Don't forget your English!

How to avoid the frustration of forgetting what you've just learnt

Photo by Lacie Cueto on Unsplash

Hello!

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Now for today’s free tips and suggestions!

A lot of learners tell me that one of their biggest problems is that they can’t remember everything they have learnt.

This is especially true for vocabulary - you learn some new words today, but then tomorrow comes and you can’t remember them - but it’s also true for grammar rules.

Or you learn something and understand it at the time, but when you’re trying to speak in a real-life situation, it has suddenly gone from your head!

Here are some possible reasons for this and what you can do about it.

Fear

If you get nervous or stressed when you try to speak, it’s much harder to remember the words that you want to use. So relax and take a breath before you speak. And keep practising until the fear gets less.

Trying to learn too much

Do you forget what you’ve learnt because you’re trying to learn too much? You have to be realistic about how much you can learn and remember. There’s no point trying to learn 100 words a day. It’s better to learn 5-10 words a day.

Active vs passive knowledge

Remember that there’s a difference between active knowledge and passive knowledge. Passive knowledge means that you understand a word or a grammar point when you see it. Active knowledge means you can actually use it when you speak or write. So, how do you turn your passive knowledge into active knowledge? The next few points will answer that.

Use it or lose it

Just reading a new word or studying a new grammar point is not enough. Writing it down helps but even more important, you have to use it. If you use the new language, you’re much more likely to remember it. One simple strategy is to make sentences with the new words or grammar points that you want to remember.

Make it yours

When you’re making sentences with your new grammar or vocabulary points, try to make them personal. Write sentences that are true about your own life or try to write something you can imagine yourself actually saying.

Spaced repetition

One of the biggest mistakes that learners make is that they think they can learn something once and then remember it forever. Repetition is how you remember things. Spaced repetition means repeating the same information at increasing time intervals. For example, you could write some new words that you want to remember onto flashcards and practice them today. Then practice them again tomorrow, after three days, after a week and then after two weeks.

Test yourself

If you use flashcards or vocabulary lists, try looking at the word in your language or the definition and then trying to remember the English. Actively recalling the words is more effective than passively reviewing them.

Reading

One of the reasons I recommend reading a lot is because I think it’s a great way to improve your vocabulary. And also, there’s a high chance that some words will be repeated a few times. As I said above, this repetition is really helpful.

Teach it to someone else

If you have the opportunity to teach somebody else what you have learnt, this really helps you to remember it. It also shows you where you still have gaps in your knowledge. In my Facebook groups, I often ask people what they have learnt recently. If you don’t have anybody to do this with, try explaining something to your reflection in the mirror or even to the dog!

So, which of these tips are you going to put into action today?

See you next week!

Katie 💙