Grammar Linguistics

How To Learn Abstract Words and Fix Grammar Mistakes

Here are a couple of Q&As on how to learn abstract words, and how to fix common grammar mistakes when learning a new language.

Note 7/18/2022: This is an older blog post containing information about using the Anki software for language learning.

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Q: How do I learn abstract words like  “to seem” and  “to be”?

A: Up until you have enough vocabulary to handle a monolingual dictionary, you’ll be reliant on context. My favorite source of words in context is the basic (old) version of Google Images plus Google Translate (I use the Google toolbar to dump the Google Images search results url directly into Google Translate). This will give me a bunch of pictures with translated captions underneath.

Pick one that you like and turn it into a fill-in-the-blank card. In Russian, my example for “seem” translates to “this house seems small.” I already know “house” and “small,” and I remember enough about the meaning of the sentence that those two other words plus the associated picture from Google Images that the meaning stays pretty clear. Once that sentence makes sense to me, then I can go in the other direction and have “to seem” on the front, and my example sentence on the back. In that card, I’m training myself to more or less remember in which context I’ve heard that word before.

Basically, you use pictures to provide concrete anchor points, and you build bridges between them with connecting words (he is a boy, he is mean, the dog wants a bone). Once you’re comfy with those words, then you build bridges on top of your bridges (he is drowsy = he wants to sleep a little, etc.) The structure gets bigger and bigger underneath, and eventually, you can handle a monolingual dictionary and things get easier. It’s a fun process once you get used to it.

Tip: Speed up your language learning progress even further with our comprehensive guide to The Fastest Way To Learn a Language.

illustration of the human brain

Build bridges on top of your bridges to learn! Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay


Q: I speak German fluently, but I have a lot of ingrained mistakes. Can I fix them?

A: Write, write, write. At your level, it’s how you figure out exactly where your ‘fossils’ are. Routinely write out a 5-minute journal in German and submit it to Lang-8.com. Get your correction and put it in Anki as a fill-in-the-blank-type card wherever you make a mistake. Get a daily Anki habit going.

The program will automatically focus on the more difficult stuff because you’ll make more mistakes with it, so you’ll see those cards more often. And it should pretty quickly replace your bad habits with good ones.

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