“Cheaters never prosper” is a common phrase you hear growing up. It means that while people who cheat gain a short-term benefit, in the long-term, they always lose out. But is this really true? What about the multi-millionaire footballer who pretends to be injured and wins his team a free-kick? Or the sneaky board-game player who moves forward six spaces instead of five to make sure they land on an advantageous spot? Or even your classmate who leans in close to take a peek at your exam sheet?

Whether these cheaters prosper or not in the long-term is certainly up for debate. However, there’s something you should know about learning a language: cheating is good. In fact, finding a sneaky way to avoid the exhausting process of remembering thousands of different forms is often vital.

Tricky irregular verb forms, seemingly random pronunciation rules and words with double meanings all make English a language that is crying out for a few short-cuts. Fortunately, they exist. In this article, we’re going to look at some easy ways of learning dozens of difficult words, without all the effort.

Learn irregular verbs: the easy way

English has so many irregular verbs that it can be a daunting task to try and learn them all. However, if we split them up, we start to see patterns. Below, I’ve grouped 41 irregular verbs by the patterns they make. By learning them in groups like this, it massively increases how many you can remember at any one time. Pick a group and focus on learning all of the verbs contained in it before moving onto the next group.

Long vowel to short vowel
Drive	Drove	Driven
Ride	Rode	Ridden
Rise	Rose	Risen
Write	Wrote	Written

-ought/aught endings
Bring	Brought	Brought
Buy	Bought	Bought
Catch	Caught	Caught
Fight	Fought	Fought
Seek	Sought	Sought
Teach	Taught	Taught
Think	Thought	Thought

Non-changing verbs
Bet	Bet	Bet
Bid	Bid	Bid
Burst	Burst	Burst
Cost	Cost	Cost
Cut	Cut	Cut
Hit	Hit	Hit
Hurt	Hurt	Hurt
Let	Let	Let
Put	Put	Put
Set	Set	Set
Shut	Shut	Shut
Spread	Spread	Spread
Quit	Quit	Quit

Identical 1st and 3rd forms
Become	Became	Become
Come	Came	Come
Run	Ran	Run

Past -ew/Past participle -own
Blow	Blew	Blown
Fly	Flew	Flown
Grow	Grew	Grown
Know	Knew	Known
Throw	Threw	Thrown

Long -e to short -e
Keep	Kept	Kept
Sleep	Slept	Slept
Feel	Felt	Felt
Bleed	Bled	Bled
Feed	Fed	Fed
Meet	Met	Met
Lead	Led	Led

Master tricky pronunciation

If there’s one thing that regularly confuses students, it’s the odd rules (or lack of them) that govern pronunciation. Well, just like our irregular verbs above, we can use a little cheat sheet to help us remember several at once. By grouping them together, we can start to learn ten at the same time. Below, I’ve placed some of the most common problem words together to help you remember how to say them.

Air	Beer	Her	Late	Meet	Lord
Bear	Fear	Fur	Grate	Beat	Bored
Scare	Deer	Were	Weight	Cheat	Board
Chair	Here	Stir	State	Wheat	Chord
Fair	Steer	Purr	Mate	Sweet	Sword
Flare	Pier	Sir	Bait	Suite	Floored
Pear	Gear	Slur	Skate	Treat	Poured
Where	Sphere	Spur	Wait	Eat	Scored
Their	Year	Per	Straight	Tweet	Snored
There	Cheer	Fir	Eight	Greet	Ward
They’re	We’re	Blur	Date	Heat	Cord

Overcome those difficult double meanings

True homonyms are words that are spelled and pronounced the same way, but have different meanings. These can be particularly difficult because we have to work out the meaning from the context. But one easy way to do this is to look at sentences in which both meanings are used. Below, I’ve given definitions for both words and then used them together in the same sentence. Can you work out which use has which meaning?

When you have to remember the two separate meanings of a homonym, simply write out your own sentence using them both. This technique will provide you with a clear mental image to recall in the future.

Address (noun): the exact location of a building.

To address (verb): to speak/to give a formal speech.

Example:

During his address to the union members he informed them of the head office’s new address.

Bank (noun): the land alongside or sloping down to a river.

Bank (noun): an establishment which looks after the money of depositors.

Example:

Building that bank on the bank of the river meant that it was liable to flooding.

Bark (noun): the outer layer of a tree trunk.

To bark (verb): the noise made by a dog.

Example:

My dog started to bark when he accidentally swallowed some of the bark off the branch.

Book (noun): a written or printed work made up of pages.

To book (verb): to reserve.

Example:

We need to book a conference hall for you to launch your new book.

Duck (noun): an aquatic bird.

To duck (verb): to move your head downwards to avoid being hit by something.

Example:

I’ve seen one duck fly quite low over here, so you might need to duck!

Fire (noun): a chemical process in which fuel is burnt.

To fire (verb): the act of dismissing someone from a job.

Example:

Due to the fire you caused in the stock room, I have no option left but to fire you.

Grave (noun): a hole dug in the ground to bury a body.

Grave (adjective): very serious or somber.

When they lowered his coffin into the grave, you should have seen the grave expressions on everyone’s faces.

Letter (noun): a written symbol and component of an alphabet.

Letter (noun): a written or printed communication.

Example:

I got sent a strange letter today. Instead of a name it was simply signed with the letter “x.”

Park (noun): an area of green space intended for the use of the public.

To park (verb): to leave a vehicle in a specific location for a period of time.

Visitors to the park are advised to park on Castle Street.

Point (noun): a specific location.

To point (verb): to motion towards something with your finger or another object.

Example:

Can you point to the point on the map where you think you started the journey?

Show (noun): a performance for entertainment purposes.

To show (verb): to demonstrate or direct someone’s attention towards something.

Example:

Follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll be performing the show this evening.

Sink (noun): the basin used in kitchens and bathrooms to drain water.

To sink (verb): to fall to the bottom of water.

Example:

If you put that rock in the sink, it’ll just sink straight to the bottom.

Wave (noun): a body of water before it breaks onto the shore.

To wave (verb): to move your hands in order to attract someone’s attention.

Example:

I tried to wave at him in the sea, but he was caught by a large wave.

If you hold these cards at all times, you're sure to be better off the next time you have to utilize your English skills.

Image Sources

Hero Image by Paolo Perini (CC BY-SA 2.0)