1、试用笼统词
英语语言中笼统词有have, take 等，笼统词的重要特点在于意义广泛，搭配性强，构成词组后可以替代众多具体动词。虽然不能精确表达一个动作，却能大致表达意思。在一些具体动词写不出来的时候，用这些笼统词取代，也能收到异曲同工的效果。
例如：我经历了一个极其艰苦的时代。
I experienced a terrible hard time.
这一句中，experience被遗忘时，用have代替，成为：I had a terrible hard time. 其效果及表达的意义决不亚于第一句。这样的例子还很多。如：
Do you understand my meaning, sir? = Do you take my meaning, sir?
I will preside over the meeting. = I will take the meeting.
I will subscribe to the local newspaper. = I will take the local newspaper.
They occupied the city. = They took the city.
The boy resembles his father. = The boy takes after his father.
从以上的例句不难看出，具体词音节较多，使用频率不高，容易遗忘，而笼统词则不然。因此，在作文应试中，笼统词取代具体词，不失为一种应急良策。
2、联想有关词汇
当遗忘产生时，或遇到未曾学过的词时，应采取放射性思维，发挥想象力，想出一切与之有关的单词，利用语言的内在联系，多层次，多角度地运用语言。一般情况下，联想可按下列思路进行：1联想同义词;2联想反义词。
英语语言中众多的同义词在许多情况下是可以通用的。利用这一规律，由于某个单词受阻而影响全篇写作的情况便不会出现。试看下列句子：
I had a nightmare last night. = I had a bad dream last night.
Nightmare 使用频率不太高，因此不太好记。而其同义词bad dream 却很容易记。以后者取代前者丝毫不影响原句的意义。再比如：I don‘t understand this word. 也可以说成 I don’t know this word.
另外：
He is stupid. = He is foolish. = He is a fool. = He is silly.
The food is delicious. = The food is tasty. = The food is nice to eat.
They discontinued the work at five. = They stopped the work at five.
His temper is nasty. = His temper is terrible. = He has a bad temper.
英语语言中词与词之间是有联系的，词与词之间语义的“共核”现象即所谓的同义词。丰富的同义词给我们提供了极大的方便。
同样，用其反义词来取代某一遗忘了的词也是可行的，请看下面的例子：
He is stubborn. = He is not tame.
The knife is blunt. = The knife is not sharp.
This is expensive. = This is not cheap.
She is talkative. = She is never quiet.
