Creating Themes and Sub-themes

A theme is like a folder of similar or related lexical items. By organizing lexical items into themes you can quickly recall related vocabulary and then test yourself on it. Learning vocabulary in logical groups helps your brain make crucial memory associations. But unlike a textbook, someone else isn't defining these themes, you are. By creating and organizing themes that are most natural for you, you will more easily be able to remember the lexical items that are contained within.

To create a new theme, select [All] in the theme list. Then go to the Edit menu and select New Theme or simply click the + button underneath the theme list. This action opens a dialog that prompts you to input the name of the theme in both the target language and the native language. Once this information is provided click Ok and the theme will show up in the theme list.

You can also add sub-themes. A sub-theme is a variation on a theme. It is a folder within a folder and allows you to organize lexical items to a finer level of detail. A sub-theme shows up in the theme list underneath its parent theme. For example, if you've defined a theme Sports, perhaps a logical sub-theme would be Equipment or Tennis. It's up to you.

To create a sub-theme, first select the parent theme in the theme list. Next, select the New Theme menu option or click the + button below the theme list. This time the New Theme dialog will already show the theme name of the parent, but underneath the sub-theme text fields will be active. As before, type the sub-theme name in both the target language and the native language.

Once a theme or sub-theme has been created you can easily add lexical items to it by dragging items from the lexical item list to the theme.