Hello Carrie! I asked myself the same question when I have started learning English. Sometimes it is difficult to memorize a word. In my opinion, just learning words & rules is not effective. Learn simple phrases, sentences. A context should be.

Hi Carrie! I think if you will use everything - better. What help me more (if I hear, read and see translate). May be it helps you. http://gramota.ru/book/vladimir/history1/Polilog1/english.htm?submit1=English

I think just learning words may help you in the very beginning but generally I would recommend learning phrases. The following 3 things are important for this to be efficient: 1. It has to be interesting for you (I do not know, like watching Russian cartoons with subtitles=)) 2. Second the language should be simple enough for you to understand the context of each situation and the basic sense 3. Once this becomes too simple move on to the next level: learn something more difficult (maybe try watching Russian movies) This is how I learned English and I believe this can help you with Russian. But the most efficient way to learn a new language is immersion. If it is possible you can go for some time (several weeks should be a good start) to a country where Russian is spoken. I would say learning a language is similar to learning how to swim. You just know how to do it and that is it. Of course you can study the theory on the shore for a long time, even know the fancy names for different styles like backstroke, butterfly, etc. but it would help you only up to some point. Ultimately you have to try to go to the water=) And do not try to learn all the rules/exceptions etc. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.

I believe, noticing and remembering collocations is a good way, and that applies for any language studying. It just needs to imagine or view the context. Children learn languages this way... and, well, they become native speakers :)

It is always a pleasure to feel that an American woman is trying to master this unruly stallion - the Russian language. I'd advise you to get the elementary notions of grammar and pronunciation - at the level of the first year for schoolchildren. So that you could grasp and understand the basics. After that I'd avdise you to take an audio book, with the Russian original text, and the English translation - and the most important thing is that you have to want to read it. And you go about it like this - listen to a paragraph, trying to comprehend some familiar words, then you read it in Russian, lookin up for the uncertain parts in the English translations, after that you listen to a whole page following the Russian text. I'd recommend taking some easy reading for kids, like you have The Wizzard of Ozz, and we have Волков - Волшебник изумрудного города. You'll cope with the book in a month's time. Then you reread it, it takes several days, and most of the book will be much easier to understand. The third rereading will reveal that you understand without help 95 percent of the book easily.