How to Memorise Paragraphs

Last Updated: December 22, 2021

This is a simple way to learn long paragraphs for any occasion. It helps to learn speeches for presentations, lines for plays or answers to questions in language speaking exams.

Steps

1
Split your paragraph into short phrases that make sense to you.^{[1]
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Research source} For example, split "The mirror has fallen off the wall, and no one is willing to put forth the effort required to hang it back in its rightful place." into "The mirror has fallen off the wall," "and no one is willing to put forth the effort required", "to hang it back in it rightful place."
2
Mark these short phrases onto a copy of the script you have to learn so you can clearly see them.^{[2]
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3
Read the first phrase out loud. Read only the first phrase, slowly, three times whilst reading it on the script.^{[3]
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4
Then without looking at the script, try to repeat it again.^{[4]
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5
Now, read the first and second phrase out loud slowly, whilst reading them on the paper.
6
Read them without using your script.
7
Keep adding phrases until you know the whole script.^{[5]
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Community Q&A

Question

How do I improve my ability to memorize passages?

Community Answer

Try chunking the text into seven or eight words and repeat these until you know them. After you can repeat them without looking, do another set of seven or eight. Once you can repeat those, repeat them together in order. Continue to practice a set and then the whole thing together in a sequence, adding another set after you can repeat the sequence you have already been memorizing without looking at the text. The longer period of time you practice and the longer you stretch out the different practices, the better you will remember.
Question

How do I memorize things?

Community Answer

Read over the material plenty of times, and use little sentences that will trigger your memory or brain by remembering the whole paragraph.
Question

How do I remember a long Arabic paragraph?

Community Answer

Break it down. Read the smaller sections first, then read it all together.
Question

How can I remember the paragraph after memorizing? I keep forgetting it.

Community Answer

Try to think of it as a challenge. Every time you mess up or forget a part, read it again and start over until you get it. This will force the brain to tackle specific phrases.
Question

How do I memorize a lot of text?

Community Answer

Read one part over and over while looking, then try saying it without looking. Then do this with all the other parts. When you're done, read it once, then say the whole thing without looking. If you haven't memorized it after that, start over from the top.
Question

How do I memorize a long passage when it is not in my native language?

Community Answer

First, translate it to your native tongue and read it until you understand it. Then, try to associate the foreign words with your native words. After those steps, memorize it like any other paragraph!
Question

What is the easiest way to memorize a Chinese paragraph?

Community Answer

Make sure you understand all the meaning behind all the words you are trying to memorize. Then split the paragraph into small sections, and repeat phrases over and over until they become ingrained in your memory.
Question

How can I memorize an explanatory video?

Community Answer

Try making a script, and write down everything they are saying. Try using index cards, writing section by section. Writing down what you want to know always helps remember whatever you want to say/ memorize.