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Chapter - 16

The Basic Series Of Key Words

This subject is one of the most important in the whole study of mnemotechny. As we stated at the end of Chapter XIII, a weakness of the hook method, as far as using furniture as hooks is concerned, is that the series goes only to 10 and we run the risk of getting mixed up if we try to extend it. I promised we could overcome this weakness by using the numerical code, and we will now proceed to do so.

If we have a series from 1 to 100 and if we know that the word Europe falls in this series, the word can be no other than 49. This is a simple combination for r and p and no error is possible. But although it is extremely easy to translate the word Europe into 49, it is not so simple a matter to remember that we chose Europe as the key word for the number 49. We might just as well have chosen another word that also means 49, for instance, Arab, harp, rap, rob, rub, or the like.

Now, how do we know which of these many available words was chosen as key word?

Almost all the published mnemotechnical systems have acknowledged the vast importance of a fixed system of key words for the numbers 1 to 100, but all suffer from this weakness: 100 words must be learned by heart for these numbers. Again and again the students in my classes have complained about this difficulty and therefore I have sought and finally found a method which corrects this weakness.

I have worked out a method whereby we have at our disposal an unalterable basic series of key words without the necessity of learning a single one of them by heart. Amazing things can be accomplished by this method once you have learned how to put it to work for you.

Our task in this connection is to find auxiliary words in such a manner that we know exactly which word must be used for each number without learning any word by heart.

For instance, if we have chosen the word cat for 71, we must be in a position to translate 71 into "cat" after months or years, and not into one of the many other words which the number might represent.

To reach this goal, we shall proceed by using the vowels in their usual order in the alphabet, a, e, i, o, u. In this serial order we insert the vowels between the consonants indicated by numbers until we have found a meaningful word. If none of the vowels will give us a word (which is seldom the case), we use double vowels. With double vowels we try to follow an order which sounds fairly like a-e-i-o-u. With very few exceptions, this happens only with the numbers from 1 to 9.

But if we make it our goal to build a basic series of key words which can be reconstructed by every reader without memorizing, something more is needed. Up to now it was advantageous for us to have several consonants at our disposal for each figure, for instance t and d and th for 1, or J: and hard g and ng and hard c for 7. But with key words we must decide on one particular consonant, because it is otherwise impossible to recall the exact word in every instance. For this reason we make a definite selection from the available consonants:

We begin all the words from 10 to 19 with t (not with d or th)

            from 60 to 69 with ch
            from 70 to 79 with hard c
            from 80 to 89 with f
            from 90 to 99 with b

I disregard the words from 20 to 59 at this point, since for the figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 only one consonant is given in the numerical code. There is therefore no choice in the matter. Here, too, we follow phonetics, and doubled letters count as one.

All this sounds theoretical and a bit complicated, and yet in essence it is very simple. Let us take the figures 30 to 39 as an example.

The figure 30 consists of the consonants m and s. If I insert an a, I have mas, or, since a double consonant is permissible, mass, a word which I can use since it is a noun.

The figure 31 consists of the consonants m and t. Inserting the first vowel, a, gives us the word mat, which again is a noun.

The figure 32 consists of the consonants ra and n. Inserting the vowel a gives us the noun man.

The figure 33 consists of the consonants m and m. Inserting the vowel a gives us mam. For this I substitute mama, since the final a does not count.

In the same fashion I get:

            34—mare
            35—mail
            36—match
 
When we come to 37, we can do nothing with the vowel a, since mak is not a word and make is not usually employed as a noun. Therefore I attempt to form a word with e, but mek too is not a word. With the insertion of i I get mike, which is so familiar a nickname for microphone that I can use it.

For figure 38, the insertion of the vowels a, e, i, and o forms no sensible word, so that I have to resort to u, and get muff.

Figure 39 is again simple, for inserting a between the consonants m and p gives me the word map.

In spite of this consistency in building up key words, certain exceptions and questions arise. For instance, one may waver between light and Jot for 51. Theoretically, the vowel i precedes the vowel o, which indicates that light should be chosen. On the other hand, the consonants gh in the word light might lead to mistakes, in spite of the fact that they are silent. For this reason I have chosen lot. For 53 one may hesitate between lamb and lime, since the b in lamb is silent. But because I have consistently tried to choose key words which have as few silent consonants as possible, I gave lime the preference. For the same reason I chose check instead of chalk for 67, and cuff instead of calf for 78.

The figure 66 is an unavoidable exception, since j must be used as the initial consonant and there is no suitable word beginning with ch.

By this method we build the following basic series of key words, a series tremendously important for all mnemo· technical practice.

I again emphasize the point that the reader who thoroughly understands how the words are constructed, does not need to learn them by heart, since he can reconstruct each word whenever occasion demands.

This series can be applied in many ways. First of all, with its help we can remember any other word series we choose, up to 100 words. I need merely refer to the method outlined in Chapter XIII.

Series Of Key Words

1. tea
2. Noah
3. May
4. ray
5. law
6. Shaw (author)
7. key
8. fee
9. bay
10. tease
11. tot
12. tan
13. team
14. tar
15. tale
16. touch
17. tack
18. taffy
19. tap
20. niece
21. net
22. noon
23. name
24. Nero
25. nail
26. niche
27. neck
28. nave
29. nap
30. mass
31. mat
32. man
33. mama
34. mare
35. mail
36. match
37. mike
38. muff
39. map
40. race
41. rat
42. rain
43. ram
44. rear
45. rail
46. rash
47. rake
48. reef
49. rap
50. lace
51. lot
52. lane
53. lime
54. lair
55· lull
56. lash
57. lake
58. leaf
59. lap
60. chase
61. chat
62. chain
63. chime
64. chair
65. chill
66. judge
67. check
68. chaff
69. chap
70. case
71. cat
72. can
73. cam
74. car
75. call
76. cash
77. cake
78. cuff
79. cap
80. face
81. fate
82. fan
83. fame
84. fare
85.fall
86. fish
87. fake
88. fife 
89. fop
90. base
91. bat
92. ban
93. beam
94. bar
95. ball
96. batch
97. back
98. beef
99. babe

The basic series of key words must gradually become so familiar that word and number become identical for the user. Once you have reached that point, you can easily learn not only any chosen series of words but figures as well.

When you have mastered the key words from 1 to 20, ask a friend to call off, one after the other, any twenty subjects he chooses. It is essential for your friend to write down the subjects beforehand, since you and he will otherwise lack a check list. When he calls the first subject on his list, tie it up with the first key word, or tea. Concentrate on this thought-association and do not let anything disturb you. When you have the connection clearly and firmly in mind, ask for the second subject. Connect it with the second key word, or Noah, and do not think back to the first.

Store up the twenty subjects in your memory in this way: as soon as the twenty have been called off, go over the key words in your thoughts. You will have no difficulty in associating the connections you previously set up. But your friend, who knows nothing of these thought processes, will be surprised and impressed at your ability to repeat the twenty subjects in proper order without a single mistake. And you can surprise him even more if you offer to call them out at random, instead of sequentially. For instance, if he wants to know the tenth word, you will naturally not have to begin counting from the beginning. Since you know that number 10 is tease, you will be able to name the correct subject at once through the concept you have associated with it.

After you have made this experiment a few times, try it out in company. This is always an effective experiment, and it will not only prove entertaining, but also reward you for the time and effort you spent in learning the series of key words.

But, of course, applause is not the real goal of the experiment. Our goal is twofold:

1. To exercise not only your imagination, but also your powers of concentration to a degree hitherto unknown. You will notice how quickly your imagination is developing, when you observe that the association of seemingly unrelated things steadily grows easier. You give your powers of
concentration practice in that you really fix your undivided attention on the two subjects under consideration, for, if you do not, the connection is not made strong enough for you to recall it later.

2. To apply this thought series in everyday life. I have already given you some illustrations proving the practical advantages of this system, and I shall present additional examples before we approach the end of this chapter.

But first let us try to recall a series of numbers instead of words. Assume that you are to remember the following ten numbers consecutively:

57
86
74
65
60
15
62
76
52
33

The first word in our series of key words is tea. The number 57 is to be associated with it. For this number we substitute the key word for 57, or lake. Therefore we imagine someone sitting by a lake drinking tea. In this connection it is important to concentrate on the picture for a few seconds and not let it be a mere passing idea.

The second word of our series of key words is Noah. The second number to be remembered in the list given above is 86. For this number we substitute the word fish from our series of key words, and therefore we must associate Noah with fish. The association is simple—we imagine Noah catching a fish.

The third word in the series of key words is May. The third number to be remembered is 74, car in the series. As an association I suggest we picture a drive in a new car on a fine May morning. In doing so you need not fear confusing the month of May with another month. You must not forget that May is the only month in the series of key words. So confusion is impossible, even aside from the fact that in forming your association your starting point is not car but the key word May. If we proceed in this fashion we get the following connections, for which I add possible associations in parentheses. These associations are, of course, not binding, for the reader should try to find associations which are better and more pertinent for him individually:

1. tea —lake          (57) A man sits by a lake drinking tea.
2. Noah —fish        (86) Noah catches a fish.
3. May—car          (74) We drive in a new car on a May morning.
4. ray—chill            (65) The chill was dispelled by the rays of the sun.
5. law—chase        (60) The policeman chases the lawbreaker.
6. Shaw—tale        (15) Shaw wrote tales as well as plays and essays.
7. key—chain         (62) The key hung on a chain.
8. fee—cash           (76) Fees are paid in cash.
9. bay—lane           (52) The bay is at the end of the lane.
10. tease—mama   (33) Mama teases her child, or the child teases his mama.

If you proceed in this way it is not hard to remember a series of 100 numbers of 2 digits. Of course, you should not and must not attempt this time-consuming task all at once; restrict yourself to 20 or 30 numbers for a start. Practice of this sort, which should not take more than 15 or 20 minutes, is an extraordinarily good exercise in concentration. It forces the student to think definitely, therefore really to concentrate on the key word and its associated word. Even momentary lack of attention finds its revenge: the attempt to recall the connected word fails, because the association was not impressed deeply enough on the mind. But if you repeat, without errors, some 20 or 30 numbers, you may be sure you have improved your powers of concentration and therefore your memory considerably.

One more word about the objections which have been raised against the series of key words. Occasionally it is asserted that numerical codes, a series of key words, etc., impose too great a task on our thinking apparatus and are too time-consuming in application. To this charge we can reply that all these may easily be acquired in 8 or 10 hours, and that this time is negligible when compared with the facility and ease we attain in remembering. Stenography offers the best analogy. In learning it, the student must first of all memorize characters and outlines, but after that shorthand is a time-saver for everything that must be written down. In the same way, mnemotechny is an aid to everything that must be kept in mind.

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