TIPS FOR MEMORIZING VOCABULARY
Here are some tips on how to memorize vocabulary.
Repeat the word aloud several times, taking care to accent the right syllable. The audio introduction will help you with this. Remember that repeatedly speaking a word, and listening to yourself say it, will aid your memory.
Write the word several times, pronouncing it as you write. This will also help you to develop your Greek penmanship.
Note the English derivatives in Black's vocabulary lists.
Perhaps a particular word does not have an English derivative, or the English derivative is not of much help to you (e.g., blepharitis, "an inflammation of the eyelids," may not be the best mnemonic for ble,pw). In this case you may want to concoct a crazy word association. For example, a college classmate of mine found it helpful to say, "Look, I see a blimp" in order to remember that ble,pw means "I see." Another person said, "I have an echo, echo, echo" to remember that e;cw means "I have." If you come up with an outrageous word association, share it with us in the collaborative classroom! The crazier and more ridiculous the association is, the more effective it can be.
Make sure that you memorize words backwards and forwards! When given the English equivalent, you should be able to supply the Greek word, correctly spelled..
Use a computer flashcard program like GreekFlash Pro, or make your own flashcards by hand using 3" X 5" index cards. (I used to have Kinko's cut a stack in half, making them 2.5" X 3", and punch a hole through the upper left corner of the cards. Then I would put them on a ring so that I could flip through them while I was on-the-go.) You can also get Greek vocabulary cards (or blank cards) created by Vis-Ed. Repetition is very important, not only for initially learning vocabulary, but for reviewing as well.
As you continue to add to your vocabulary database, it is also helpful to arrange words into cognate groups whenever possible. You will find extensive cognate listings in Warren Trenchard's The Student's Complete Vocabulary Guide to the Greek New Testament.
Some words will inexplicably resist memorization. In this case, you may find it helpful to use a lexicon to find a familiar phrase in Scripture which incorporates the word. For example, in Matt 16:19 Jesus uses a form of lu,w when he says, "[W]hatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."