states of a chemical reaction

[spursy]

 I was just wondering if there is any easy way of knowing the states of a compound instead of having to memorise it from the book

[Sine]

I was just wondering if there is any easy way of knowing the states of a compound instead of having to memorise it from the book

Probably just using the context of the question.

[Macrophagee]

Hey
Usually the question would give some context for example "powdered zinc oxide" or something so you can write the correct state.

[dashnog]

Unfortunately, it does require some memorisation to consistently get things right, but generally, I would expect most SACs/exams would provide a hint in the question as to what the compound is (i.e. "a solution of...", "powdered...")
But I'll quote something from a document http://www.menihek.ca/Teacher%20Pages/Ruth%20Simmons_files/DeterminingStatesofMatter.pdf

1. Elements – check the periodic table
2. If you know you have a solution, write (aq)
3. All ionic compounds, unless they are in solution, are solids (s)
4. All acids are in solution (aq)
5. All molecular oxides are gases (g)

Hopefully this is at least somewhat applicable.