Latest Posts by logophile101 - Page 4

什么是在生活中我们每个人都想要的，旅行，爱情，快乐。

What we all want in life, to travel, fall in love and be happy.

So I made another collection! This round of inspirational quotes goes to the philosophers. Like the other times, I hope you enjoy these inspirational quotes and find them inspiring too!

Plato

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”

“A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.”

“The good is the beautiful.”

Lao Tzu

“From caring comes courage.”

“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

Aristotle

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”

“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.”

Socrates

“Be as you wish to seem.”

“It is not living that matters, but living rightly.”

“Let him that would move the world first move himself.”

Epictetus

“No great thing is created suddenly.”

“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”

“It takes more than just a good looking body. You’ve got to have the heart and soul to go with it.”

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”

“Practice yourself, for heaven’s sake in little things, and then proceed to greater.”

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”

“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”

“Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them.”

“It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.”

“Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope.”

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

“The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.”

“You may be always victorious if you will never enter into any contest where the issue does not wholly depend upon yourself.”

Soren Kierkegaard

“Be that self which one truly is.”

“Life has its own hidden forces which you can only discover by living.”

“The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived.”

“Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.”

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”

Hypatia

“Life is an unfoldment, and the further we travel the more truth we can comprehend. To understand the things that are at our door is the best preparation for understanding those that lie beyond.”

“Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.”

Confucius

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

Albert Camus

“To be happy we must not be too concerned with others.”

“Basically, at the very bottom of life, which seduces us all, there is only absurdity, and more absurdity. And maybe that’s what gives us our joy for living, because the only thing that can defeat absurdity is lucidity.”

“I know of only one duty, and that is to love.”

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

“You cannot create experience. You must undergo it.”

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”

对信任你的人，永远别撒谎。对你撒谎的人，永远别太相信。

Never lie to someone who trusts you and never trust someone who lies to to you.

The Really Big Studying Masterpost

I couldn’t get it together enough to do a graphic or anything, so here goes. Sorry this is massively long but hopefully it will be helpful!

Studying

Review season printables

The lazy kid’s guide to study guides

Studying tips for university

Non-cutesy study tips

How I make my study guides

My study process

Effective study routine for intense classes

How to “study”

50 things to do between your study sessions

Studying: how tos, advice, & tips

Learning styles and study tips

Motivation + tests/studying

My study tips tag

This has some stuff on exams

My exam tag

The pomodoro method

“How can I focus/study effectively?”

Get started studying

General exam/studying tips

Learning styles and study tips

Memorization

Using a mind palace

Memorization

Improving memory

Studying with a terrible memory

Memory tips

Last minute studying

Emergency study plan

More on late studying JIC

3 day study plan

Finals / exams

Oh-crap-finals-are-so-close masterpost

Last minute tips for finals

Ways to reset your mind

Examinations: reminders

The ultimate guide to final exams

Tips to focus on studying (finals)

Exam prep tips

I ran out of time (on a test)

How to remember everything for a test

Exams masterpost

What to do the night before an exam

What to do the night before an exam (2)

Standardized testing

Standardized testing

The imperfect guide on AP classes

Free SAT & AP prep

AP review set printables

Free standardized test prep

AP study resources

AP testing tips and tricks

AP cram packets

#1 tip for AP classes

SAT masterpost

The new SAT

Focus and productivity

Distraction-free studying

Do’s and don’ts of a good study environment

15 things productive people do differently

Concentration masterpost

How to concentrate

Studying 101: how to stay focused, motivated, and on track

How to stay focused

How to deal with being lazy in school

Study tips for the lazy student (1)

Study tips for the lazy student (2)

Being sick, focusing and studying effectively, & maintaining physical and mental health

A day of studying: tips

Productivity with a planner

Summer productivity

Waking up early and refreshed

Holiday productivity

Summer studying

My productivity tag

Burnout / motivation / procrastination

Doing homework when you’re sick

Studying with a lack of motivation

Burnout 101

How to start working when you really don’t feel like it

Got motivation?

General motivation

How to study when you don’t want to

Procrastination

Procrastination advice

Motivation

Motivation advice

Resource for procrastination

A very long list to help you survive school

How to stop procrastinating

24 tips to overcome procrastination

motivation.mp3

Ways to avoid burnout

Motivation (2)

How to self-motivate

My motivation tag

Mental health

Stress relief

Don’t let it ruin your education

Studying with depression

How to find peace as a student

Living and studying with anxiety

How to study with a mental illness

Depression/mental health resources

Managing stress for the overtaxed student

How to be less prickly when stressed

What to do when you don’t get the grades you want

What to do on a bad day

Why it’s okay to fail & how to deal with failure

Dealing with failure

I got a bad grade, now what?

What to do when you get a bad grade

Feel better

How to find peace as a student

How to love yourself

Calming and fun websites

Anxiety and negativity

A beginner’s guide to meditation

Taking finals with mental illness

My mental health tag

Self care

How to take care of yourself when you’re sick

How to stay healthy in inhospitable weather

Healthy studying

For people who struggle with self care, etc.

Self care cheat sheet

Finals self care (1)

All the self care

Small ways to improve your life

A self care masterpost to help you get through school

Finals self care (2)

Balancing a healthy lifestyle with studying

Hotlines/self care refs

101 self care ideas

My self care tag

+ self promotion (bc everyone seems to be doing this)

A masterpost of masterposts

College masterpost

Note taking masterpost

How to be the best student you can be

My study process

Lecture tips

Coping with obsession

Confidence

Money masterpost

My YouTube (not a studytube)

My Instagram (not a studygram)

你好！hello! so this is my first masterpost and i decided to make a masterpost on chinese since i am currently learning chinese and have been since i was around 5. i haven’t seen very many chinese masterposts here and hoped this will help every single one of you who are currently learning chinese or would like to start learning!! 

the basics:

chinese tools learn chinese - they have 31 lessons!

bbc learn chinese - several different sources

memrise - i’ve heard lots of good things about this site!!

quizlet - great for grammar, flashcards, i used this at school since my chinese teacher made sets for use to learn!

CCTV learning chinese - CCTV is a chinese tv broadcaster, this has a lot of videos you can watch

mandarin chinese pinyin chart with audio - awesome chart of pinyin and tones

you could also find a chinese ethnic school near you, this is what i did but i know many non-chinese who choose to go to a chinese school since you are surrounded by others who are also at your level and you have a teacher in person to teach and guide you. having native chinese speakers around you is definitely helpful and it will help you develop listening and speaking skills! :)

apps:

learn chinese - chineseskill  [ android | ios ] free

learn chinese - hello chinese [android | ios ] free

skritter [ android | ios ] free for a week, then you have to pay

pleco dictionary (the best thing ever honestly) [ android | ios ] free and there is a paying option but the free version is still good!

line dictionary [ android | ios ] free

laokang tone test [ ios ] free but no android version :(

shi zhi - learn characters [ android (this is a similar app and its cute!!) | ios ] the android app is free but ios app isn’t

dictionaries:

MDBG dictionary - has both a simplified and tradition character option and also you can draw the characters and they can recognize them

line dictionary - sometimes this site doesn’t work for me but when it does it is very useful!! also has a handwriting option

chinese tools

chinese text annotation - i’m not sure if this counts as a dictionary, however whenever you copy and paste or type a chinese paragraph into the box you can annotate the phrases and get the pinyin and the english meaning

google translate - ok i know this isn’t a very reliable translation option, however when you type a paragraph of chinese into it, it shows the pinyin which is v useful for those who need to write down the pinyin into their textbooks etc etc

other resources:

中外对话 china dialogue - read chinese articles for you to improve your reading skills and to find new vocab

slow chinese - another chinese article site where it also has audio and podcasts on itunes. slow chinese also translates not only into english, but german, french, portuguese and many more languages!! [podcasts]

music, movies & tv shows etc.:

myasiantv - other than korean dramas and movies, myasiantv offers chinese ones!!

最强大脑 the brain china - a game/talent show aiming to find people with exceptional brain power

非诚勿扰 if you are the one - a game/dating show, addicting :’)))

奔跑吧兄弟 hurry up, brother (aka. running man china) - running man is a very popular variety show in korea and now there is a chinese version based on the original version!

learn chinese now - youtube channel

chinese class 101 - youtube channel

tips:

try to make learning chinese fun!! watching tv shows in chinese with or without subs will definitely help you pick up on some vocab and pronunciation

engage with native speakers, if you have chinese friends, ask them to help you with conversation and pronunciation, don’t be shy!

try to use at least one word/phrase in a sentence each day, this will help you in future for making sentences

keep on practicing! i stopped learning chinese for 2 years and i actually lost a lot of vocab that i learnt and when i started again, it was hard to remember some of it ;A;

other language resources: 

language learning tips + resources by @study-ings 

free online language courses by @wonderful-language-sounds 

tips + tricks for learning a language by @ofminervas

chinese resources by @brbimstudying

ok this was a huge masterpost tbh but i hope i was helpful!!

ig: acadehmic

这就是真实的人生，不完美，但很实际。

This is real life. It’s not perfect, but it’s real.

有生命就有希望。  While there’s life, there’s hope.

你的过错应该成为你的动力，而不是借口。

Your mistakes should be your motivation; Not your excuses.

自信 (zi4 xin4) - self confidence; literally: 自 = self 信 = believe

Ex. You can increase your 自信 over time. It is something I try to improve everyday.

Hey! I am really late with this, but I though that some of you might like to see how I make my monthly spreads. I did this sort of “infographics” (??? am I even allowed to call this thing infographics??) and even though it looks like this, I had so much fun making it :D. I really don’t know whether this is helpful or not, I tried. In case you’d like to see more tutorials (and hopefully better ones) in the future, let me know please? And thanks if you read it till the end, it’s so long :D

(I totally ran out of space for pictures at the end lol)

Chinese Rules

Using 只有…..才能…. 只有读书，才能有出息。 (Zhǐyǒu dúshū, cáinéng yǒu chūxī.) Only studying can (make it so you) have a bright future.

好好活、多多爱、常常笑。

Live well, love much, laugh often.

想象的力量，给予我们无限可能。 The power of imagination makes us infinite.

how to stay motivated

hey guys so recently I have had quite a few messages asking me how to stay motivated so I thought I would put it in one post so that people can see how I like to stay motivated and hopefully these tips help you too!

TIP #1 SET A GOAL

I feel like setting a goal is super important and this is my main source of motivation. I set little mini short-term goals and the odd long-term goal so I am surrounded by aims to get me motivated. 

So what is a short-term goal? A short-term goal is a goal that you want to set for the near future. The near future could be an hour, a day, a week, a month - but something that you can accomplish in a ‘small’ amount of time. Examples could include:

Getting up at 7am every morning and starting your work early

Reading a chapter of a book a day to improve your reading 

No chocolate for a month

No studying past 6pm

Keep a clean desk

A long-term goal is something that you want to reach but takes a lot longer to achieve. Long-term goals can include:

Going to university to study Law

Getting straight B’s in next years final exams

Landing a career in journalism

Gaining/losing X amount of lbs

Saving £X so you can go on holiday

I find setting a long-term goal can be helpful, but short-term goals are just as good. I have a long term goal at the moment to work hard and get good grades so I can go to university and study history. Whilst this is a good goal, I also need stepping stones to get me there and to keep that motivation flowing - these are my short-term goals: such as getting more organised for my final year, or getting an A on an essay I’ve written. 

Sometimes people don’t know what to do when they have to set a goal, but think slightly selfish for a bit and think about what you really want and how to get there. This sets up some motivation. I love having a goal because I feel like every small task I complete gets me one step closer to that goal of mine - almost like ticking an assignment off of your to-do list!

TIP #2 SCHEDULES AND TO-DO LISTS

Speaking of to-do lists, this brings me on to tip number two. I don’t know where I would be without a to-do list/schedule because without it, I would be an absolute mess. With having so much to do, it is impossible for me to keep a mental list of everything and writing it down helps so much!

Not only does it help me remember what I have to do, it also motivates me in so many ways. First of all, setting one up at the start of the day means that I know exactly what I need to get done and I want to get it done as quickly as I can, but without rushing it and so it makes me start straight away so I can tick things off of my list. 

This brings me on to the second reason why they motivate me so much - because every time you tick it off, you get an amazing feeling of satisfaction and relief that your to-do list is slowly getting smaller. Also, the amount of happiness it brings when you have ticked off everything you have to do is definitely such a good feeling and it is so amazing to know you have finished and you can now relax! Each time you tick something off, it motivates you to get the whole list done.

Schedules work in the same way, as you go through the day, there are less and less things for you to do and it makes you feel gradually more satisfied that you’re coming to the end of your work!

Pro tip: however, it is important to be realistic, if you set a to-do list with 15 things on it, it looks less appealing and you are less likely to do it. go for realistic lists that are long enough to keep you busy but small enough to manage!

TIP #3 BREAKING DOWN BIG TASKS INTO SMALLER ONES

This is actually quite simple and original but also helps massively and perhaps one of the most amazing things ever. If I have a massive chunk of homework for a subject, breaking it down into smaller tasks makes my life so much easier and saves me so much agro. 

Of course it isn’t always possible to break it down if your deadline is two days after it is set - but you can always break it down into two halves which makes tackling it seem a lot easier. 

I know some of my friends really don’t like doing this because they would rather just get it done and out the way, but if you are someone like me where motivation needs to hit me like a truck before I get work done, this can be a really good way to tackle projects and homework and isn’t as stressful. Whilst it might take slightly longer due to the breaking up of tasks, I actually find this more productive and makes things so much more manageable so I actually feel like I want to do the small task instead of the one large one. 

I break up the tasks and schedule these broken up tasks on my to-do list. For example, instead of reading a whole chapter and taking notes from my history books, I will just write ‘take notes from page X to page Y’ and it completely changes my frame of mind and makes me more positive.

TIP #4 DO THE TOUGHEST TASK FIRST

You probably must be thinking something like, ‘Jess you must be mad! why on earth would you do the hardest task first thats just the worst idea ever?!’ but honestly, this is something that can really change your mood and uplift you for the rest of the day - honestly, this tip works!

I completely understand that in a morning the first thing you are not going to want to do is that physics homework that entails you doing 3 pages of questions on oscillations and harmonic motion. However, doing the hardest task / things you don’t want to do first, not only makes you tackle it with a fresh mind after waking up (or after a break from school or whatever it is you were doing), but also afterwards, you feel more confident and motivated to get the rest of the things done which are more enjoyable and is actually more motivating because you have got the worst thing out of the way.

You also don’t want to not do it and then set it for another day, when you are probably going to procrastinate getting it done. Get it out of the way!

We all know that leaving an assignment you really don’t want to do until last is perhaps the worst thing you can do, as you take one look at it and decide you have had enough and need a break or some sleep. Prioritising this first means that you can get everything done without leaving the thing you didn’t want to do. 

TIP #5 YOUR SUCCESSES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THINK ABOUT YOUR FAILURES TOO!

This one is a great one to bare in mind and this really applies to me at the moment and is actually where my main source of motivation has come from since the 18th August (results day!).

For me, getting great results is a massive success, and receiving results such as A’s and B’s makes me very very happy and much more motivated. It gives me a spark of inspiration to keep going to make sure that I keep that up! Whilst I know grades aren’t everything, they are really important to me and so this is why when I get very good results, they motivate me to keep me going to achieve more - and it ends up in a cycle!

However, whilst good grades motivate me to carry on performing at my best and to keep working hard, it is important that I understand my failures too, and so should you. A failure for me isn’t a specific grade as such, but where I am disappointed at myself for getting something or knowing I didn’t perform as well as I should have, or an unexpected failure as I thought I had done better than I did.

From these failures/mistakes, these also motivate me to do better next time, or to focus on improving myself and my technique to be the best I can be. Failures/mistakes can make you more motivated than what your successes can, because it motivates you to find areas of improvement and work hard and improve techniques so that you can get to where you want to be - you can get to that goal! 

Successes and failures are so important in receiving motivation. Not only do they provide you with something to keep you going, but they build you as a character and I think that is a lovely thing!

TIP #6 MAKE USE OF YOUR CREATIVITY

I find that since joining the studyblr community, I have found really nice ways to be creative and to make my notes look neater and more appealing for me to look at. This might seem to be such a silly little tip, but drawing simple doodles or fancy titles really motivates me. 

Whilst making my notes look more aesthetically pleasing takes slightly longer, I find it calms me with anxiety as I am being creative whilst I am working and it is a really great way for me to stay relaxed. So not only does it bring me motivation, but calms my anxiety too! Killing two birds with one stone!

This point doesn’t really apply when I am revising, a fancy title will probably do; and also when I am taking notes in class, I never bother; but when I am going over things or making flashcards, it helps to make things look more appealing so I am more likely to pick them up and go for them and learn. 

Some might disagree that this would actually make them less inclined to do work, but if you need to alleviate stress, get motivated or just want to make your notes look nice, then this could be for you!

TIP #7 BREAKS AND REWARDS!!

Breaks and rewards give you so much motivation whilst you are doing your work! I study and revise probably more than what is healthy, and so I like to make sure I have a nice break whenever I can because I work myself very hard. Sometimes, something can take me about 2 hours and so a half an hour to an hour’s worth of break can really help me before I start something else. 

You can try having a break every 45 minutes, every hour or two hours; but make sure your break really puts your mind at ease before you start work again. You need to make sure you give your brain a good rest. 

You can have a break or reward yourself by having a nice shower, going for a walk or to the gym, cooking, having a coffee and a biscuit, meeting up with some friends, going on social media, having a nap - whatever it might be, as long as you have that break you will feel so much more refreshed after! It also motivates you to get things done so you know you can have a break after you have finished your task and makes you feel compelled to finish it so you can relax!

TIP #8 GET HELP ALONG THE WAY

This is actually a really important point and can help maintain motivation in the long run. Getting people to help you can be a really good way to stay motivated. Tell people, such as your friends and family, about the goals you have set for yourself or that you are struggling to stay motivated and ask them to help you. 

My friends sometimes study with me and help me with things I don’t understand which can help maintain my motivation. When I finally understand something or I go over things with my friends, it can make me feel more confident and uplifted that I know things and spurs me on. Letting family know about your goals also helps them support you which is a really significant part of motivation, because if no one is there to support you, the will to carry on eventually disintegrates and you don’t want that! 

Make sure that you do have some support, whether it be from friends, family or the studyblr community, but ensure you are surrounded by people who can motivate you and who can help you along the way so that you can achieve these goals and keep you on target! Sometimes, motivation doesn’t come from the things you do, but from the environment that you’re in - which is why support and help is such a good source of motivation!

That is the end of the tips I have on how to stay motivated. Hopefully they are good starting points for you all! Let me know if you try any of these tips for a while and tell me if they have helped you, it is always nice to see what people think and if these things work - remember if they don’t, that everyone is different and different things work for different people!

Hello incoming freshman and studyblr addicts! I finally have a “master post” of sorts for you! Hopefully this will help you all out! ~ S.R

STUDYING:

Please don’t think you can get away with not studying! It’s seriously going to hurt you! Especially if you’re taking an honors class!

Plan out what you need to get done and set a certain amount of time for each subject! An app to help you bunnies out and get stuff done is called 30/30! You can read about it here!

I find that a lot of bunnies can easily get distracted by their phones, tablets, etc. Well I have the solution for you! Its an app called Forest! You choose the amount of time you want to work without getting distracted, and hit start! It plants a seed for you and when you reach the end of the timer a little tree is grown! If you quit though, to check snapchat, or answer a text etc, it dies! I personally like it though because after the month comes to an end you get to see how big your forest has grown! Get it here!

For bunnies that are taking a language ( or any class you need to memorize stuff in ) this year, or are continuing with one I have an app for you! (If you like flashcards of course!) It is simply called Flashcards, and is one of the coolest study apps I have found! As a pre-warning though I will admit that it is a little hard to figure out at first. After a few times navigating the app it gets easier! The app of course has normal flash cards, but then there are over 24 games. These include things like Flappy Bird, Fruit Ninja, Whack-A-Mole, and the list goes on! Another thing that REALLY comes in handy is the dual station! You just connect your friends to the flashcards by giving them the link, and then they join in through their device, and then you  can compete against each other! To get the games though you must put in a email. (They never send you junk mail, and don’t worry, its free!) I used this all year long and it was a life saver! Made studying a lot more fun! Get it here! 

When you don’t have homework, remember you DO. There is always going to be something that you can improve on! Don’t brush it off!

Only study as a group if you feel like you can handle it! @studyign made a perfect video if you plan to though!

If you feel like listening to music, studies have shown to only listen to music that doesn’t have any words! This is because your subconscious won’t be focusing on the task at hand and will be thinking about the lyrics rather than being 100% concentrated! Spotify has a good list of playlists that are perfect for studying in the Focus section!

MOTIVATION:

A common thing I’ve seen in the studyblr community is the 100 Days of Production Challenge. This is a personal goal that you set for yourself, and you post a photo each day of what you did to be productive! You’ll be surprised with what you get done, even if its a small amount! Get the info from @elizastudies ’s post here! (I will be starting this when school starts in a week!)

Another common thing I’ve seen float around the community is a simple quote called, “NO ZERO DAYS.” I do not know who this originated from but props to them for creating this. Its basically where you do at least ONE thing to be productive a day, because One is greater than Zero right? See how long you can go for! ;) 

Think about where you want to go in life! Nobody had things just handed to them! They had to work for it! Step away from your laptop or computer, and get whatever IT is done! (After you finish reading this of course! Otherwise you’ll miss out on the rest!)

What are YOU going to do to get into that dream school of yours? What are YOU going to do thats different from everyone else? How are YOU going to get to that point in your life? What is it that YOU could be doing right now to push yourself closer to that dream? Think about what will happen 10 years from now, and you didn’t accomplish that dream? How happy will you be? How is the guilt of not doing all you could do to get there?

STRESS:

Don’t stress out about grades. If you study hard you’ll be perfect!

If you’re the type of person that DOES get stressed out, you have to remember to not push yourself too hard! Thats where the stress could be coming from!

Things that may help you de-stress are always helpful! Here are some ideas! 

Take a nice, soothing warm bath or shower, and listen to some calming music! (DON’T BRING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA WITH YOU!!!)

Meditation! There is always a place to meditate. Lay down or sit up on the floor, or your bed, and listen to some meditation music! After a song (meditation music is usually seven minutes long or so,) slowly wiggle you fingers and toes, and then open your eyes. When meditating make sure you release your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Try not to think of anything. Just lay there.

Stress relieving lotion always help! You can get it at Bath and Body Works here!

Make sure you’re taking enough breaks from studying and drinking plenty of water. When you’re dehydrated you’re more prone to stress.

SLEEP. Please don’t stay up studying or being on your phone until 1 am. It isn’t healthy at all! You’re going to be overtired and it is scientifically proven to decrease you’re capability to retain information.

SOME OTHER LIL RANDOM TIPS:

Eat breakfast. I do not care if you convinced yourself you don’t need it. Im here to tell you you do. You will not make it to lunch without the hunger making you unable to focus, and will no longer be concentrating on the information being thrown at you.

Set an alarm for an early wake up time. I recommend two hours so you’re not rushed, because that isn’t a good way to wake up. (Please keep in mind this is my personal preference, its not going to work for everyone.)

Not many people know this but setting your alarm with multiple times is horrible for your health, this is because it teaches your brain it doesn’t have to get up right away since there are more alarms. Get up the first time!

Dont procrastinate on any of your homework or projects! Please try to start and finish them when you get them! The work piles up quickly (Especially for those of you taking honors) and you will become overwhelmed!

Do ALL the extra credit! Even if its the stupidest thing ever! Ive noticed if you even get one bad grade on a test your grade plummets! That extra credit could mean the difference between a A- or an A. *cough* *cough* Math last year for me. *cough*

Don’t be on your phone during class of course. If you do most teachers will take it away, and you may end up on their “Bad Side.”

Learning a foreign language is intimidating to many students, so I though I’d share some of my best tips for effective language studying!

MEMORIZE SMARTLY

Be selective about vocabulary. If you’re learning a language for class, you most likely won’t have much control over the material you learn. However, if you’re self-studying and you do have a choice, invest your time and energy wisely by prioritizing vocabulary to memorize based on what is significant and relevant.

Significant words are the ones that are the most common in the language. Learning these core words and phrases will give you a bigger return by allowing you to sooner start comprehending more things. For example, studies show that 0.5% of the English language, or the 3000 most common words, makes up 95% of the content in any given conversation or written text (source). You can search online to find lists of the words that appear most frequently in your target language. I used this list of the top 1000 French words to get me started.

Relevant words are the ones that pertain to your unique needs and interests, such as vocabulary to describe yourself, your career, and/or your family members. If you’re traveling to another country, you may need phrases for introducing yourself, asking for directions, or buying things. If you’re a gourmand, you may want to learn the names of different types of food. You’ll be more likely to retain and use words that are interesting and relevant to your own life.

Use spaced repetition to memorize faster. I explain how to use the spaced repetition method in this post, although you can also achieve the same effect without using Anki.

Apply the vocabulary you’ve learned. You can engage with new vocabulary by doing the following:

Make it a goal to incorporate the word you’ve just learned into your next three conversations.

Learn phrases and idiomatic expressions that include the new word (ex: if you’ve just learned the English word green, learn green thumb and green with envy next).

Research the context the word is usually used in– is it formal? casual? vulgar? specific to one particular use or topic?

Write funny, creative sentences or stories using your new word(s) to help them better stick in your memory. This is especially important for verbs, so you can see the conjugations in action instead of merely memorizing a table of endings.

Don’t neglect memorizing correct spelling, accent marks, or the genders of new words. These often seem like trivial details to beginning language learners, but slacking off on these will come back to bite you down the road. Even small mistakes can change the entire meaning of what you want to say. Genders, especially, are hard to memorize but imperative to know for making adjectives and object pronouns agree.

AVOID TRANSLATING

Most language learners will hear/read something being spoken/written in their target language, mentally translate it to their native language and formulate a response in their native language, then translate their response back to their target language. This direct translation will slow down your rate of comprehension and expression, make you unable to speak naturally and fluently, and increase your chances of making mistakes with idiomatic expressions (ex: incorrectly writing Je suis 12 ans instead of J’ai 12 ans). Aim to avoid internally translating as much as possible.

Instead, learn to think in your target language by using the following methods:

Connect new vocabulary and phrases with images and ideas, not translations or definitions in your native language.

Draw doodles that represent new vocab words you receive. This doesn’t work for all words, but I try to draw a picture for all the words on my weekly French vocabulary list, and I’ve found it very helpful.

When making flashcards, put the new word on one side and an image to represent it (as opposed to the translation in your native language) on the other.

Look around you and describe items you see in your target language (color, size, use, etc.)

If you’re reading and you come across a word you don’t know, attempt to ascertain its meaning through context clues instead of immediately looking it up.

Once you’ve reached an intermediate/advanced level, use a monolingual dictionary so definitions for all new vocabulary will be in your target language instead of your native one.

However, don’t feel discouraged if you find yourself frequently translating in your head. The way most schools teach foreign languages focuses on translating, not thinking in the target language, so you’ll likely have some tendencies and habits that are hard to break. Practice, practice, practice, and you’ll get better!

IMMERSE YOURSELF

Obviously, the fastest way to learn a new language is to travel to a foreign country where you’ll be forced to use it. But if you don’t have the resources to take a trip, there are many ways to get the immersion effect from the comfort of your own home.

Consume a variety of written and spoken language though television, movies, music, news, blogs, poetry, comics, podcasts, audiobooks, YouTube videos, and/or children’s books.

If you’ve already completed your Duolingo course, try doing it backwards.  Instead of the native language to target language course, do the target language to native language course. If you know 3+ languages, do the Language 2 to Language 3 course for an extra challenge!

Speaking of Duolingo, the immersion feature is a great way to find articles in your target language that are both appropriate to your skill level and relevant to your interests. I tend to avoid the translation aspect for reasons stated in the previous section, but I still think reading the articles is useful.

Find a pen pal who’s a native speaker. You can communicate through email or online chat, but snail mail could allow you to also send each other trinkets and souvenirs from your respective countries/cultures. HelloTalk is a great app that allows you to connect with native speakers of your target language who are learning your native language, so you can teach and help each other.

Change the language on your phone, laptop, and/or browser to your target language. You can change the language in your device settings, and I personally use the extension Language Immersion for Chrome for my browser. Just make sure you know how to change it back!

Lastly, have confidence and take risks! Make an attempt to say something even if you’re not 100% sure it’s correct. I know how embarrassing mistakes can be (I once used “un baiser” as a verb and I still cringe thinking about it. Yikes!), but ultimately it’s all part of the learning process and leaving your comfort zone is the only way to improve. Trying to learn other languages is admirable in itself, so take pride in that and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feedback, or post requests, feel free to drop me an ask.

+Click here for the rest of my original reference posts!

—Sophia :)

我会继续跑下去，不管有多想放弃∼

I will keep running, no matter how much I feel like giving up.

专心 (zhuan1 xin1) - to be attentive; focused

Eg. I have to be 专心 during my studies. Good luck back to school everyone! To be honest I’m actually pretty excited for the new semester.

H.O.P.E.

坚持住, 痛苦终会过去。

Hold On, Pain Ends.

真正的朋友愿意理解你的过去，相信你的未来，接受你的现在。

A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.

企图心是通往成功的道路，坚持是载你抵达终点的车辆。

Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.

真的！(zhēn de -> true that)

如果你只读其他人都在读的书，你的想法也不会超越其他人。

If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.

村上春树 Haruki Murakami

Chinese family tree!

Family

家庭 (jiātíng)-family/household

父母 (fùmǔ)-parents

妈妈 (mā ma)-mom

爸爸 (bà ba)-dad

儿子 (ér zi)-son

女儿 (nǚ ér)-daughter

哥哥 (gē ge)-older brother

姐姐 (jiě jie)-older sister

弟弟 (dì di)-younger brother

妹妹 (mèi mei)-younger sister

奶奶/祖母 (nǎi nai/zǔmǔ)-dad’s mom

爷爷/祖父 (yé ye/zǔfù)-dad’s dad

姥姥 (lǎo lao)-mom’s mom

姥爷 (lǎo ye)-mom’s dad

外婆 (wài pó)-mom’s mom(mostly used in southern China)

外公 (wài gōng)-mom’s dad(mostly used in southern China)

舅舅 (jiùjiu)-uncle(mother’s brother)

舅妈 (jiù mā)-aunt(mother’s brother’s wife)

阿姨 (āyí)-a form of address for a woman of about one’s mother’s age; in southern China aunt(mother’s sister)

姨丈 (yí zhàng)-uncle(mother’s sister’s husband)

姑妈 (gū mā)-aunt(father’s sister)

姑丈 (gū zhàng)-uncle(father’s sister’s husband)

叔叔/叔父 (shūshu/shū fù)-uncle(father’s younger brother)

婶婶 (shěn shěn)-aunt(father’s younger brother’s wife)

伯父/伯伯 (bó fù/bóbo)-uncle(father’s older brother)

伯母 (bó mǔ)-aunt(father’s older brother’s wife)

姐夫 (jiě fu)-brother-in-law(older sister’s husband)

妹婿 (mèi xù)-brother-in-law(younger sister’s husband)

嫂嫂 (sǎosao)-sister-in-law(older brother’s wife)

弟媳 (dì xí)-sister-in-law(younger brother’s wife)

堂哥 (táng gē)-older male cousin(father’s side)

堂弟 (táng dì)-younger male cousin(father’s side)

堂姐 (táng jiě)-older female cousin(father’s side)

堂妹 (táng mèi)-younger female cousin(father’s side)

表哥 (biǎo gē)-older male cousin(mother’s side)

表弟 (biǎo dì)-younger male cousin(mother’s side)

表姐 (biǎo jiě)-older female cousin(mother’s side)

表妹 (biǎo mèi)-younger female cousin(mother’s side)

侄子 (zhí zi)-nephew(brother’s son)

侄女 (zhí nǚ)-niece(brother’s daughter)

外甥 (wài shēng)-nephew(sister’s son)

外甥女 (wài shēng nǚ)-niece(sister’s daughter)

Super helpful Chinese grammar post! 😄

Chinese Grammar: Comparisons

My first grammar post! I hope there will be more to come. =}

Here are ways to compare things whether they be the same, or different, and also how something has improved/changed.

比 - bǐ: to compare/something is more ___ than something

我弟弟的个子比我的高。 (Wŏ dìdi de gèzi bĭ wŏ de gāo.) - My little brother is taller than me./ My little brother’s height is taller than mine.

我不比她高。 (Wŏ bùbĭ tā gāo.) - I am not taller than her.

…跟… 一样 - …gēn… yiyang: the same; as… as…

这本书跟那本一样长。(Zhè běn shū gēn nà běn yīyàng cháng.) - This book and that one are both long.

这个故事跟那个不一样好笑。 (Zhè ge gùshi gēn nà ge bù yīyàng hăo xiào.) - This story is not as funny as that one.

越来越 - yue lai yue: more and more

他的个子越来越高。 (Tā de gèzi yuè lái yuè gāo.) - His height gets more and more tall.

Now, with these types of comparisons, you never add 很 (hěn) before the adjective. Usually to really add depth or exaggeration to just how something is much more than something else, add 多了(duō le) after the adjective.

e.g： 他比我高多了。 (Tā bĭ wŏ gāo duō le.) - He’s much taller than me.

Chinese - 空房间  (kòng fáng jiān)

How do you say “an empty room” in your native language or the language you are learning?