English, as people popularly say, is a confusing language. And the reason for that is, when a word in a different language, say Hindi, is translated in English, you have to be very specific about which English word you choose. The English vocabulary is wide, and there are many words to mean the same thing, but that need to be used in different contexts, and that is what confuses people who are learning English, or are not fluent in their spoken English. Recently, I was speaking to a friend and she said something that triggered this blog. She said, “I can never memorise to drink enough water.” Now I could easily see why she said that, because when I corrected her saying, ‘You mean I can never REMEMBER to drink enough water?’ she said, “Doesn’t memorise and remember mean the same thing.





I understand it is a common misconception among a lot of new English speakers, and today’s blog is for clearing it and helping you understand the difference between remember, remind and memorise. Let’s first understand the meaning of these three words.





Remember:

This is a memory, or something that you know from experience. You either remember something yourself or ask someone else to remember for you. Examples of using it in a sentence:

“I can’t remember this person’s name.”

“Can you remember what colour were her shoes?”

“I wish I could remember the name of this song.”


Remind:

This is when something, or someone makes you remember something. It is an act of something triggering you to remember something. Examples of using it in a sentence:

“Can you please remind me to drink 8 glasses of water today?”

“This song reminds me of my mother.”

“Do I need to remind you that the report is due today?”


Memorise:

It is when you try to put some information in your memory, so that it stays there. Examples of this word in a sentence:

“I am yet to memorise my graduation day speech”

“I know of people who can memorise an entire book!”

“No matter how many times I meet her, I just can’t memorize her name!”


The best way to understand this concept is by practicing. Visualize a scene, where you might need to use and practice it. Here’s a little exercise for you to start with.


What do you think will fit in these sentences?

I clearly _____ the day I first met you.

You don’t have to ____ me about that horrible accident.

Why can’t you ever _____ to carry an umbrella?


All the best!

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-By Chander Madan


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