Strategies in
Language Learning
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Pow you choose Lhe words you wanL Lo remember wlll depend upon your level and
your needs. Are you a beglnner Lraveler for example, or a beglnner ln anoLher
counLry Lo where Lhe language ls spoken.
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1. Choose hlgh frequency words LhaL you are llkely Lo use ln your experlence. So
for example, worklng on anlmal names mlghL noL be Lhe besL cholce unless
you are a veL, eLc.
2. Choose words approprlaLe Lo Lhe level of your language. So worklng on legal
Lermlnology mlghL noL be Lhe besL cholce lf you are a beglnner.
3. Choose words LhaL can be used ln mulLlple conLexLs when you are sLarLlng
ouL. 1he hlgh frequency word llsLs one can flnd on Lhe neL are a good sLarL
here.
Cf course Lhere may be excepLlons Lo Lhls, buL Lhese are useful general guldellnes
LhaL can acceleraLe your progress and be more saLlsfylng as Lhey wlll more readlly
locaLe Lhemselves ln Lhe senLences you can speak and Lhey wlll be used more ofLen.
Strategies in
Language Learning
L: andrew[sLraLegleslnlanguagelearnlng.com W: sLraLegleslnlanguagelearnlng.com
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LeL's say you choose Lhe word sLlr" as you llke cooklng.
Pere are my polnLers Lo help you noL [usL remember buL be able Lo use Lhls word.
uL lL ln aL leasL 3 dlfferenL senLences LhaL are meanlng packed and personal. 1hls
creaLes conLexL and Lhe klnds of llnks you wlll need for recall.
1. My mum always sLlrs Lhe onlons when she frles Lhem.
2. l don'L llke sLlrrlng Loo much as l geL Llred.
3. lf l don'L sLlr Lhe meaL, lL wlll burn.
now lL mlghL Lake you some Llme Lo do Lhls Lhe flrsL Llme. uon'L worry. An? efforL
you make wlll help place LhaL word lnLo your memory. 8y worklng Lo creaLe
correcL" senLences, you wlll be uslng your undersLandlng of Lhe language Lo help
drlve lL furLher lnLo your memory. lL ls lmporLanL Lo work Lowards uslng
grammaLlcally and slLuaLlonally correcL senLences. lL ls noL crlLlcal LhaL Lhey be 100
correcL. 1he closer Lhe beLLer Lhough, as LhaL way you are embeddlng deslrable
hablLs lnLo your worklng memory.
8y slLuaLlonally, l mean LhaL ln some slLuaLlons some language ls noL really correcL
even Lhough lL may be grammaLlcally correcL. lor example, My moLher ls sLlrrlng
Lhe meaL on Lhe bench" or lf l sLlr Lhe meaL, lL wlll burn" are correcL grammaLlcally
buL Lhey do noL make much sense. 1hls mlghL be easy Lo see here, buL one of Lhe
crlLlclsms l have made of many language books ls LhaL Lhey use language naLlve
speakers flnd hard Lo process or would never say. My broLher ls ln uelhl wlLh my
cousln," may be hard Lo make meanlngful for some people lf Lhey have no broLher!
Cr even worse sLlll, an example whlch l Look from a grammar book, ?ou're noL very
good aL dolng."
Strategies in
Language Learning
L: andrew[sLraLegleslnlanguagelearnlng.com W: sLraLegleslnlanguagelearnlng.com
!"#$%&'()* ,-.&/0 1/'2/& 3456
now once you are preLLy sure Lhe senLences are ok, Lhere are 2 furLher Lhlngs you
can do Lo embed Lhem lnLo your memory:
1. Say Lhem aloud. 1hls way you are uslng your muscles and your braln ln a
dlfferenL way Lo help you palnL Lhem furLher lnLo your memory by creaLlng
dlfferenL klnds of llnks.
2. vlsuallse Lhe acLlons/meanlng as you are saylng lL. 1hls Lakes Lhe process Lo a
whole anoLher level as you are now enllsLlng anoLher parL of Lhe braln, whlch
has been shown by sclenLlflc LesLlng Lo be a powerful mechanlsm Lo asslsL
memory.
Also, lf you look closely aL Lhe sLlr" example, have used 3 forms of Lhe word sLlr -
sLlr, sLlrs & sLlrrlng. We have now glven Lhls verb a grammaLlcal workouL!
AL flrsL, Lhls mlghL seem Lo be overklll for one word buL belleve me Lhe efforL ls well
worLh lL. Why? 8ecause you are reLralnlng your braln Lo work ln dlfferenL ways.
CreaL language learners do Lhls klnd of work lnsLlncLlvely. 1haL ls where we wanL
you Lo geL Lo, so you can do Lhls on Lhe run as lL were. 8uL flrsL as wlLh any new sklll,
you flrsL need Lo Lraln yourself, a sLep aL a Llme.
uo Lhls wlLh as many new words as you have Llme Lo (aL leasL once a day) and you
wlll see LhaL once you geL Lhe hang of lL, you wlll become fasLer ln comlng up wlLh
Lhe senLences. LvenLually you won'L need Lo wrlLe down any Lhlng. ?ou wlll be ln
facL be Lralnlng your mlnd Lo work ln Lhe new language, noL [usL LranslaLlng or
whaLever else you have been dolng.
LxpecL a llLLle reslsLance! ! ?our mlnd may well play Lrlcks on you and Lry Lalklng
you lnLo uslng Lhe old fasL" ways. 1hey probably noL have been glvlng you Lhe
resulLs you wanL, oLherwlse you would noL have downloaded Lhls gulde!
Strategies in
Language Learning
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?ou may wonder lf Lhls wlll really work. Well l wlll make a suggesLlon. Make a
declslon Lo work wlLh Lhls meLhod for 28 days mulLlple Llmes a day. AfLer LhaL Llme
perlod, slL down and reflecL on your experlence. Pas anyLhlng changed?
l wlll be very surprlsed lf Lhe answer ls no. ln facL lf you do whaL l say and Lhere has
been no lmprovemenL, l wlll reLurn whaL you pald, no quesLlons asked!
Ln[oy!
Andrew Weller
