HAM vs. JAM

Good morning. Spanish and Catalan speakers often have difficulty remembering the difference between the English words Ham and Jam. How can you remember the difference? There are two memory tricks that often work for my students. JALEA is similar to JAM and it begins with "J" The most typical Spanish translation for jam is mermelada; however, another Spanish word (Jalea) is very similar in meaning, and it begins with the letter "J". So, both jam and jalea are sweet, and they both begin with the letter "J". HAM comes before JAM alphabetically, and at meals Some students like to remember that these two words in alphabetical order would be first Ham and then Jam ("H" comes before "J" in the alphabet): 1) Ham 2) Jam Ham (jamón) is a salty food and Jam (mermelada) is a sweet food. Think of the order of salty and sweet foods in a typical meal. When we eat a meal, we usually eat the salty things first (like Ham) and then we have sweet things for dessert (like Jam). I find that these mnemonic memory tricks can sometimes be a great way to eliminate this type of repetitive error. I hope these help you. If not, you'll have to invent your own memory trick. ;-) Please post any questions about today's Daily Vitamin in the Daily Vitamin Plus! forum section on our website. If you have any questions about how to use the Daily Vitamin Plus! section or would like to receive a Daily Vitamin Plus! manual, please contact us. Have an excellent day!