Memory (2)
IELTS SPEAKING TOPIC PART 1
1. Vocabulary Exercise: Memory-Related Words
Match the words with their meanings:
1. Memorize a) To remember something from the past,
2. Recall often fondly
3. Reminisce b) To intentionally learn something by
4. Retain heart
5. Forgetful c) To keep information in your memory
6. Jog/refresh your d) To bring a forgotten fact back to mind
memory e) To forget something temporarily
7. Commit to f) Often forgetting things
memory g) To remember something with effort
8. Slip your mind h) To learn something so you remember it
perfectly
2. Collocations Exercise: Memory & Forgetting
Fill in the blanks with the correct words:
short-term / long-term memory
hazy / vivid recollection
memory lapse
commit something to memory (formal): make yourself remember
something
memory fades
brought back memories
a memory springs to mind
childhood home: refers to the place where an indidual spent their
early years, often influencing their identity, memories, and experiences
to have a memory like a sieve = forget things very easily
1. I have a ____________ (unclear) memory of my childhood home.
2. After the accident, he suffered from frequent ______________ (moments
of forgetting).
3. If you want to remember a speech, you should ______________ it
_________________.
4. Over time, even the strongest ______________ (memory weakens).
5. When I think of my school days, one particular ______________ (comes to
mind immediately).
6. I’m sorry. I have ________________________. I forgot you were coming
today!
7. For many older people, the film ________________________ ________ of the
war.
8. I’ll never forget my first flight because the view was so ______________—
the clouds looked like cotton candy! I still reminisce about it often.
Though I’m usually forgetful, this memory stuck with me.
3 Match idioms to their meanings:
a) Impossible to forget
1. In one ear and out the other b) Remembering happy past times
2. Take a trip down memory c) Very forgetful
lane d) Ignoring what you hear
3. Memory like a sieve
4. Etched in your memory
4 Memory Vocabulary Challenge
Choose the best word to complete each sentence.
1. "I have a ______ memory of my first day at school—it feels like a
dream."
a) sharp
b) hazy
c) photographic
2. "If you want to remember a phone number, try repeating it aloud to
______ it to memory."
a) lose
b) commit
c) remind
3. "She’s so ______—she even forgets where she puts her keys daily!"
a) forgetful
b) memorable
c) retentive
4. "The smell of fresh bread ______ my memory of my grandmother’s
kitchen."
a) jogs
b) erases
c) memorizes
5. "I know his face, but his name ______. It’s on the tip of my tongue!"
a) slips my mind
b) rings a bell
c) springs to mind
Answers 1: 1-h, 2-g, 3-a, 4-c, 5-f, 6-d, 7-b, 8-e
Answers 2: 1-hazy, 2-memory lapses, 3-commit...to memory, 4-
memory fades, 5-memory springs to mind, 6- a memory like a
sieve, 7- brought back memories, 8 - vivid
Answers 3 : 1-d, 2-b, 3-c, 4-a
Answers 4: 1-b, 2-b, 3-a, 4-a, 5-a
1. What do you have to remember to do every day?
2. Is it easy for you to forget to do these things?
3. Are you good at memorizing things?
4. How do you help yourself to remember things?
5. Have you ever forgotten something that was important?