What is an example mnemonic for the word indispensable?

Answer 1

I'd be curious to know what your goal is with the use of the mnemonic device. For example, if your goal is to remember the meaning of the word you might be better off utilizing a different strategy.

For my English students that needed to prepare for language competency tests I would try to have them utilize sensory rich hyperbolic sentences that would be easier for the brain to recall.

In 12 Brain Rules author Dr. John Medina explores the mechanisms by which the brain acquires information. He explains that the more of our senses we can engage the easier it is for us to recall a particular piece of information. Furthermore, if we can create a very emotionally rich memory, such as someone yelling "FIRE!" it becomes much easier to remember.

Similarly, the more complex a given piece of information the easier it is to remember. This is analogous to the difference between being stuck in traffic on a one lane road, or having multiple lanes to get to the same destination. The complexity of the information creates more neural pathways for our brain to find and retrieve the desired piece of information.

Another way to look at this would be like having multiple handles on a door. Some may be locked but if even one is unlocked the door will open.

Using principles such as these I would have my students construct outrageous sentences paired with images that would help them recall the meanings of difficult words.

For your example I would suggest something like.

The plump purple piranha found that his fork and knife were indispensable tools while eating his dainty dinner.

or

The Giant Green Gorilla found his pink parachute to be indispensable when he was sent falling from a plane full of bad bananas.

You could pair these with a quick sketch or picture which would help to engage even more of the brains memory power.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

A mnemonic (nuh-mo-nuhk) phrase is one generally use to assist in remembering a set of information.

Using the first letter of each word, attempt to create an intelligible sentence that will better help you remember the set of information.

It is better for information sets, as opposed to spelling, as it can get quite complicated with longer words.

I - Ingrid's

N - New

D - Dog

I - Is

S - Suspiciously

P - Pensive

E - Especially

N - Near

S - Sally's

I - Inedible

B - Black

L - Leather

E - Ear Muffs

Although this mnemonic phrase is grammatically correct, it may not help you when you attempt to recall the spelling.

A more useful example may be the common mnemonic phrase used for PEDMAS:

P - Please (Parentheses)

E - Excuse (Exponents)

M - My (Multiplication)

D - Dear (Division)

A - Aunt (Addition)

S - Sally (Subtraction)

In this case, the mnemonic phrases is helping us to recall the order of use in mathematical equations by equating each letter with a word, creating a comprehensible sentence that allows us to better remember the order.