Not enough reviews

Bunpro
#1

When I first add a grammar point to bunpro I get a sufficient amount of reviews that let me practice the grammar, but I’ve noticed that once the grammar gets into the SRS 6-8 section the number of reviews available for grammar points are so low that once I get it available into my reviews again I usually get the answer wrong, over and over again. I don’t know if this is a site issue or an SRS system itself issue, but I guess that once I have to wait days before the review for a specific grammar point appears again it’s like it was the first time me seeing the grammar. I don’t have this issue if I actually get enough practice, but I think the SRS system has time intervals that are too far away from each other.

I might be doing something wrong, or perhaps there is a way to review your grammar points even when there’s none available

#2

Yeah that’s how SRS works - the time between reviews gets longer each time the SRS number increases. Forgetting something at this stage (especially if you haven’t seen it in the wild since) is a perfectly natural stage of learning. The fact that you have so little reviews means you can probably start adding more and more grammar points gradually! With the new addition to the front page, you’ll be able to see how many points are at 0-2, 3-5, etc. It’ll take some time to get into a proper rhythm, but you’ll most likely learn through trial and error how many new points per day (or week) is too much OR too little.

If you’d like some more review until then, you could always use the Cram feature every now and again!

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#3

Cram is what you need! It lets you get a lot of reps on things you’ve learned in a small amount of time.

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#4

I can definitely understand SRS increasing review interval time, but I do also agree that said interval time gets too long too quickly. I feel like WK has a good interval spacing, where they quiz you on very new points rather frequently, so that your brain has a chance to start etching it into your memory before it starts pulling on long-term recall to really burn it in.

#5

To each their own, but that’s essentially what Bunpro does though. I don’t recall the exact timings off the top of my head, but levels 1-3 are super quick (all 3 occur within 24 hours) and then level 4 is like 2 days away. Anything more than that and you’re not letting SRS actually go into play, the key part is to rely on memory without overdrilling initially. Everyone learns differently obv and has preferred taste, that’s just my view on things.

What level are you finding yourself not remembering some points and it goes into ghost if you don’t mind me asking?

#6

Maybe Bunpro needs a disclaimer: Grammar is not Kanji :slight_smile:

Everyone has experienced this. It is far easier to memorize kanji than it is to memorize grammar.
– Kanji looks the same every time you see it. Grammar doesn’t.
– Knowing kanji doesn’t require knowledge of context like grammar does. (Yes, for kanji, you need to see context immediately before and after, but grammar requires understanding the whole sentence or at least the intention.)

You’re hurting yourself by comparing your kanji progress with your grammar progress.
It takes time. It’s okay. Give yourself a break.

Related post:

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#7
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#8

Hah, I was like 9999999.5% sure this was the case but I didn’t wanna put out any false numbers. Thanks! Agree with your post above though, grammar is a tough process especially at the beginning but the main thing is that you remember to have fun and enjoy the process. Helps when there’s so many helpful people on the forums who are always available to both answer questions and also provide some moral support along the way.

3 Likes
#9

I might be wrong, but I think the difference is that bunpro doesn’t seem to let you tank multiple srs levels for an item in a session. IIRC, after a certain point WK also decreases the SRS interval by 2 instead of 1 on a wrong answer so it’s much more aggressive for pushing items into a relearning state.

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#10

For what it’s worth, I am not the biggest fan of Bunpro’s SRS, either. It’s too rigid and the intervals space out too far for the later stages, just as you’ve observed. The gold standard for an SRS algorithm imho is and remains JPDB’s algorithm.

That said, what others have said here is true - grammar reproduction is one of the hardest things out there, so retention rates will invariably suffer. This is doubly true if you never encounter the grammar point in the wild.

The only two solutions I can offer is: 1 - use cram if you already know which grammar points might be difficult for you, and 2: use controlled ghost reviews. I dream of a feature where I can add a grammar point as a ghost at will. Until that arrives, I’ve found that one way to control my ghosts is to set them to “Minimal”. Then, when I want to make a ghost out of a review, I deliberately fail it twice in the same review session, that will make it a ghost and get me some more exercise with that grammar point.

Best of luck and hang in there!

3 Likes
#11

my tip is to read a few - if not all example sentences. the whole cram and srs thing is too much brute force memorisation in my opinion. when you read the examples over and over again it slowly sinks in. the goal is that you understand what is happening without noticing the grammar at all.

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#12

I don’t think small differences in the SRS intervals or even algorithms matter too much.
I think the real reason why grammar points are harder to memorize than kanji is the lack of mnemonics. To make up for it, when I connect a grammar point to a favorite song or scene I heard it used in, it helps me a great deal to remember it long term.

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