This week’s column topic is Memories of your graduation ceremony, so for anyone studying English, here is some grammar that you can use to talk about your memories!

You can use the present simple form of “remember” and “recall” (more formal) to talk about your memories. “Remember” and “recall” can be followed by a noun, pronoun, gerund, or noun clause. For example...

• I remember the guest speaker. (+noun)
• I remember him. (+pronoun)
• I remember listening to the guest speaker. (+gerund)
• I remember that the guest speaker talked for a long time. (+noun clause)

• I recall the graduation song. (+noun)
• I recall it. (+pronoun)
• I recall feeling very nervous. (+gerund)
• I recall that we were all relieved when it was over. (+noun clause)

Sometimes we use “can” with these words. The meaning is the same. For example...

• I can recall spending a long time choosing my clothes.
• I can remember the huge party that we had after the ceremony.

And of course you can make negative sentences, too!

• I can’t remember that day at all.
• I can’t recall how I felt.

If something makes you remember a certain time, you can use “remind”. For example…

• This song always reminds me of my graduation. (When I hear this song, I remember my graduation.)
• These pictures remind me of the good old days. (When I look at these pictures, I remember the good old days.)

Finally, you can use “I’ll never forget” to talk about a strong memory. For example…

• I’ll never forget falling off the stage. It was so embarrassing!
• I’ll never forget my parents’ faces. They were so proud!

I hope this will help you to talk about your memories in English!

Zach