full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Cosmin Mihaiu: Physical therapy is boring -- play a game instead

Unscramble the Blue Letters


When I was growing up, I really liked playing hide-and-seek a lot. One time, though, I tghuoht climbing a tree would lead to a great hidnig spot, but I fell and broke my arm. I actually started first grade with a big cast all over my torso. It was taken off six weeks later, but even then, I couldn't extend my elbow, and I had to do physical thearpy to flex and extend it, 100 times per day, seven days per week. I barely did it, because I found it boinrg and pnaiufl, and as a result, it took me another six weeks to get better.

Many years later, my mom developed ferozn shoulder, which leads to pain and stiffness in the shoulder. The person I beilveed for half of my life to have superpowers suddenly neeedd help to get dessred or to cut food. She went each week to physical therapy, but just like me, she barely followed the home treatment, and it took her over five months to feel better.

Open Cloze


When I was growing up, I really liked playing hide-and-seek a lot. One time, though, I _______ climbing a tree would lead to a great ______ spot, but I fell and broke my arm. I actually started first grade with a big cast all over my torso. It was taken off six weeks later, but even then, I couldn't extend my elbow, and I had to do physical _______ to flex and extend it, 100 times per day, seven days per week. I barely did it, because I found it ______ and _______, and as a result, it took me another six weeks to get better.

Many years later, my mom developed ______ shoulder, which leads to pain and stiffness in the shoulder. The person I ________ for half of my life to have superpowers suddenly ______ help to get _______ or to cut food. She went each week to physical therapy, but just like me, she barely followed the home treatment, and it took her over five months to feel better.

Solution


  1. hiding
  2. therapy
  3. dressed
  4. boring
  5. thought
  6. believed
  7. frozen
  8. painful
  9. needed

Original Text


When I was growing up, I really liked playing hide-and-seek a lot. One time, though, I thought climbing a tree would lead to a great hiding spot, but I fell and broke my arm. I actually started first grade with a big cast all over my torso. It was taken off six weeks later, but even then, I couldn't extend my elbow, and I had to do physical therapy to flex and extend it, 100 times per day, seven days per week. I barely did it, because I found it boring and painful, and as a result, it took me another six weeks to get better.

Many years later, my mom developed frozen shoulder, which leads to pain and stiffness in the shoulder. The person I believed for half of my life to have superpowers suddenly needed help to get dressed or to cut food. She went each week to physical therapy, but just like me, she barely followed the home treatment, and it took her over five months to feel better.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
physical therapist 5
physical therapists 5
physical therapy 2
home version 2


Important Words


  1. arm
  2. barely
  3. believed
  4. big
  5. boring
  6. broke
  7. cast
  8. climbing
  9. cut
  10. day
  11. days
  12. developed
  13. dressed
  14. elbow
  15. extend
  16. feel
  17. fell
  18. flex
  19. food
  20. frozen
  21. grade
  22. great
  23. growing
  24. hiding
  25. home
  26. lead
  27. leads
  28. life
  29. lot
  30. mom
  31. months
  32. needed
  33. pain
  34. painful
  35. person
  36. physical
  37. playing
  38. result
  39. shoulder
  40. spot
  41. started
  42. stiffness
  43. suddenly
  44. superpowers
  45. therapy
  46. thought
  47. time
  48. times
  49. torso
  50. treatment
  51. tree
  52. week
  53. weeks
  54. years