How do you memorize words?

[Mocha001]

Hello. I try to memorize all 3500 barron's words. How do you memorize words? I am sure everyone has their own ways of doing so.

Anyone wants to share?

[db2290]

flash cards worked well for me.

And my favourite (I'm not trying to sell anything here) is the smartvocab app on my iphone. I just answered a few questions everytime I was on a train or bus or something

[JoeySsance]

While the Barron's 3500 word list is great for increasing one's vocab, it is insufferably tedious to plod through that whole thing! It's great that it provides sentences to contextualize the vocab but the alphabetical presentation doesn't really work to anyone's advantage. I've gotten through a good chunk of it but have decided to avail myself of other more fun resources. Definitely consider using a book that presents vocab words along with their synonyms because you're more likely to remember them that way (i.e. a list of words dealing with criticism, servility, death and mourning, etc.). You can also make such lists yourself. Yet another great strategy would be to make flashcards. If the thought of having piles and piles of index cards isn't your cup of tea (and it isn't mine either) you can do like I've been doing and use flashcard-making software and study vocabulary on your computer. I use a free program called MemoryLifter (http://www.memorylifter.com/) that has really helped me to retain a lot of words!

One amazing book I've been using is called Fiske Word Power. It has 100 chapters with 10 words each. Every chapter is structured around a fun and quirky theme, like "Am I Timid? Or Are You Intimidating?: Words for the Brave and the Cowardly" (e.g. craven, pusillanimous, timorous, tremulous, rebarbative, redoubtable, etc.) and "How Deep Is the Ocean, How High Is the Sky?: Words About Heights and Depths" (e.g. apogee, acme, apex, zenith, nadir, etc.). The Fiske book offers two unique sentences per word, a chapter quiz after every three chapters, a longer test after every nine chapters, a final exam and fun activities in the postscript which add to the practice (gosh, I must sound so nerdy). Here are some cool examples of that fun practice I mentioned, in the form of funny thought experiments:

• "If you asked a laconic herpetologist why he or she chose that line of work, what might the person reply?"
• "Mary asked an oenologist to recommend something potable for those who are frugal. In simple terms, what has Mary done?"
• "Frank is an itinerant numismatist. What might we find him doing?"
• "What might a lepidopterist put in his highboy?"
• "Do you find ribaldry risible? Why or why not?"
• "Which of the following superheroes might be seen as a virago: Spider-Man, Wonder Woman or Batman? Explain."http://www.amazon.com/Fiske-WordPower-Edward/dp/1402206534/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289417310&sr=8-1
  
  Another efficient way to memorize words is to make up your own funny phrases. To remember the meaning of winnow (which means to separate grain from chaff) I use the following mnemonic: "separate the winnowz from the los-owz" (the winners from the losers), which I concede is utterly ridiculous, but it helps me remember it which is all that matters! Here's a reference that might go over your head if you've never played one of the Super Smash Bros. games. Since I have, I find that conjuring one particular image in my mind is a great mnemonic for remembering the word toady (synonymous with sycophant, or a servile flatterer). One of Princess Peach's defensive moves is to pull out her retainer (a servant) named Toad to parry her opponent's attacks. Clearly that makes Toad a toady because he puts his neck on the line to flatter her majesty.
  
  Here are some links so you can actually picture what I'm talking about:
  
  • http://seemslegit.com/_images/4c8a715d3518a38c479005ab28080c60/686%20-%20bowser%20nintendo%20peach%20ssbb%20toad%20video_games.jpg
  • http://www.motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/small/0902/dont-shoot-super-smash-bros-brawl-samus-peach-toad-demotivational-poster-1235532735.jpg
  • http://www.halolz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/halolz-dot-com-supersmashbrosmelee-toad-hastheworstjobever.jpgThere you have it, another silly way to remember a word, but I really will never forget it! And after preparing assiduously - dare I say,

sedulously - for the past few months, I've got hundreds more where that came from! I hope you find my suggestions helpful. Good luck!

[hotmessexpress]

@joeyssance: I just have to say that your mnemonics for "winnow" and "toady" are "risible" (three out of a handful of words I learned thanks to your post)! I'm definitely going to check out the Fiske book you suggested. Thanks for an amusing and helpful post!

[JoeySsance]

Don't mention it! It's my pleasure, really. I'm glad I could help.

[BrandNewName]

Don't memorize 3500 words! That's crazy! I bought the Kaplan vocabulary flashcards (500 words) and memorized all of them (with the help of my partner who was also taking the exam). 500 is totally manageable if you have a few days to study and nearly every word that appeared on the exam was covered by the flashcards. I was pre-testing in the low 600s prior to using the cards and on exam day I ended up with a 710 after memorizing them.

Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607140527/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1890982024&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=07THKG744C6S3YBDJB2M

[JoeySsance]

Here's a mnemonic I came up with today to help me remember descry (which means: to catch sight of something) and it's influenced by the fact that I've been watching inordinate amounts of Law and Order SVU lately: When the defense attorney had to ask the witness multiple times to describe in detail what she had allegedly seen, the jury began to doubt whether she actually descried it.

By the way, L&O SVU is another fun source of GRE vocab. In every episode the characters use words like abscond and subpoena; words that are useful to know for the GRE. In the regular L&O series (not SVU), when one lawyer mentioned "the military's antediluvian laws" in her closing arguments, I instantly thought of my GRE review and added yet another context for that word to my repertoire. Here's a quotation from the Fiske book which touches upon the style of vocab learning that has been most effective for me: "Have you ever learned new words and then seen or heard them again shortly afterward? ...Spooky? Mystical? Weird? Not really. The universe didn't suddenly thrust those words in your path to reward you for your new knowledge. No, it's the other way around - you noticed the words because you'd just learned them. ...You're developing what we call strong verbal antennae, an ability to sense what you earlier ignored. These antennae will be your new best friends. If writers are, as novelist Henry James suggested, people 'on whom nothing is lost,' then alpha students of vocabulary are people on whom no word is lost. If you see it, learn it. If you hear it, learn it. If you learn it, use it."

If anyone's interested, I could start a mnemonics thread where I and others can share helpful ways to remember some of the tougher GRE words. PM me or just say so here. Once again, good luck to everyone!

Edited November 10, 2010 by JoeySsance

[JoeySsance]

In case you're more of a visual and/or auditory learner, here's another amazing resource. I actually found it today and I will definitely make some use of it before my exam. Essentially it's a website with short videos containing vivid illustrations where the speaker defines a word and uses it in a sentence (sometimes more than one) relating to the picture you see. It's simple but brilliant!

If my earlier mnemonic for toady didn't help you, here's one that might: http://www.vocabahead.com/VocabularyVideos/Videos/TabId/59/VideoId/457/Default.aspx

Is that website neat, or what?

[db2290]

The universe didn't suddenly thrust those words in your path to reward you for your new knowledge. No, it's the other way around - you noticed the words because you'd just learned them. ...You're developing what we call strong verbal antennae, an ability to sense what you earlier ignored. These antennae will be your new best friends. If writers are, as novelist Henry James suggested, people 'on whom nothing is lost,' then alpha students of vocabulary are people on whom no word is lost. If you see it, learn it. If you hear it, learn it. If you learn it, use it."

So true - its funny because it's quite easy to 'overlook' words you don't know because you read them in context and can still understand. I have been coming across more and more of the obscure GRE words recently and actually having a flash of recognition!

[bilarslan]

Try Anki. It is a very helpful flashcard software.

[Mocha001]

Oh my god you guys are super awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to get that Fiske book.

That was exactly I was concerned. I have gone through Barron's 3500 over and over again. I was familiar with those words, but on the exam, I

totally cannot remember exact meanings. All I could do was " oh I have seen this word, but well, now what?"

It was like you have been though the same street over and over again, but if someone asks you the direction, you cannot explain exactly.

I wasted a lot of time for stupid words, and I had to guess a lot of reading comprehension questions.

Do you guys memorize words visually? or say out loud? or writing?

[Mocha001]

I think I am a visual learner. The thing is that those alphabetical words order drives me crazy!!

Organizing words based on meaning works better?? or negative words vs positive words?

antonym vs synonym?

[JoeySsance]

Check out this thread I started:

[bilarslan]

I think I am a visual learner. The thing is that those alphabetical words order drives me crazy!!

Organizing words based on meaning works better?? or negative words vs positive words?

antonym vs synonym?

Working with synonyms is a great idea considering that GRE words mostly follow such a fixed template*:

Old or new

Happy or sad

Rich or poor

Proud or humble

Courageous or timid

Generous or cheap

To praise someone or insult them

To calm someone or make the situation worse

Pleasant and unpleasant personality traits

*Source: http://www.ivyleagueadmission.com/greindex2.html