Exercise 1: Common Words

SOME HINTS

Play

Hair-wash

Espionage

Hunting

Nastiness

Laziness

Explanation

Habit

Following

Situation

It is such a common word. However what is the picture? Do you see children playing? Or toys? Or the theatre?Or the play-button on your video-recorder? Also important: (usually) the first picture that comes to mind is the best. Don’t ask why. Trust me on that one. You have a picture? Good. 

Come on, that’s easy.  You have a picture? Good.  

You know what it means. But what do you see? Maybe James Bond?  Which one?  Sean Connery or Roger Moore or Daniel Craig? You may notice that spy and espionage are not the same. That kind of detail will come with practice. For the moment treat spy and espionage as the same. You have a picture? Good.  

How about red-coats on horses?Do you need the dogs? Bring them into your picture. It may even be a mini movie sequence. You have a picture? Good.  

First, you may break it up. How about the lough ness monster, Nessie? And then nasty. This is an adjective and these are notoriously difficult as they describe things.  I offer my own example: My picture for nasty is a little seven year old girl in my street. Oh, I know what you are saying. However, I am not doing ethics. I am teaching memory techniques. And the lesson is: Do you have a picture? This girl (for me) is a picture.  Now, try your own.   You have a picture? Good.  

You notice, you can break it up just as in the previous example. And you notice that you can ‘recycle’. You can re-use the picture for –ness (Nessie). You realise the more you practice the easier it becomes.  Now: lazy? Your cat?If you are a teacher: your students?  You have a picture? Good.  

Some people hear: plane in the middle of the word. You could put a huge X across that plane. There you have it: X-plane-ation. Remember: the word plane has NOTHING to do with the meaning of explanation. However all we need is a picture. And a plane will do just nicely.    You have a picture? Good.  

Now, that is an easy one: See a nun or a monk’s outfit. You may realise it is good fun by now. And you also realise that even if you are memorising psychological behaviour words, and you SEE a nun or monk, you just will KNOW what it was that you wanted to remember.    You have a picture? Good.  

Break it up: A folly (nonsense building in Victorian times) and a (chicken/bird) wing. It is as easy as that.And you notice you are getting faster.   You have a picture? Good.  

Now that is a good one.You know what the word means and you use it every day, however What is the picture? How about: You see (someone or yourself) SITting down. Most probably, the word sit will be enough to remind you of the word situation. 

You have a picture? Good.