EXAMPLE 1
Take the word Heinous:
The definition of heinous is “abominable, vile.” However, you may find it much easier to remember by the word Horrible.
Often the dictionary definition of a word can be simplified by condensing the definition into one word.
EXAMPLE 2
Take the word Expiate:
The dictionary definition is “to put an end to; to extinguish guilt, to make amends for.” This definition may be summed up by one word Atone.
Putting definitions in your own words makes them more familiar and therefore easier to remember.
Write down the word Human mind work well with visual aids for memorization of new words. Many people are visual learners and do not fully benefit from a mere review of words and their definitions as they appear in a dictionary or in the list in this book. For these learners, writing the words and their definitions may well make a dramatic difference in retaining the words and their meanings. For many, it may take several times of writing the word down along with its definition to make it all “sink in.” If you think this method is best for you, get a notebook to write your words in.
Creating mental word pictures helps you retain the meanings of new words and clarifies your thinking when you get to the test.
Set Goals
Irrespective of the technique you adopt for memorizing the words, you must set daily goal if you plan to learn the top words. To do so, first look ahead to your intended test date. Next, determine how many days you have before this test date. Finally, divide the list so you have a preset goal each day of how many words you will learn. This makes the task much comfortable because you will be able to measure your accomplishments each day rather than trying to attack in one sitting what seems to be an impossible task.
When you don’t know the word
None can memorize the dictionary. However; you can learn the words in a list that occur most frequently on the test, there will inevitably still be some words that you do not know. Don’t be discouraged. Again, there are some very effective techniques described below that can be applied when a word does not look familiar to you.