By Thea Sokheang
Have you ever had such experience? I am very sure that your answer would be 100% “yes”. We are sometimes very absent-minded. Here are some tips to improve our memory. I don’t want to discuss absent-mindedness. I will do that later.
How many of you have heard of Mnemonics? I would say most, but you just don’t know how they work. I will tell you some. Mnemonics enable you to memorize a shuffled deck of card, more than 100 vocabularies per day, 100 people at a time, and more. You may have watched Guinness World Record programmes about this.I am not kidding. I’m telling the truth. Once you have read this, you will be able to do some of those stunts! But I would suggest you do everything that I have told so that you will get most benefit from it!
We all can remember photographic information than written ones. So all the systems here almost totally depend on mental images. And all the techniques presented here are adapted from Harry Lorayne, the world leading memory expert. There are 3 systems he uses very often: the Link Method, Peg System and Substitution. I would begin with the Link Method and move on to Substitution which will enable you to remember as many English vocabularies as you want.
I want you to see your own progress, so please do this test. As soon as you have done this, I’ll tell you how to remember them quickly and easily.Now take a piece of paper and a pen out (you can also use notepad, if you wish!). Ready? now try to remember this 20 unrelated objects in order. Do this in only 2 minutes. As soon as it’s over, write them down in exact order and score yourself. They must be in order! Here they are:
chair, pen, computer, clock, fan, hat, television, shoe, dog, paper, ball, hair, tree, gun, table, lamp, father, cat, flower and shirt.
tick, tick, tick, tick,…, time is running out. 3, 2, 1, 0 time is up. now try to write them down and score yourself. Do not cheat (it’s not quality of good students!) kidding. Now how many scores do you get?
Ok, now I will tell you the trick! If you don’t do the test, you won’t be surprised and appreciate the System presented here. It’s not late for you to do the test if you wish. Go and take now…!
As told above, for this situation you can use the Link Method of Memory. You have to form as ridiculous associations as possible. The more hilarious the pictures, the more you can remember. And they must be illogical. You won’t remember logical association as easy. Now, what you have to do is to form association between chair and pen, then pen and computer, and then computer and clock, and then clock and fan, and so on. Got it? It’s like chain, you see. I help you to do it.
Chair and pen: Just imagine you are writing with a gigantic chair instead of pen. See it in your mind eyes. You must see this association in your head, or you won’t remember it. Close your eyes if you want and imagine it. Every time I suggest you associations, you must see it in you mind.
-
Pen and computer: see a gigantic pen is typing a computer. -
Silly? Yes! But it helps you remember see it. -
Computer and clock: see you are hanging a computer instead of a clock on the wall. -
Clock and fan: see you’re cooling yourself with a huge clock instead of a fan. -
Fan and hat: see you’re wearing a big fan instead of a hat. -
Hat and television: see a television is wearing a large hat. -
Television and shoe: see a television wearing a gigantic shoe. -
Shoe and dog: see a dog wearing a huge shoe. -
Dog and paper: see a dog made out of paper. -
Paper and ball: see a ball made from paper. -
Ball and hair: see your head full of ball instead of hair. -
Hair and tree: see a tree having lots of hair.
See the process? Try the process yourself until you come to the end. You may find it difficult to form the ridiculous associations, but try and you will be surprised as soon as you’ve done this. Make sure that your associations include one or more of the 4 rules. 1. substitute the object (like Computer and clock: see you are hanging a computer instead of a clock on the wall) 2. Out of proportion (that’s why I use the word gigantic, huge, large). 3. Exaggerate the amount 4. Action You may also find it difficult to remember the first object. To solve, try associate the object to yourself or something near you.
Have you formed the all the associations? Yes? Please do all the associations before you retake the test. Well, now let test yourself again.
The first object is Chair. What are you doing with the chair? Yes, right! You are using it instead if a Pen. Then, Pen make you remember what? Yes, correct! Computer, a Pen is typing a computer. Computer leads to? Clock! It’s on the wall. Clock leads to …. How many scores do you get this time? Surprised? Yes! If you do whatever I told you, you will be surprised and happy with yourself!
If you cannot remember any object, it means your association isn’t strong enough or you didn’t imagine it. Work on that again.
Wanna practice newly learnt skill? Here is the second test and enjoy.
You will certainly satisfied with you score and of course yourself!
If you want to remember plagiarize, which means to steal someone’s ideas, you must find phrases that sound like the word plagiarize . Here I choose play you eyes (play your eyes=plagiarize, likely enough). Then you must associate that(play your eyes) to the meaning. You can see yourself playing your eyes, and others are copying your style(they are playing their eyes, too). So, they have stolen your idea! sound silly, isn’t it? but the more ridiculous the images, the easier you can remember. and please don’t forget to see it in your mind eyes( imagine it now)!
Here this word I’ve just learnt yesterday, condescend meaning to consider others lower than you. I use candy send(candy send=condescend, sound likely). I imagined I send my brother lots of candy, because I consider him a kid(so lower than me).
Then, if you want to know what plagiarize mean, play your eyes will pop up in your mind, and then…. I promise that it 100% works. just find words that sound as likely as you can!
Such like a very cool thing to try indeed!! I did join the test and the result was so satisfactory! Thanks for posting this, and if you can, say thanks to Sokheang for me too!!!
I’m really glad you like it, Longdy. Hope you’ll go on using it for your sake.Or pass it on. Yeah, I’ll tell him on your behalf.
Take care. 🙂