Memory techniques · lesson 14 of 24 · free

The link and story method — Memory techniques for students

To remember a list in order, make each item do something silly to the next one. Rope, mango, guava, candle, spoon becomes: a giant rope rolls into a mango; the mango crashes into a guava; the guava chases a candle; the candle sits on a spoon. To recall the list, replay the story from the start — each item leads to the next. Actions link better than “near”.

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Memory tip

Each item pulls the next — “a silly story keeps a list in order”

  1. Steps: picture the first item → link it to the next item → keep linking in order → replay the story.
  2. Use actions, not places: “a pen stirring tea in a cup” beats “a pen near a cup”.
  3. Every item needs its own link; skip one and that item is lost.

Use it for: Shopping lists, steps of an experiment, events in a story or chapter, things to pack.

Worked example: 🔗 Your link story: a giant rope rolls into a mango; the mango crashes into a guava; the guava chases a candle; the candle sits on a spoon. Which item comes right after the guava? → candle

  1. Replay the story from the start: rope → mango → guava → candle → spoon.
  2. Right after the guava comes the candle.

Check: Try it: make a link story for 8 random things in your room and recall them in order tomorrow ✓

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✏️ Practice

Work it out in your head or on paper, type the answer and press Check. Stuck? Press “Show me how”.

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🏁 Lesson 14 test

20 questions. Check each answer, then go to the next one. Get 16 or more right to pass.

🏅 Sign in with Google to earn the 🔗 Link Storyteller badge when you pass — and a certificate when you finish all 6 lessons of Part 3 · Pictures and places. You can still take the test without signing in.

🖨️ Memory Techniques Worksheet: Story Method

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