Making lists of words is the least likely way to help you remember any new vocabulary. Techniques based on the strengths of the human memory, like visual association (see also Linking and Vocab by Association), context and our own involvement in creating a structure of noting words, work much better. Here are a few examples from one of the best books of its type. Business English – An indiviualised learning program by Michael Lewis and Peter Wilberg.
You’ll find similar advice at the AIIC website: “In your glossary, include not only unfamiliar technical terms, but also recurring topical items of a more general nature, in order to contextualize yourself and to increase their ‘availability’, so that they are on the tip of your tongue when you need them.”
Business English, Michael Lewis and Peter Wilberg, LTP, 1990, Hove, UK.
The following two pages come together and are opposite one another in the book itself.
