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Introduction

Do you know someone who is disorganised or forgetful? We teach you an informal word that perfectly describes the thoughts going on inside their head! Listen to find out exactly how to use it.

Transcript

Jiaying
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Jiaying…

Rob
… and I’m Rob. Do you know someone who is disorganised or forgetful? We have a word to describe them – it’s ‘scatterbrain’.

Jiaying
‘Scatterbrain’. It’s a word that paints a picture of someone’s brain full of information that’s spread randomly within it – it’s scattered and disorganised.

Rob
‘Scatterbrain’ is sometimes used jokingly with people you know. So, if you have a friend who always loses things or forgets things, you can call them a ‘scatterbrain’. That’s the noun. The adjective is ‘scatterbrained’.

Jiaying
My roommate is scatterbrained! She locked herself out of her house yesterday because she left her keys at home!

Rob
Oh, I do that all the time. Luckily, my neighbour has a spare key.

Jiaying
So, you’re a scatterbrain too! Let’s hear about some more scatterbrains in these examples…

Examples
She forgot my birthday again. She’s such a scatterbrain!

Oh, I’m such a scatterbrain – I know I put the tickets somewhere safe and now I can’t remember where they are!

He’s so scatterbrained – he can’t remember where he left his wallet.

Jiaying
This is The English We Speak, and we’re looking at the word ‘scatterbrain’. It describes someone who is forgetful, disorganised or who doesn’t think clearly.

Rob
Similar words include ‘birdbrain’, ‘empty-headed’ or ‘ditzy’. But I like scatterbrain because of its almost literal meaning. And let’s be honest, a scatterbrain only forgets small things that can be annoying – they get sorted in the end.

Jiaying
Like forgetting your front door key! I hope you didn’t forget it today – I’m coming round for tea later.

Rob
Ooops! I think I have.

Jiaying
Scatterbrain! See you next time.

Rob
Bye.

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