61 - Studying by heart When I was a student, many of my classmates considered studying by heart as something extremely negative and to be avoided. They claimed that if you want to understand something deeply, you shouldn't study it by heart. Looking back, I partially agree, but not completely. In fact, there is a case in which it is a useful practice, I think. When you have to study a very complicated subject, such a scientific one, one of the most important things is the ability of using a specific language to explain it. If you are not very confident with this topic in general, you will probably need to learn some sentences or expressions by heart, in order to be able to communicate it in the best possible way. This does not imply that you did not understand what you studied, though. Comprehending something and begin able to spread it it are two different and unrelated things. A good speaker is always able to express himself or herself in a great way, even if he or she doesn't know what is really saying. On the contrary, a very shy person is probably not at ease talking in front of a crowd and he or she may need to learn some sentences by heart. In conclusion, I do not think that studying by heart something is necessarily a practice to avoid. Overusing it may not be the right approach to the study, but also completely avoiding it. It depends on the person you are and the topic.