As a child grows they start collecting information from their surroundings. They want to know every possible information about the things around them. As the information piles up, they start feeling the need for some techniques to memorize it all. Here comes the mnemonics. In English, there are several regulations that make up good grammar. These can be effortlessly retained with simple mnemonics in action.
In English, Mnemonics are techniques like a word, sentence, poem, acronyms, or initials that help a person to remember the set of information. It basically associates the information to the central topic assisting in recalling, which otherwise can be a bit hard to comprehend and retain.
Understanding their effectiveness, here we listed out a few insights and ten mnemonics for your little one.
English mnemonics: Helping you become fluent?
If English is your second language, you might feel confused while dealing with the pronunciations of certain words, as you use a different set of phonetics for the same word in your primary language. For example, the word ‘foreign’ is pronounced ‘foren’ but spelled with a combination of letters which can leave anyone bewildered.
English has hundreds of words to frazzle your brain. Not only words and their pronunciations, but similar may also be the case with grammar and its challenging rules.
Nonetheless, there are a number of mnemonics and memory aids that teachers have devised to help out the children who are native and non-native speakers remember the English spelling, pronunciation & grammar rules. Once remembered, these mnemonics can help the students while learning vocabulary.
List of English mnemonics – Making language learning effortless!
These are the commonly used techniques that can be daily utilized by the students and teachers for easy learning of the language. Using these mnemonics in your initial learning days can help you become fluent in English writing further.
1. “Since” or “For“
The students often exchange the use of since and for, which makes the sentence wrong. Here is how you can memorize their use.
A combination of since and for can be used to determine the start time and the duration of the task. Here is the algorithm to easily remember it :
- Starting time is presented by Since (it contains “i”)
- The durations are represented by for (“o” is in How and Long)
Here is an example to understand it better. “The game has been on since 10 a.m. It may last for 5 hours.”
2. Did in the simple past
If you find did in the sentence, always use the indefinite- do not use the verb in simple past form. Keep this in mind, especially while forming interrogative sentences.
Example: He did not sing. ( correct)
Did they watch a movie? ( correct)
wrong: He did not sang.
Wrong: Did they watched a film?
3. Mnemonics for comma usage
A comma is a punctuation mark that is used to separate clauses. Wrongly placed commas can change the entire meaning of the sentences. Hence it’s important to use commas appropriately.
The following mnemonics may help remember the role commas play in sentence structure.
C– Compound Sentences
Use a comma between independent clauses
O– Opening Phrases & Clauses
The comma is used after the phrase that tells where, when, why, how
M– Making Non-Essential Clauses
Separate with commas nonessential words, phrases, and clauses in sentences
M– Miscellaneous Usages
A- Adjective that coordinates
Coordinate adjectives that are equal in importance
S– In A Series
Use commas in a list of three or more items joined by And, Or, or Nor.
4. Wherever there is a Q, there is a U too
You can memorise it by remembering “you too”. Any word where Q is used, ‘u’ will be together. Example: Most frequently: Que, queen, question, quack, quark, quartz, quarry, quit, Pique, torque, macaque, exchequer.
This is not a rule, it’s just a technique to make it remember.
5. Distinguish similar words in nouns and verbs.
Differentiating between Advice & Advise, Practice & Practise, etc. Advice, Practice, License, etc. (those with c) are nouns, and Advise, Practise, License etc. are verbs. When you look up a word in the dictionary, one way to remember that it is at the beginning of a list is by remembering that the letter “c” comes before the letter “s”.
6. When two vowels go walking the first does the talking
In words like “oat” or “eat”, the second letter “a” is silent and the first letters o and e respectively are pronounced in the examples
One more example, we can consider “our” in which the first vowel “o” has its expression and “u” remains silent. Therefore, we can remember these mnemonics to ensure the correct pronunciation.
7. Remembering vocabulary through mnemonics
- Abate
Meaning: to reduce something in ample amount, put an end to, subside or moderate
Mnemonics: ab+ ate, focus on ate if you ate all your money, your wealth will come to an end. This is how you can remember it.
- Inevitable
Meaning: Impossible to avoid or to prevent
Mnemonic: In Every Table
8. Remembering the idioms and phrases
Idioms are often a good idea to depict a situation. While some pupils may feel it strenuous to comprehend the meaning. Here is an example of how mnemonic helps:
Bite the Bullet
Meaning: decide to do the difficult task
Mnemonic: Biting the bullet seems already a difficult task ( making an unrealistic vision)
9. Relating the meaning of the word in mother tongue
Relating the word in your own mother tongue can make it recall faster.
Same means “as it is” in English, which resembles “Saman” in Hindi, which means the “same as it is.”
10. Spelling mnemonics
To spell a particular word, some people use a specific pattern to memorize it or associate an image to it for quick recall.
Example: The river Mississippi is written as M-iss-iss-ipp-i. For memorizing correct spelling this is a good technique.
Are mnemonics effective?
While the effect of mnemonics may vary from one individual to another, their effect is often positive. Taking advantage of the power of association, it tricks the brain to remember facts easily. While some techniques may be advantageous for some, others may need a distinct style of mnemonics. Nonetheless, as a general manifestation, they are often assistive for little ones.
According to research[1] in Saudi Arabia, a sample of 40 students was taken to study the Impact of Mnemonic-based Instruction on Saudi University Students’ Attitudes Towards Vocabulary Learning. The results showed that mnemonics were assistive with vocabularies.
There are some common Mnemonics in every subject that can be helpful for everyone. Like the VIBGYOR which is an acronym for Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red, which are seven colours of the light spectrum. This can be a useful mnemonic for all students who want to remember the rainbow colours in their wavelength order. Another example can be mnemonics for memorizing trigonometric identities.
Mnemonics are most effective when they are personalized. This way, a definitive answer to a question can be discerned after a long time as well. While the opinion about the same may vary, some people found it assistive.
Your mind recalls easily what you have made for yourself. There is no definitive answer to this question. They can be effective, but they also have their disadvantages. Mnemonics are used when a person cannot remember certain information easily or when they need to review that information quickly. Mnemonics are especially helpful for students who struggle with memorising new vocabulary and terms.
Mnemonics for everyone…
Mnemonics are effective for recalling information. They work by associating the target vocabulary with familiar words, images, or other items. With these easy strategies, the pupils can recall otherwise hectic information effortlessly. When it comes to English, crucial rules of grammar get easy with the implementation of these plans of action. Check the listing of mnemonics stated above and see which of these are assistive for you or your little ones.
References:
- Othman, W., Mohammed, O., & Kayode, B. (2019). „Investigating the Impact of Mnemonic-based Instruction on Saudi University Students‟ Attitudes Towards Vocabulary Learning‟. International Journal of English Language Education, 7(2), 13-10.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,