Learn English – “To keep in mind” vs. “To remember”

meaningword-usage

The expression "Keep something in mind" appeared in a text I was editing about conflict resolution in the office. The sentence in which this appeared was "When you find yourself dealing with conflict in the workplace, there are a few things to keep in mind." My colleagues wanted to define this for students and chose "remember" as a suitable synonym. I rejected this and suggested "take into consideration," or "to think about."

"Remember" was selected by popular opinion, and later when a student was asked to use this expression in a sentence the student gave "When you driving a car it is important to keep the rules in mind." I asked the student to explain this and he said that you must remember the rules, and said that he made the sentence based on the definition given.

The way I see it, "remember" is not a process but more of an instantaneous action. You think and then the information comes to you. To keep something in mind means that when making a decision or doing something you need to use some information so it is kept in active memory. For example, a chef needs to keep in mind the sharpness of his tools while cutting otherwise he will cut himself.

Is "remember" a suitable definition for "to keep in mind?"

Best Answer

Your understanding is correct.

Keep in mind more leans toward meaning to keep something in memory that can be recalled for a specific later use or process that will occur soon.

Remember simply means to keep something in memory, or to keep something in memory that cal be recalled for a general later use or "just in case."

Remember the emergency phone number. ("Just in case" - there's no emergency and we don't expect one. But you never know.)

Keep in mind the emergency phone number. (We're doing something dangerous and need this information on standby.)

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