How to Remember Dates for a Test - Memorization

How to Remember Dates for a Test - Memorization Dates are often difficult to remember because they seem so random and obscure unless we can relate them to something specific. For instance, the  American Civil War  started in 1861, but unless you have a strong interest in the specific timeline of the war, there is nothing special about the starting date that separates that date from any other. What makes 1861 stand apart from 1863 or 1851? Sometimes it can be as simple as leaving off the first two digits. If you are studying a particular time period, you already know what century in which the events take place. Even though it might not seem like it, breaking it down to just two numbers can make memorization much easier. You can associate those numbers with something like the number of a favorite athlete. If that doesn’t work, there are a few other tricks. When trying to memorize a date, students can really benefit from a  mnemonic system  (memory technique) to help them recall the right numbers in the right order. For memorizing dates it might be helpful to borrow a practice from the London Cockneys. A Cockney is an inhabitant of the East End of London, England. Cockneys have an old tradition of using  rhyming slang  as a secret language, of sorts. The tradition originated centuries ago, and it was used by Londons thieves, traders, entertainers, and other members from the lower strata of society. In Cockney slang, Can you believe it?  becomes  Can you Adam and Eve it? More examples: Whistle and flute suitWhite mice iceTom Hanks thanksTrouble and strife wife Remembering Dates We can use the same method to remember dates. Simply think of a term that rhymes with your date. Make sure your rhyme is a little silly and that it paints a strong picture in your head. You can leave off the century, so that 1861, the starting date for the Civil War, becomes 61. Example: 61 Sticky gun Imagine a Civil War soldier struggling with a gun that has been covered with honey. It may sound silly, but it works! More Examples: 1773 was the date of the Boston Tea Party. To remember this, you could think: 73 Heavenly tea You can just picture protesters sipping lovely cups of tea right before tossing them in the water. 1783 marks the end of the Revolutionary War. 83 Ladies bee For this image, think of several women sitting on a quilt and celebrating by stitching a red, white and blue quilt. The most important element of this method is to come up with a great, amusing image. The funnier it is, the more memorable it will be. If possible, come up with a little story to connect all your mental images. If you have trouble coming up with a rhyme or have a lot of connected information to remember, you could set the information to a song. If you are musically inclined, you could make up your own song. More often it is easier to replace the words to a song you already know well.

Scot-free

Scot-free Scot-free Scot-free By Maeve Maddox â€Å"To escape scot-free† means to elude merited consequences: [Construction] Site Deaths Soaring as Bosses Escape Scot Free No escape: independent directors won’t go scot free Now all the doctors at Mid Staffs escape scot-free over deaths. In the Middle Ages a scot was a tax or tribute paid by a feudal tenant to his lord. The word derives from a Scandanavian word meaning tribute. It came to stand for different kinds of payments levied for services. In Kent and Sussex, the scot was a tax for the maintenance of drainage systems and flood prevention. In some contexts the scot was simply the bill owed for drinks or entertainment. Explanations of the expression scot-free may be found on numerous web sites. Most of the sites I’ve browsed correctly trace the term to the word for a tax, but a few cling to a mistaken idea that the expression has something to do with the 1857 US Supreme Court ruling known as the â€Å"Dred Scott Decision.† For example, this confident explanation: Its spelt scott-free and refers to a famous US Supreme Court decision involving the black slave Dred Scott. Ironically Scott lost his suit, though you wouldnt know it from the well-known phrase. The misspelling scott occurs both as an error and as a play on the name of someone named Scott. For example: Lincoln’s Assassin Got Away Scott Free (misspelled headline at YouTube) American Idol recap: Getting off Scott-free (The reference is to a contestant named Scott MacIntyre.) The lingering association of scot-free with Dred Scott is probably owing to vague recollections of high school history: a man named Scott wanted to be free. To refresh your memory, here’s a recap of what the Dred Scott Decision was about: In 1846, Dred Scott, then 47 years old, sued the Missouri state government on behalf of his wife, two daughters, and himself; the suit contended that they were being illegally held in slavery. Scott was born into slavery in Alabama. When he was about 30, he was sold to an Army doctor in Missouri. During the following years, Scott married, fathered two daughters, and lived at different times in the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin. Scott’s lawsuit contended that residence in a free state conferred freedom. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where, in 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the majority opinion: the Scotts were property and property rights were protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Although Dred Scott lost his case, he did not die in slavery. His owner’s widow married an abolitionist who returned the family to Scott’s original owner. The former slave owner had since moved to Missouri and become an abolitionist; he freed Scott, his wife, and their two daughters. Dred Scott died of tuberculosis after enjoying only seventeen months of freedom. His wife Harriet survived him by eighteen years. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†Probable vs. PossibleContinue and "Continue on"