Language students often think they have memory problems. They worry because they can't remember words. In fact, the problem isn't usually about their memory. The problem is about how they study.

To remember words better, you need to understand how memory works. There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. When you see, hear or read something. it goes first into short-term memory. But short-term memory lasts for only a few seconds. You will only remember something longer if it goes into long-term memory. Your long-term memory is like a very big library with many books. And like a library, it's well-organized. When you put away a book-or memory- you can't just leave it anywhere. You have to choose a place where you can find it again. How can you do this with vocabulary(词汇)? The answer is to work with the word and think about the word in new ways. You can do this by writing new sentences that include it. Even better, you can invent a little story about the word, with people or places that you know. Another way is to make a picture in your mind with the word. For example, if the word is "height", you can think of the tallest person you know and try to guess his or her height. All of these activities are good ways to think about words. They make the meaning of words stronger in your long-term memory. And they give a way to find a word when you need it.