list of mnemonics

This article contains a list of some common verbal mnemonics. Most of these mnemonics consist of a simple phrase in which the first letter of each word either spells something out, or matches the first word of some sequence.

Music

Notes on treble clef lines (E, G, B, D, F)

Every Good Boy Does F'ine (also Deserves Favour'' or D'eserves Fudge or Deserves Fruit'')

Notes on bass clef lines (G, B, D, F, A)

''Good Boys Do Fine Always''

Notes on treble clef spaces (F, A, C, E)

spell out the word face

Notes on bass clef spaces (A, C, E, G)

''All Cows Eat Grass''
''All Cars Eat Gas''

Order of sharps/flats in key signatures

for sharps: ''Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle''
for flats: ''Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father''

Science and math

The colors of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green blue, indigo, violet)

the contrived name Roy G. Biv spells out the first letters
''Richard of York gave battle in vain''

Mohs scale of mineral hardness (talc, gypsum, calcite, fluorite, apatite, orthoclase feldspar, quartz, topaz, corundum, diamond)

''tall girls can flirt and other-funny queer things can do ''

Elements necessary for agriculture (carbon, hydrogen, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, copper, molybdenum, chlorine, boron)

''C(see) Hopkins CaFe, Mighty-good; Man, Cu(see your) Money, hope they are Closed or out of Business.''

The periodic order of the Lanthanide elements: (Lanthanum, Caesium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium)

''Late College Parties Never Produce Sexy European Girls That Drink Heavily Even Though You Look''

Stellar spectral classifications (O, B, A, F, G, K, M)

''Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me!''

Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)

''My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles''
''My Very Easy Memory Jingle Seems Useful Naming Planets''
''My Very Excellent Memory Just Stores Up Nine Planets

Scientific classification sequence (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species)

''King Philip came over for green spaghetti (or great sex)''
''kinky people care only for good sex''
''King Philip classifies ordered families as generally specious''
''King Phil classed ordinary families as generous and special''

Compass directions: (north, east, south, west)

''never eat soggy waffles''

Digits of pi (3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6, ...) can be remembered by counting the number of letters in the words of the phrases

May I have a large container of coffee?
How I wish I could recollect pi
How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics

and by the verse

Now I will a rhyme construct

By chosen words the young instruct;

Cunningly devised endeavour!

Con it and remember ever.

Widths in circle here you see

Sprawled out in strange obscurity. ''

The basic trigonometric functions in relation to the parts of a right triangle: (sine = opposite/hypotenuse, cosine = adjacent/hypotenuse, tangent = opposite/adjacent)

Chief Sohcahtoa (Soh: sine opposite hypotneuse, etc.)

Which trigonometric function is positive in a quadrant: (I, all; II, sine; III, tangent; IV, cosine)

''all students take calculus''
''all state teachers college''

operation precedences (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction)

''please excuse my dear aunt sally''

Medicine

Note: medical students have developed far too many medical mnemonics over the years to list; only a sample is given here:

The cranial nerves

''on old olympus' tiny top a finn and german viewed some hops''
''oh oh oh to touch a fresh virgin girl's vagina and hymen''
''oh oh oh to touch and feel very green vegetables and herbs''

(Most others are equally vulgar.)

History

English and British Monarchs: this poem has been used by English schoolchildren

Willie Willie Harry Stee>

William I, William II, Henry I, Stephen)
i>Harry Dick John Harry three;	(Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III)
i>One two three Neds, Richard two	(Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, Richard II)
i>Harrys four five six, then who?	(Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI)
i>Edwards four five, Dick the bad,	(Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III)
i>Harrys (twain), Ned six (the lad);	(Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI)
i>Mary, Bessie, James you ken,	(Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I)
i>Then Charlie, Charlie, James again...	(Charles I, Charles II, James II)
i>Will and Mary, Anna Gloria,	(William III, Mary II, Anne)
i>Georges four, Will four, Victoria;	(George I, George II , George III , George IV , William IV , Victoria )
i>Edward seven next, and then	(Edward VII)
i>Came George the fifth in nineteen-ten;	(George V)
i>Ned the eighth soon abdicated	(Edward VIII)
i>Then George six was coronated;	(George VI)
i>After which Elizabeth	(Elizabeth II)
i>Has the throne, until her death