Learning English

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Introduction

When you have a problem that's difficult to solve, it can feel like your brain is doing heavy physical work. This situation can be described with a phrase which we're about to explain in this programme.

Transcript

Beth
Welcome to The English We Speak, with me Beth...

Jiaying
And me, Jiaying.

Beth
We're going to look at an expression that is all about doing hard work with your brain – 'mental gymnastics'.

Jiaying
‘Mental gymnastics’. So, gymnastics – that's showing off your flexibility and strength doing different exercises with bars and ropes and other equipment, but what are 'mental gymnastics'?

Beth
Well it can be the effort we spend trying to work out something difficult. This weekend, I need to go to three different places, at more or less the same time, and I'm doing mental gymnastics to try to find a way I can do it.

Jiaying
So, you thinking about the different possibilities and coming up with a plan – that's mental gymnastics.

Beth
Yes, because my brain has got to do a lot of hard work.

Jiaying
So when I try to speak a new language, one that has lots of complicated rules, that would involve a lot of mental gymnastics?

Beth
Yes, exactly! Let's hear some more examples.

Examples

To get a good score in a maths exam, you need to be good at mental gymnastics!

This plan is too complicated, and I'm too tired for the kind of mental gymnastics I'd need to work it out.

An orchestra conductor needs to be good at mental gymnastics, to work out what each musician should be doing.

Jiaying
You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and we are learning the expression ‘mental gymnastics’, which is a way to talk about your brain doing hard work.

Beth
There's actually another, more negative, way that we use it. When people try to justify saying something that they don't really believe – we can say that they are doing mental gymnastics.

Jiaying
Right, so when I tell my children not to use their phone so much, it takes some serious mental gymnastics to justify why I can still do it.

Beth
Yes, it's hard work trying to come up with an excuse that you don't really believe!

Jiaying
I think we need to stop here, and you should go and write the next episode – that's going to take some mental gymnastics, isn't it!

Beth
Luckily, I'm full of energy today, so mental gymnastics won't be a problem!

Jiaying
Bye!

Beth
Bye.

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