a foreign language. It is necessary not only to talk with its speakers, but also to be able to effectively study it, increase the level and quality of your knowledge, for example, by working with original, non-adapted literature.

How many words can you learn per day: myths and reality

The advertising content of various sites created for independent learning of foreign languages, as well as information banners of language schools, are full of information about the emergence of super technologies that allow you to learn a language in a few days.

To everyone’s chagrin, the presented “technologies” are nothing more than long-known methods of learning a foreign language.

And the main one is regular repetition:

1. Make a list of words to memorize;
2. Read it carefully;
3. Leave the list for 20 minutes and do other things;
4. Repeat the cycle 7 times.

The most effective time of day for memorization is the evening, the time before going to bed. In a dream, the brain, not distracted by external thought processes, transfers words from quick memory to long-term memory.

Is it realistic to learn 50-200 words a day?

From a theoretical point of view, it is real. To read 100 words, it takes about 25 minutes. To repeat them 7 times, after reading - about another 175 minutes (3 hours).

But since between repetitions it is necessary to pause, also equal to about 20 minutes, the total time required to memorize 100 foreign words per day will be 7 hours.

If you have so much free time that you can devote to thoughtful repetition of English words, then there is a chance that it is realistic for you to learn from 50 to 200 words per day.

However, it is also worth paying attention to the following fact: the average person is able to remember from 5 to 10 words a day.

Thus, you must not only be unburdened by work and any extraneous worries, but a person, you must always be a free prodigy, with a phenomenal memory.

Moreover, after such experiments you may develop a negative attitude towards English: you are unlikely to experience positive emotions from trying to master such a volume of knowledge.

In this regard, learning 50-200 foreign words a day is unrealistic.

And if you expand your vocabulary by memorizing not individual words, but entire phrases and sentences, the maximum number of structures you learn per day will be about 5.

An insignificant figure, of course, but if you calculate the number of words learned per month, it will be about 450 words (if you memorize 3-word structures).

Several principles for effectively increasing vocabulary

There are many methods for learning foreign words to expand your vocabulary. Some of them have been known for a long time and do not lose their popularity due to their high efficiency, while some have entered the field of education quite recently.

Let's look at the most effective of them:

1. Keep a personal dictionary in which you will write down the words you have learned. Divide the vocabulary into two levels: simple and complex words. During the learning process, subjectively assign a word to one level or another and write it down in the appropriate section. This will help you approach the process of learning foreign words more effectively.
2. Use cards. You can lay them out on your desktop, hang them around your apartment at eye level, or purposefully teach them at a set time.
3. Read a lot. This will allow you to consolidate the words you have learned in your long-term memory.
4. Use specialized textbooks, which are written specifically for the purpose of expanding the student’s vocabulary.
5. Make mind maps. This technique is nothing more than a thematic grouping of words. However, the inherent clarity of the method significantly increases its effectiveness over similar classical methods.
6. Get yourself a pen-friend and expand your vocabulary with him. Basically, when communicating, people use words from common use. And the desire to tell a friend about your hobbies will encourage you to learn new words.
7. Download applications to your mobile device, to be able to regularly repeat words in a free moment.
8. Use gaming services which will help you learn words online.
9. Learn your favorite or popular foreign songs. Songs for learning English help to develop phonetic skills in students, develop phonemic awareness, and simplify the process of learning the rules of pronunciation of foreign sounds. Also, studying and understanding the intonation of a song contributes to the formation of auditory skills in the perception of foreign speech.

For example, games:

1. Bank Robber– designed to expand vocabulary and train memory. The main task is to guess the word before a bank robbery occurs.
2. Memory Game– develops vocabulary and visual memory. The main task is to remember the location of the item and guess it when the cards cover all the cells.

What words to learn in English?

Preferences in the formation of your vocabulary should be based on the purpose of learning the language:

• If you want to speak a foreign language fluently with native speakers– study everyday words, as well as dialectisms inherent in representatives of the region or country you like.
• If you want to learn a language to work abroad, communicate with business partners, or study at a foreign university, you need to learn professional vocabulary in addition to everyday words.

Thus:

• If your goal is to learn a language to communicate with foreign friends, Feel free to use the information available on the World Wide Web.
• If you need professional vocabulary, then it is advisable to compile a manual for learning the language yourself. In any case, your work will not be in vain; regular repetition of words, while sampling them, will allow you to learn them much faster.

It is also worth noting that many companies personally create dictionaries with a set of words, phrases or phrases necessary for work. Contact the company where you want to work. It is possible that they will be happy to provide you with this information.

The most important words in English

The most important words in any language are the common words. Their list includes both pronouns, articles and prepositions, as well as nouns, verbs and adjectives.

Linguists and psychologists have compiled more than one list of the most common words in the English language, divided by parts of speech.

However, there is no point in memorizing lists of “top” words used by English-speaking people. It is much more important to learn how to use them in speech.

Therefore, select a speech construction for each word that will reflect the peculiarities of its use with one or another part of speech.

Key words:

• Pronouns- I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them
• Articles- the, a/an
• Prepositions- to, for, of, out, from, with, over, at, up, but
• Adverbs- about, now, just, not
• Unions- and
• Verbs- get, was, is, have, don`t, do, are, went, can, would, go, think, say, be, see, know, tell

How to turn learning English into a habit?

Scientists have proven that it takes 21 days to form a habit. In this regard, in order for daily replenishment of your vocabulary to become a habit for you, akin to brushing your teeth in the morning, you need to learn at least one English word during the 21st day.

Of course, the general amount recommended for learning foreign words is from 5 to 10 words per day. In this case, your vocabulary will grow quickly and in a few months you will be able to master the required minimum vocabulary - this is about 100-150 words of each part of speech.

However, there are times when there is absolutely no time to learn a language. But you shouldn’t leave the idea for later; it’s enough to learn at least one word every day for the habit to form.

If you find it difficult to force yourself to learn 5-10 words a day at once, start small - learn 1 or 2 words a day, and then gradually increase the load. Then it will be easier for the body to get used to the new regime, and for you to cope with the psychological barrier.

How not to lose acquired knowledge?

For the English language, as for any other, the most important rule for success is regular practice.

1. Reading books in English. When your vocabulary is large enough, prefer modern foreign literature to domestic literature;
2. Live communication with native speakers. Travel to English-speaking countries as often as possible, or communicate with friends via Skype or correspondence;

Thus, the secret to replenishing the vocabulary of any foreign language is very simple - regularity and consistency.

No method will help you learn a language in a few days. Just like you learned your native language by learning word by word and then stringing them together into sentences.