The Number/Rhyme technique is a very simple way of remembering lists in order. It works by 'pegging' the things to be remembered to images rhyming with the ordered number.

Take one or two minutes to read through the peg words below.

  1.       one is a bun

  2.       two is a shoe

  3.       three is a tree

  4.       four is a door

  5.       five is a hive

  6.       six is sticks

  7.       seven is heaven

  8.       eight is a gate

  9.       nine is wine

10.        ten is a hen

If you find that these images do not attract you or stick in your mind, then change them for something more meaningful.

The technique works by helping you to build up pictures in your mind, in which you represent numbers by things that rhyme with the number. You can then link these pictures to images of the things to be remembered.

Example:

For example, you could remember a chronological list of ten Greek philosophers as:

  1.       Parmenides - a BUN topped with grated yellow PARMEsan cheese

  2.       Heraclitus - a SHOE worn by HERACLes (Greek Hercules) glowing

            with a bright LIghT

  3.       Empedocles - A TREE from which the M-shaped McDonalds arches

            hang hooking up a bicycle PEDal

  4.       Democritus - think of a PAW print on the voting form of a DEMOCRaTic election

  5.       Protagoras - A bee HIVE being positively punched through (GORed?)

            by an atomic PROTon

  6.       Socrates - BRICKS falling onto a SOCk (with a foot inside!) from a CRATe.

  7.       Plato - A plate with angel's wings flapping around a white cloud

  8.       Aristotle - a friend called hARRY clutching a bOTtLE of wine vaulting over a gate

  9.       Zeno - A LINE of ZEN Buddhists meditating

10.       Epicurus - a HEN's egg being mixed into an EPIleptics's CURe.

Try either visualizing these images as suggested, or if you do not like them, come up with images of your own. Once you have done this, try writing down the names of the philosophers on a piece of paper. You should be able to do this by thinking of the number, then the part of the image associated with the number, and then the whole image. Finally you can decode the image to give you the name of the philosopher.

It is also possible to use the peg-rhyme system to remember longer lists. Here are possible peg words to use for digits 11 to 20. It is more difficult to find good peg words for numbers over 10.

           11. eleven is leaven
           12. twelve is shelve
           13. thirteen is hurting
           14. fourteen is boarding
           15. fifteen is fitting
           16. sixteen is Sistine
           17. seventeen is setting
           18. eighteen is waiting
           19. nineteen is knighting
           20. twenty is plenty

By driving the associations with numbers you have a good starting point in reconstructing the images, you are aware if information is missing, and you can pick up and continue the sequence from anywhere within the list.