mnemonics

How to use mnemonics? 

There are four categories of Mnemonics

Single-Use or First Letter Coding

 Look at each of the items that must be remembered. Then take the first letter of each word and create a    phrase or sentence that uses the first letter of each word.
 For example:
To remember the order of the color bands of the resistor color code (black, brown, red, orange,yellow,      green, blue, violet, gray, white), use the following sentence: "Better be right or yourgreat big venture goes west."
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Keyword

There are three main steps necessary to use the Keyword method:
Look at the first word and think of a word that looks or sounds like it.
Look at the second word (or meaning of a word, if using the Keyword method for abstract vocabulary) and think of a word that looks or sounds like it.
Next, think of a phrase or short sentence that connects the two words.
For example:
To remember the capital city of a state, (Annapolis, Maryland):
1) Choose a keyword for the state: Maryland=marry
2) Choose a keyword for the city: Annapolis=apple
3) Connect the two words: Two apples getting married.

To remember that the word "barrister" is another word for "lawyer":
1) Choose a keyword for the new term: Barrister = bear
2) Connect the image of a bear acting like a lawyer to the word "barrister."

Chain

There are two main steps necessary to use the Chain method:
Link words in a list together into a sentence or a story. Link the items in the order they must be recalled by making associations between them
Use imagery and visualization to connect the first two items, use another image to connect items two and three, and so forth.
For example:
To remember the steps for changing a car tire (loosen lug nuts with a wrench, jack up car,remove lug nuts, pull off flat tire, lift spare onto lug bolts, replace lug nuts, tighten lug nuts by hand, lower car, tighten lug nuts with a wrench) link the steps together in a series of sentences as follows:
LUcy’s (loosen lug nuts with a wrench) friend JACK (jack up car) used to REMOVE (remove lug nuts) termites for a living.  He does PULL-ups (pull off flat tire) a lot because he LIkes (lift spare onto lug bolts) to stay in shape.  Now he REPLACEs (replace lug nuts) roofs instead, and tends to TIGers (tighten lug nuts by hand).  The pay is LOWER (lower car) but he has a lot more freeTIme (tighten lug nuts with a wrench).

Method of Loci

There are two different ways to use Method of Loci:
Linking information to a particular location or place:

1) Visualize a familiar place, such as a street or a room. It should be a place where there is a lot of detail.
2) Imagine yourself walking through the place being visualized.
3) Form a mental image of the first item to remember. Link this item to something in the image. Repeat this for the rest of the items to remember.

For example:
You might think of your room. There are a lot of details in your room (the door knob, the sheet on your bed, an empty glass). To remember a list of items you need (oil, a wrench, a cloth), visualize the following:
The handle of your doorknob is a steel wrench
The sheet on your bed is a giant blue cloth
The empty glass is being filled with brown oil

Linking information to places that occur in a logical order:
1) Think of a normal routine that you follow almost everyday.
2) In that routine, visualize the major places or locations that you visit.
3) Link each item to be remembered to something in the places or locations in your routine.

For example:
You might think of the places you go to get ready for work (your room when you wake up, the kitchen where you have breakfast, the front door). To remember the list of items you need (oil, a wrench, a cloth), visualize the following:
Oil pouring into your bedroom
Tiny wrenches scattered all over the kitchen counter
The door covered with a giant blue cloth