Faith Tong (Week 2): Forgetful Faith :D
Forgetful Faith :D
Do you guys ever find yourselves feeling stressed as you try to remember that one word that you want to write on a paper or timed write? Well, I can say that I have experienced this way too many times, and that's not a good thing. Whenever I am writing a paper or speed-running a timed write, there's always that one word I forget and it ruins my entire train of thought. Then I become extremely focused to desperately remember that one word, and depending on my brain that day, I either surprisingly remember it or sadly forget it forever.
After this realization, I searched up my question to see if it could be proved by research, and indeed, it is! According to Universe of Memory, "a regularity of exposure to vocabulary can help us remember basic greetings and vocabulary". Most of us are usually exposed to vocabulary we use on a daily basis or use for texting or other forms of communication. Thus, we are less exposed to difficult or should I say "sophisticated" vocabulary that APENG students should use. No wonder the more difficult words I think of always slip my mind while writing. This leads me to conclude I really should expand my use of vocabulary and expose myself to more advanced vocabulary, rather than the ones I am comfortable using.
Another interesting fact I found from the Universe of Memory was that "immigrants" can easily remember commonly used English phrases or vocabulary since they are "frequently exposed to such words". I realized that it also applies to learning other languages, such as Spanish, where I can recall basic greetings such as "Buenos dias" or "Como estas" with ease compared to the complicated vocabulary I am learning now in Spanish.
My question to you is: How do you remember the words that slip out of your mind when it comes to writing?
Comments
I've also forgotten things during tests before. I forgot the derivative of cosecant during my last calculus test unfortunately. For timed writes, if I forget a word, I just use a bad synonym because I do not have the time to think about it. I agree with how regular exposure helps people with languages. I forgot how to write an extremely basic chinese word that I've known how to write for years recently because I haven't written or read Chinese since last year. Over the summer, I will try to engage in more Chinese content so I can recall all of the things I learned before.
I run into that problem you described at the beginning of your blog all the time. When writing an essay, I’ll think of a really cool sentence that fits perfectly in the paragraph, but end up leaving a blank space for a word that I can’t think of. There are so many words in the English language where you can just describe what it means and people will generally get the idea, but in order to make it less wordy in formal writing, you’re compelled to use a single word that fits the description. It’s very much the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, where you fail to retrieve a word/term from memory, but can recall similar forms or definitions.
-Angel Susantin
I encounter that issue so much honestly, especially with interviews. I remember I forgot the word "experience" and was feeling embarrassed because I forgot that word. It haunts me still...regardless, it happens so much when doing timed writes. I end up spending more time trying to remember the word or defining it, only to recall the word after a few sentences.
When I read the first paragraph of your blog I was like “BOY NOW DO I EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING ://“ I took AP Spanish, do not ask what went through my head last year, but now I am struggling, big time… We have to write argumentative essays in that class and trying to think of word in Spanish is the worst feeling ever as you’re just in the middle like bestie… I hate that feeling as I feel so discombobulated. Trying to get a word that is at the top of your head is just not the vibe 😭
Sincerely,
Mrinmayee
I get brain farts like these all the time. It's like my brain just lags for 10 seconds just to screw me over in life. My only consolation is that you apparently experience this phenomena a lot as well. Reading your blog gave me a lot of insight into these small mind slips. I also really love the meme that you added onto your blog; it is very wholesome :^))))
This happens to me all the time mostly when pressure hits me or when I just didn't get enough quality sleep. I just start repeating a word or be like that uh the hmm nevermind and start talking about a topic I do remember. When I am done talking about the topic I remember I then go back. This is often very frustrating for me when it happens in writing essays or timed writes and drives me nuts even more when I remember right after it ends.