New school encyclopedic Dictionary of the Russian language, created by the staff of St Petersburg University, differs from others primarily in its design. Gradients, a selection of photographs and articles, as if drawn with a marker by a diligent schoolboy, are the work of designer Zhdan Filippov. But the design is closely related to the concept of the dictionary, which the creators propose to read "like a book." Daniil Trabun talked with Sergey Monakhov and Dmitry Cherdakov about why it is necessary to publish a dictionary on paper in the era of hypertext and how to do it educational literature boring.

Sergei Monakhov

Associate Professor, Department of the History of Russian Literature, Faculty of Philology, St. Petersburg State University

Dmitry Cherdakov

Senior Lecturer, Department of the Russian Language, Faculty of Philology, St. Petersburg State University

How did it happen that, on the one hand, this is the official dictionary of the Russian language, approved by all authorities, and on the other hand, it is, shall we say, impudent? Fresh and free in a way.

Dmitry: The idea to create such a dictionary was born in St. state university back in 2009. Main question here - why do at all new dictionary if there are already others, right? That's right, there are encyclopedic reference books, including those intended for schoolchildren, focused on school course Russian language. But this reference function by itself was not enough for us. In addition to fulfilling this important role, we wanted the dictionary to become a kind of textbook and even a book for reading. It was not only a source of information, but also contributed to the understanding by readers of the information that is reported in it. This idea of ​​combining functions was embodied by various means - both at the level of the text and in the actual design solution.

Can you tell me more about the book to read? Still, the dictionary is accessed only when it is really needed.

Sergey: Yes, it's such a common idea. The dictionary is on the shelf, they approach the shelf, open the book, look at the right word, put it back. We wanted to do it differently. Figuratively speaking, not a dictionary on a shelf among other books, but an open dictionary on the table, a book for every family. Our dictionary consists of two parts. The first is the actual corpus of encyclopedic articles. The second corpus - pointers that help the reader to navigate in this information space. In addition to the traditional alphabetical and terminological indexes, the dictionary has a tree-like thematic index, in which articles are arranged hierarchically with different levels of nesting according to the degree of generalization of the terminological material. Understand correctly, no one assumes that a person will open a dictionary and start figuring from the letter A to the end until he finishes reading. But he can, turning to our terminological tree, form an idea of ​​the linguistic context that exists around the phenomenon of interest to him, read a whole cluster of articles related to each other.

There is one more thing that makes the dictionary a “book to read”. In addition to the main text, in the articles we provide inserted essays of two types - some more or less extensive quotations from fiction or scientific literature, illustrating the concept that the article reveals, and on the other hand, additional, popular science, small texts that allow - again, right? - to present the phenomenon of interest to the reader in a broader context.

About the design

ZHDAN FILIPPOV, dictionary designer:“I wanted several pieces to be friends according to the image [in the dictionary]. For it to be word art- real, terrible, but refined. So that only a thin shadow of presence remains from him. Plus Lazar Lissitzky and a gradient from an 80s jacket. In general, it's like a presentation in Word or excel, but it is slightly more accurate, in general. It looks fun - like a dictionary, but also fun. Funny dictionary. At some moments it looks crooked, askew, but everything is completely conscious and exactly as it should be in this case. Cheerfully, boldly, but formally, we fulfilled all the rules. It seems to me, so it is necessary"

Zhdan Filippov talks about how the design of the dictionary was created

The design immediately catches the eye. How did the team that was engaged in the selection of articles and the structure of the dictionary work with the designers? As I understand it, this should be a fairly dense joint work?

Sergey: Design work began when the text was ready. Initially, even at the stage of creating articles, illustrations were selected, but Zhdan Filippov rejected most of these pictures, said that they were worthless - neither in their quality, nor in their, so to speak, conceptual embedding, that it was just some kind of vinaigrette , hodgepodge and so on. Zhdan suggested an unusual solution - to make the illustrative row black and white, and the text itself in color. Colorize the text, highlighting different information flows in it: quotations, references, lists, concepts, insert essays, names of writers and titles of works. It is clear that in a pile of books, dictionaries, encyclopedias there are such “cellars” with color filling, but this is completely different. There color is marginal and marks marginal, peripheral things. And this is our main aesthetic technique. When Zhdan proposed this idea, I remember this moment - like an insight, a divine insight.

In parallel with the work on the dictionary, we also worked on the layout of the Russian language textbook for grades 10-11. As far as schoolchildren are concerned, this is the addressee of the same age level. The layout of the textbook was made by Dima Barbanel, with whom, like Zhdan, we met when we were working on the Hermitage magazine, and since then we have been collaborating from time to time. What I mean - to the fact that these two layouts, a textbook and a dictionary, can, if desired, see two opposites in them. In the sense that Dima just got into a textbook great amount completely different styles, including simply terrible illustrations; he took them out to such reservations, to separate spreads, separated them from the text and gave them the opportunity to blow up the reader's eye and brain. And Zhdan threw everything out harshly. There would be no happiness, but misfortune helped - it became clear that we did not have pictures, and an idea came up that I still like - creating such a special text expressiveness.

Dictionary spreads

About questions in the dictionary

Dmitry: Why are there six cases in Russian? Let's take, for example, "talked about the forest, walked in the forest", and here and there is a prepositional case. Why suddenly a prepositional case - although different endings, different questions, different prepositions, and in general there is nothing in common? Worth thinking about. And there are a lot of such problematic questions - questions that, speaking in high language, awaken the thought, encourage a person to become interested in something, and not be content with the most mean information - there are a lot in the dictionary.

If you walk into a bookstore today, it doesn't seem like there are very many original textbooks coming out.

Dmitry: Are you talking about textbooks now?

About the educational literature that modern schoolchildren consume, to narrow it down somehow.

Dmitry: I can only speak Russian. Russian language textbooks are both structured and designed in a traditional way. Of course, this is boring, and we, of course, wanted to move away from this boredom a little, but proportions and measures are very important here. It must be remembered that teaching is not entertainment, no matter how much one would like it, and traditionalism, maybe even some kind of inertia, has its advantages. We have all learned from these "boring" textbooks; the richest experience, the richest arsenal of techniques for teaching the Russian language has been accumulated in the Russian educational and methodological tradition. Perhaps, in some sense, this experience needs some new presentation - yes, and here we tried to do it.

Sergey: In other disciplines, quite colorful, bright textbooks are now being published, but there is, so to speak, a subject basis for some attractive visual solutions, with the Russian language - for obvious reasons - much more difficult.

Dmitry: This is not a movie or a cartoon, and no matter how strong the influence of the visual component in modern culture is, we should not forget that in the beginning there was the Word and the basis of everything is the text. Trouble modern culture just the same that everything fell apart, you know? Everything was shattered into pieces, and in my opinion, it is not necessary to insist on this disintegration of the whole, to emphasize it even more, so to speak, to present it as something so entertaining. It's important to slow down a bit here.

A Russian language textbook for grades 10–11, developed by Masterskaya: Dima Barbanel, Sergei Fedorov, Ilya Korobov, 42 artists, 11 photographers. For the textbook, 2 fonts based on Romanovsky were developed, and also remade by Humanist

Why do we need a book at all in the age of hypertext? Especially if it's a dictionary that seems to be easier to consume as an app on a phone or website.

Dmitry: Because for a lot of people, a book is a book. Even those who are already fully embedded, so to speak, in the space of Internet culture, still treat the book as something more valuable, significant, if you like. And this opinion cannot be ignored. For so many people who are influential in our world to one degree or another, it is the book on the table that is the result. There is another aspect here - I just spoke about this fragmentation, disintegration, alternation. A book is some kind of independent object, purely financially independent, you understand, which you can pick up, put in a closet, go to the kitchen, and so on. Again, it is a little opposed to this general fragmentation that I spoke about, and in this sense the cultural function of the book is important.

Sergey: We are very pleased with this book, but we do not get hung up on it, we are already actively developing a dictionary website and a mobile application for iOS, which should be released in early November. Everything will look similar to the book, but at the same time, it will look different. You see, the book is the nucleus. Already now many other things are being built around it, growing. We have done dedicated YouTube channel, a kind of video supplement to the dictionary, specially recorded, in my opinion, a total of 45 videos - short interviews with wonderful modern linguists.

Dmitry: Basically, these are people who are not part of the team of authors, but they talk about the scientific problems raised in the dictionary. In fact, it is extremely interesting to listen to - if the dictionary was written mainly by St. Petersburg scientists, then there, in this video collection, for the most part, Moscow specialists, and this creates a certain volume, including geographical.

_________________ Greetings to all who looked at my review! _______________

Despite the fact that academic year came to an end and summer is ahead, and over the summer you can lose all the accumulated knowledge, my daughter and I decided to set aside some time for classes according to the school curriculum.

We will focus on the main subjects, including English.

Today I want to tell you about a checkered school exercise book produced by BJ.

General notebook in a cage, the number of sheets is 96.

Format 165 x 205 mm

Notebook in a cage. 96 sheets. JSC "BJ" Review

The sheets of the notebook are light (their thickness is acceptable, not overly thin), the cell is drawn blue color, also in the notebook there are red fields.

The book cover is made on metal staples.

The format of the notebook is A3, so standard notebook covers are suitable for it.

Notebook in a cage. 96 sheets. JSC "BJ" Review

The cover of the notebook is not very hard, polished. I immediately bought a cover for a notebook, in order to avoid fraying the edges.

Notebook in a cage. 96 sheets. JSC "BJ" Review

On the back you can see the color variations of this series of notebooks.

Notebook in a cage. 96 sheets. JSC "BJ" Review

Why the choice fell on this notebook is precisely because of the attractive cover picture. In fact, the assortment of notebooks with more than 80 sheets in stores is not so great.

We purchased this notebook for the price of 48 rubles. in order to make her English dictionary with alphabetical index on the right inner side of the notebook, to facilitate the search and translation of the necessary words.

Notebook in a cage. 96 sheets. JSC "BJ" Review

I cut out the alphabetical index myself. As in English language 26 letters, for each letter I highlighted 3 sheets notebooks. That's why I chose thick common notebook so that at the end of the notebook there are still sheets for notes, there you can write down some rules for pronunciation of words and so on.

Notebook in a cage. 96 sheets. JSC "BJ" Review

It is at the stage of cutting alphabetical index I have identified the main disadvantage of the notebook from the manufacturer LLC "BiGi".

The thing is that the marking of the blue cells on the sheets of the notebook is not uniform.

Cutting out extra strips from the right margins, I got a not quite even version of the dictionary (annoyingly).

Notebook in a cage. 96 sheets. JSC "BJ" Review

After completing the cutting work, I wrote the letters English alphabet in order on the formed ladder from the right edge of the notebook.

The vowels were immediately highlighted with a marker, for clarity.

• Word in English.
• Transcription.
• Translation of the word into Russian.

I must say that this was the longest stage of work. It was necessary to draw more than 300 lines, which took me about two hours (I did it in breaks).

I really hope that given dictionary will serve my daughter and me for more than one year, we will replenish it with new words and rules.

It is better to choose a notebook for such a dictionary without borders, but, as I wrote above, the choice of notebooks with a large number of sheets in stores is not great.

I'll lower the ball for the error in the assembly of the notebook, for me it was important to have a clear line and for the softness of the cover.

We are starting a series of letters dedicated to the Russian language, literacy, beautiful handwriting, teaching Russian to children.

And today we will talk about how to quickly and effectively learn vocabulary words. They, like the multiplication table, must be learned.

But if there are only 100 examples in the multiplication table, then at least 800 vocabulary words are studied at school.

And a rare teacher teaches children vocabulary words in the classroom. Usually, "difficult" and "difficult" children are given for independent memorization, or memorization with their parents.

We present to your attention little tricks on how to remember the spelling of vocabulary words

We divided them into classical methods, this is how they work with vocabulary words at school, and techniques for effectively memorizing words.

Classic ways to memorize vocabulary words

1. Reading words to a child. Write vocabulary words into a dictionary

2. Explanation of the meaning of the word (if the child does not know the meaning of the word, use the dictionary) and say possible reasons writing the word in this way.

3. Spelling work on the word:
- setting the stress, highlighting the difficult letter in green,
- sound-letter analysis of the word,
- division of a word into syllables and for transfer.

4. Learning spelling given word:
- selection of single-root words,
- compiling a phrase, a sentence with this word,
- selection of synonyms, antonyms, riddles, sayings with a given word.

5. Recording a word in a spelling dictionary.

6. Letter from memory

Techniques for memorizing words using effective learning techniques

7. To the dictionary word to be remembered, add a word or even several, where the letter being checked is heard very well.

For example, the word MILK. You need to remember O.

We come up with associations: a horse drinks milk from a spoon

We present this picture with the child, focusing on the fact that the spoon and the horse tell us the desired letter

8. Write down the word with your eyes closed.

After the child reads the word, he writes it down on sheets of paper blindfolded, and it is better to use felt-tip pens or bright pens.

When a word is written, it must be considered.

This exercise gives children a lot of fun, and most importantly, it involves various bodies perception of information and enhances the effect of memorizing words.

9. Compare letters with geometric shapes. A is similar to a triangle, O is a circle, E is a rectangle.

For example, ORANGE

You can imagine a triangular plate on which lie "strange", rectangular and triangular oranges

10. Method mnemotechnical

When you need to remember a letter in a dictionary word, you can use bright alphabetic images, adding them to the word and linking them into a bright association.

What does it mean?

Think A-bus, B-drum, etc.

For example, we need to remember how to write ORANGE correctly

Imagine a Bus (A) full of Oranges that is stuck or hanging on a Spruce (E)

11. The game "Eye-photographer"

The words are printed on strips of paper.

Each word is on a separate strip. Printed in large print. The child is shown the word for one second. And then he writes it down from memory. For one game, you can show 5-8 words.

Such a game develops attentiveness, increases interest in learning.

Already this Thursday there will be a free seminar where we will work out these and other powerful techniques for memorizing vocabulary words.

You will learn:

• What to do when there are a lot of words, and soon a dictation?
• How to quickly remove errors in vocabulary words before the exam (VPR, OGE, USE)
• What needs to be done to memorize double consonants, or what to do when there are several spellings in a word?
• What other effective methods of memorizing words are there?
• How to quickly learn to write correctly?

Indeed, in the age of Internet communication, the first impression of a person is created precisely by how competently he writes.

We will analyze the best strategies to strengthen literacy in the training - How easy is it to remember vocabulary words?

In practice, we will work out the spelling of the top 50 most difficult words in the Russian language

And participants in the Premium version will also receive handouts - Lists of vocabulary words by class in a form convenient for practicing technology

In April, we will hold 7 more similar programs, 3 free and 4 paid

A detailed schedule, as well as a special promotion for April in our group -

I must say right away that I am not a supporter of learning foreign languages ​​\u200b\u200bwith the help of or vocabulary books, since I don’t consider them effective methods assimilation new vocabulary. You may remember a new expression by reading it over and over again in a vocabulary book, but you will definitely remember it much faster if you encounter it in several different contexts, for example, in newspaper headline, in the text of the song and in the speech of the hero of the film. Therefore, reading, listening to podcasts and watching video clips (of course, all these materials should be selected according to the level of language proficiency) seem to me to be more rational ways to spend study time than working with flashcards.

But I am not an opponent of cards and dictionaries either. Many students, both adults and children, love to create them. I know that many people like to look through the dictionary before going to bed, or lay out cards on the table during morning coffee. Someone keeps a stack of cards in their coat pocket and goes through them while commuting to and from work. Some people prefer more hi-tech solutions, and use various spaced repetition programs such as Anki. For many, the creation of cards and dictionaries is a familiar activity, without which it is difficult for them to imagine learning a language. In some schools, keeping vocabulary notebooks is a mandatory requirement, somewhere they are even regularly handed over for verification!

I repeat, I do not consider this necessary and rational, but I see one undoubtedly useful point here, namely memorization "through the hand." It often happens that words and expressions are remembered simply because you write them down. There is even a method based on this for mastering new vocabulary, which I call “hand and voice” for myself, and which I have already described. A sheet of paper must be divided into two columns, for a word and a translation, and then write 25 words in 20 minutes, saying out loud what you are currently writing down. No need to purposefully remember words, just get enjoyment of the process calm atmosphere, a beautiful notebook, a favorite pen. Words will be acquired simply through pronunciation and hand movements. It is necessary to periodically return to the list of words, reread it, and again write down those words that could not be remembered.

There are also many other ways to keep vocabulary cards and vocabulary books. I do not think that strict rules are appropriate here - the main thing is that it is convenient and understandable. But there are some principles general recommendations Which I think is worth following.

How to keep a vocabulary notebook?

Let's start with how not to do it. Absolutely do not write out words in alphabetical order with translation into native language. It is necessary that the way you write down vocabulary in your notebook is as close as possible to how you use it in speech. For example, you came across the expression doesn't ring a bell. It makes sense to write it in a notebook not as the heading of a dictionary entry ( not to ring a bell), but the entire sentence, for example, This name doesn't ring a bell.

The same principle applies to words. One of the most common mistakes students make is ignoring the context in which a word is used. But
words do not exist in speech in isolation, on their own, they are used in conjunction with other words, forming lexical combinations, as well as in various grammatical constructions (read more about this in the article on, as well as in the article on). So, having met an unfamiliar word strict, many students will simply write it down in a notebook with a translation, not paying attention to the context, and not thinking about compatibility with other words ( strict rules) and use in various structures ah( under the strict rules of). It makes sense to write the expression exactly in the form in which it was encountered in the text ( under the strict rules of), or, if time permits, write down the entire sentence ( Was not brought up under the strict rules of his religious parents).

It is best to organize new words by topic, such as travel, medicine, fashion, employment, and so on, so they are easier to remember. It is also convenient to create separate pages for different communication situations, for example, "At the airport", "In the hotel", "In the restaurant", and for various structures, such as it smells/feels/sounds like...

I do not see the need to write a translation of each word and expression, since some of them will be understandable without translation, and for some it is better to write not a translation, but a definition.

It also makes no sense to write down every new word in a notebook, leave only what can really come in handy in speech.

After each topic, it is worth leaving some free space in order to be able to add new words and expressions there later.

Although keeping vocabulary notebooks certainly brings certain benefits, it also has a number of significant disadvantages. The first and foremost of these is time. Writing down phrases and sentences is time-consuming, especially for children, and the benefits of this activity may not be obvious to students. Many do not want to return to old topics to add new expressions to them, as a result of which phrases with the same word are written in different sections of the notebook, and not combined on one page. Some students write over and over again in a notebook an expression that they cannot remember, instead of returning to a previously designed page. Children do so simply out of inattention, adults believe that this helps them remember a new word. Perhaps this is so, but the organization of the material suffers greatly from this.

The main disadvantage of vocabulary notebooks is the lack of active work with vocabulary. It is the active use of vocabulary in speech, both oral and written, that allows you to learn it as efficiently as possible.

How to make vocabulary cards?

Vocabulary cards used to be most often made from small thick sheets of paper, on one side of which a word was written on foreign language, on the other - its translation into the native language. Now, more and more often, vocabulary cards are created using various online services, the most popular of which, it seems to me, you can read about other similar services.

When creating vocabulary cards, you should be guided by the same principles as when maintaining vocabulary notebooks, namely, write down
new words in context, in various phrases and constructions. At the same time, the translation of the word into the native language is not obligatory.

Cards have a number of advantages over vocabulary notebooks: they are easier to navigate, they can be sorted into different groups, and they are convenient to carry around. You can come up with various games and tasks involving the use of cards. But they also have a number of disadvantages. When students accumulate a large number of cards, they begin to lose interest in them. But the main drawback is that not all expressions are convenient to study in this way. So, if everything is usually quite simple with nouns (we write a definition or translation, cognate words, frequently used adjectives that act as a definition, and the most common constructions with verbs), then what to do with expressions such as It goes without saying that…., the long and the short of it, don't get me wrong, etc? It seems to me that it makes no sense to create cards with similar phrases, since it will be inconvenient to repeat them.

P.S. It seems to me that it is better for children to keep ordinary vocabulary notebooks, paper ones, by hand. There are options for adults and teenagers. If you don't feel like writing by hand or feel uncomfortable, you can create a file in Word or Google Docs, or use an online note-taking service like Evernote.

The prospect of forgetting everything you learned during a long-awaited conversation with native speakers does not make you very happy, right? Me too. Then remember the important principles for replenishing an active vocabulary in a foreign language: study and practice. Regularly.

It is not enough to memorize a list of words in order to use them in speech or understand them by ear in the future. Most likely, most of it will fly out of your head and will not be remembered in the right situation. Your task- get comfortable with every new expression that you learn and make it part of your vocabulary.

In this article, I will share with you effective methods that will help you learn to memorize words for the purpose of their further application in practice. I'll also tell you what worked for me. Remember, it's not the quantity that matters, but the quality of memorization, let's go!

1 Get a personal dictionary

Since the dictionary is personal, then you will conduct it in a way that is convenient for you. Write in a notebook or type on a computer.

• See what methods work best for you and apply them.
• Don't learn too many words at once. Let it be a limited number for a week.
• You can keep a notepad for the vocabulary you are learning this week. Cross out words as you memorize and add new ones.
• Maintain a dictionary regularly, look it up, and review words using the methods we'll talk about next.

I tried different methods and simulators for memorization, but still I stuck to my own: I practice exercises online and write down words with a pen in a notebook (a foreign word and an example of its use are nearby).

2 Remember the school method

You can keep a dictionary traditionally (as we did at school): a column of words in Russian and English version opposite each. Check yourself by covering each column in turn with your hand. I do not like this method, as it involves memorizing individual words. Instead of learning to apply a word to a situation, we simply memorize a meaningless list that rarely makes sense apart from the situation.

3 Study the context

Many underestimate the power of context. In many languages, and especially in English, words have multiple meanings. By ignoring the context, you are making a big mistake. You can simply use it inappropriately or misunderstand what is being said to you. Always work with context, no matter what materials you are working on.

4 Use explanatory dictionaries with voice acting

Reduce the use of Russian-English (or other similar) vocabulary in teaching. If you really want to rely on a dictionary - take an explanatory dictionary of the language being studied, for example, English-English. Read examples of the use of a new word, immediately listen to its voice acting and repeat aloud for a native speaker.

5 Write sentences in 1st person

After reading the examples in the dictionary, immediately make up your own. Make a few sentences in the first person, that is, "from yourself." Gradually, your list of ready-made phrases for conversation will be replenished.

6 Choose thematic groups

I noticed that it is easier for me to memorize words by topic. It is enough to choose 7-15 words and master using several methods in combination.

I remember when I was taking courses myself, we made a menu for our restaurant, when we covered the topic of food, created projects to improve the environment, when we discussed environment, made resumes and acted out an interview when they learned business vocabulary.

7 Write down synonyms and antonyms

When you memorize a word, immediately write down a couple of synonyms (words with the same meaning) or antonyms (words with the opposite meaning) for it.

8 Prepare cards

Cards can be made independently, ordered ready-made or found online. The bottom line is that on one side you write the word, and on the other its translation. I adapted this method for myself like this: on one side is a phrase (not a single word!), And on the other is an example of use or a phrase with a missing word, but without translation into Russian!

9 Stick stickers

If you need to remember certain words, such as the names of objects on your desk, in the kitchen, or in the hall, stick stickers with words in a foreign language. Without translation!

10 find associations

Our brains love to make connections between new information and what we already know. Everything that we read, listen to and watch, he brings into pictures, feelings, ideas. That's how we remember. You can apply a simple method: take a new word and remember what or what situation you associate it with. Or write it down.

11 Draw pictures and diagrams

Again, it all depends on the imagination. Write down the word you want to remember and make a diagram describing what ideas you have. You can just draw a funny picture or a mind map if there are a lot of words. In order not to look for a leaf every time and not to waste time, allocate a special notebook for this lesson. By the way, this method helps to remember information on other topics.

12 Speak and write

Any new word or expression can simply be written down and spoken aloud on the day of study and several times during the week until you feel that you can use it in practice.

13 Act out dialogues

What could be better than sentences with new words? Full dialogue with them! Play situations with the teacher, in which you have to use new expressions. This will help you gain confidence, prepare and understand in practice how to use these words in a speech.

14 make up stories

This is a great thing, which I will talk about separately. Sometimes there are too many words. And we really need to learn everything. Question: how to memorize more and at the same time effectively? Answer: write a story in which you connect all these words together. Let it be funny, stupid and incomprehensible about what, your task is to come up with and help yourself in remembering. As you make up situations and imagine the story in detail, pictures are created in your mind and you remember.

15 Explain in other words

Previously, I often heard from students: "how will this word be in English?", "how to say ...?". This tactic does not help advance. You can’t learn all the words, there will always be something unfamiliar, and constantly asking again in a conversation or looking into a dictionary is not the case. Learn to express thoughts in different ways.

Next to every word in explanatory dictionary(English-English and so on), there is a description of its meaning. And you make up your own description and say it out loud. How would you explain to a friend or acquaintance what this word means? This workout will help you out more than once. If you do not memorize complex words, you will definitely be able to explain them differently and convey your idea to the interlocutor.

16 Make combinations

When memorizing a word, immediately check and write down what it goes with. It is useful to understand the parts of speech.

Let’s say a noun takes an article (a book, the Sun), some verbs take a preposition after them (wait for, get back…), and some adjectives can only be used to describe people.

Mark such moments and record in the dictionary.

17 Learn parts of words

Use word roots, prefixes, suffixes, endings to understand the meaning of a word. For example, you can learn the meaning of a noun if you already know the same-root verb or the meaning of a specific word prefix.

Think about the parts of the word you see most often and make a list. By memorizing them gradually, you will automatically guess more and more new words.

Let's see how it works in English.

If you add to the verb suffix or/er, we get the person's occupation: employ ("employ") --> employer ("employer"); act ("to act", "to play in the theater") --> actor ("actor").

When added to an adjective suffix, we get a noun ( mathematical formulas some :)): kind ("kind") --> kindness ("kindness"); happy ("happy") --> happiness ("happiness").

Any language is a puzzle that we put together piece by piece, then getting a single whole. Practice and this tip will help you.

18 Play word games

An unobtrusive way to check if you really remember new words and expressions is to take games, tests, memory games and crossword puzzles on the Internet. You can easily find word games by searching the Internet. If there is a lot of time, then for separate difficult topics you can make crossword puzzles on your own and exchange with other students.

19 Sing songs

We choose methods that suit your type of perception of information and even hobbies. If you are a karaoke lover and can sing a song for any suggested word, . Print out the lyrics and sing along.

20 Chat with a native speaker

Let's say you're studying relationships, weather, or travel. Call a native speaker via Skype (or chat) and discuss this topic by intentionally using new words in practice.

21 Listen to audio

If you are an auditory speaker and you need to listen to information in order to remember, choose dialogues according to relevant topics, download to your phone, listen and repeat after a native speaker.

22 Read

One of the best sources of context. But reading materials also need to be chosen correctly. If you read Shakespeare, then it is unlikely that this will teach you how to apply modern vocabulary in practice. Such reading is rather for pleasure and for an amateur. What language do you need? Read on it! Articles on current topics, books with dialogues, blogs real people.

23 Conduct dictations

Have a family member dictate a list of new words to you to test you. It can be both orally and in writing. Or close the translation of words in the dictionary yourself and check yourself.

24 Learn proverbs, poems, tongue twisters

If together with vocabulary If you want to improve your pronunciation, practice proverbs and sayings. If there are no proverbs with the word you need, come up with a rhyme or a small rhyme yourself.

25 Watch a movie

You don't like to sing, but you love a good movie? This is your method. I will also add series, cartoons and just various educational and motivational videos to this list. Prepare the texts scripts and subtitles materials and work with them.

26 Do spaced repetitions

Recently, where you can watch TV programs and series in English with subtitles. So, on this service you can add words to your electronic dictionary, and then train in memorization just through interval repetitions. Its essence is that the system shows you a single word, and you need to remember its meaning. Depending on the correct and incorrect answers, these words will show you in different order again and again.

27 Tell aloud

method for those who long lists words and little time to memorize them properly. Intentionally using new words, tell yourself aloud how your day goes, plans, impressions, thoughts on any topic, compare objects, films, books, situations with each other. You can do the same for yourself.

28 Use memory trainers

Try Memrise. On this service, you can make your own lists of words, flash cards and train memorization. If you want me to review this resource - write in the comments.

29 Learn the correct phrases

Assess your learning stage and prepare an appropriate list of phrases to memorize. When I start learning a language from scratch, I do not try to immediately learn the terms that I need for work or slang words.

First of all, I learn to use popular expressions that will be useful to me in everyday situations and on a trip (greetings, gratitude, acquaintance, how to ask for directions, how to order food in a cafe, and so on).

When everything is OK with the base stock, I focus on colloquial phrases, which help to make speech natural and buy time in a conversation if I forget something ("so", "first", "well", "probably").

30 Apply in practice

The most important point of all. Although all of the methods listed above involve a practical approach, I will remind you once again: forget about cramming and test a variety of methods for memorizing words, note what works for you and focus on it. Learned a word - put it into practice using the methods above today. Then an hour later, tomorrow, a week later. This is the only way you can ensure that the words will move into your active vocabulary.

You can easily combine the memorization methods listed above. This will only increase the positive effect!

How do you remember foreign words? Share in the comments!

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