gymnastics

gymnastics — noun

1. a sport in which athletes perform carefully controlled acrobatic routines using

1.名詞B1
釋義

a sport in which athletes perform carefully controlled acrobatic routines using apparatus like balance beams, vaulting tables, and bars, competing to show physical power, coordination, and suppleness

例句

Kenji started training in gymnastics when he was six years old, and won his first medal at twelve.

trained in gymnastics as a lifelong activity

The school built a new gymnastics centre with modern equipment for its team.

同義詞
  • gymnastic exercise

    more specific, refers to the physical activities rather than the sport as a whole

  • calisthenics

    rhythmic exercises without equipment, less competitive and apparatus-focused

文法句型

gymnastics + singular verb

用法筆記

Uncountable — use a singular verb: "Gymnastics is an Olympic sport." Do not say "gymnastics are."

常見錯誤

❌Gymnastics are very demanding.
✅Gymnastics is very demanding.
💡Gymnastics is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb.
❌She does gymnastic.
✅She does gymnastics.
💡The sport is always 'gymnastics', not 'gymnastic'.

2. very clever or quick thinking, speaking, or arguing that allows someone to handl

2.名詞C1
釋義

very clever or quick thinking, speaking, or arguing that allows someone to handle complex situations or defend difficult positions

例句

The lawyer's verbal gymnastics convinced the jury to look at the evidence from a new angle.

verbal gymnastics — talking your way through a tough situation

Imran performed some impressive mental gymnastics to justify a decision that went against his earlier promises.

mental gymnastics — clever but possibly dishonest reasoning

同義詞
  • cleverness

    less colourful, more general — does not carry the idea of twisting or agility

  • sophistry

    more negative — implies deliberately misleading reasoning

  • mental acrobatics

    very similar in meaning and tone, equally informal

反義詞
  • simplicity

    straightforward thinking without complex manoeuvres

  • directness

    saying exactly what you mean without clever twists

文法句型

[adjective] + gymnastics

gymnastics of + noun

用法筆記

Almost always used with a preceding adjective such as mental, verbal, rhetorical, or intellectual. Without the modifier, readers will interpret the word literally as the sport.

常見錯誤

❌He used gymnastics to solve the problem.
✅He used mental gymnastics to solve the problem.
💡Without 'mental', 'gymnastics' means the sport, not figurative cleverness.
❌His gymnastics were impressive in the argument.
✅His verbal gymnastics was impressive.
💡Even in the figurative sense, the noun stays uncountable and takes a singular verb.