(Note: The mnemonics listed below first appeared on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and are now part of a bi-weekly series called “Non-essential Mnemonics.  You can view them in all their resplendent glory at http://mcsweeneys.net/links/mnemonics/.)

Even if we can’t spell the word, we’re all familiar with mnemonics.  Anyone who’s been to grade school has learned about the light spectrum with the help of The Right Rev. Roy G Biv.  Anyone studying North American geography has learned that HOMES is an acronym for the Great Lakes.  Anyone who has seen the movie Johnny Mnemonic knows that Keanu Reeves sucks at life.

Mnemonics are devious little tools employed by teachers to ensure their pupils will remember insignificant bits of information that their brains would otherwise discard to make room for more Miley Cyrus lyrics.  It is because of these insidious devices that adults are still able to recall the order of operations (My Dear Aunt Sally), the notes on the lines of the treble clef (Every Good Boy Does Fine), and the proper spelling of “because” (Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants) decades after this information was relevant. Read the full story

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