The audio controls above still work. Interactive translation, saving and practice need JavaScript. You can read the complete transcript and download your study materials below.
Complete English transcript
Martin, why have you opened the same registration page six times?
I am deciding whether to join a weekend storytelling workshop.
You have been deciding for three days.
I know.
I am still on the fence.
Then perhaps you should sleep on it.
I already did.
Twice.
In that case, it may be time to go with your gut and take the plunge.
That is the entire lesson before the introduction.
Then let us slow down and make every expression useful.
Welcome to Your English Toolbox.
I am Martin.
And I am Julia.
Today we are exploring lesson nine of our free Idiom Toolbox course: Decisions.
You can find the course at yourenglishtoolbox.com.
Open the Idioms section and choose lesson nine, Decisions.
You will find a slow dialogue, clear meanings, multilingual support, examples and interactive retrieval practice.
The direct link to this free lesson is also in the episode description.
Let us begin with on the fence.
If you are on the fence, you are unable to decide between two options.
Martin is on the fence about joining the workshop.
I want to go, but I am nervous about telling a story in front of strangers.
We can also say: She is still on the fence about accepting the new job.
Notice the useful pattern: on the fence about something or about doing something.
Learn on the fence as one fixed expression.
It usually describes indecision, not a final refusal.
Exactly.
I have not said no. I simply have not chosen a side.
Our second expression is sleep on it.
To sleep on something means to wait until the next day before making a decision.
Imagine that a company offers you a new position.
You might say: Thank you.
I would like to sleep on it.
It does not mean that you should place the offer under your pillow.
It means that time and rest may help you think more clearly.
You slept on the workshop decision.
Did that solve the problem?
It helped me understand the facts, but the two options still seem equally reasonable.
Then you may need our third expression: go with your gut.
To go with your gut means to trust your instinct when making a decision.
You examine the information, but your final choice comes from an inner feeling.
For example: I compared the two designs and then went with my gut.
The past form is went with your gut.
It does not mean facts are unimportant.
It is useful when you have considered them and no answer is obvious.
Facts first. Instinct when the facts leave you on the fence.
That sounds sensible.
Our final expression is take the plunge.
To take the plunge means to finally make a bold or important decision and act on it.
For example: After years of planning, they took the plunge and opened their own café.
The image is of jumping into deep water.
The decision feels bold, but you commit yourself.
So completing the registration would be taking the plunge.
That part sounds very real.
Let us compare all four idioms.
On the fence means unable to decide between two options.
Sleep on it means wait until the next day before deciding.
Go with your gut means trust your instinct.
And take the plunge means finally make a bold decision and act.
Time for a quick challenge.
Choose the best expression before we answer.
Situation one.
You like two apartments equally and cannot decide which one to rent.
You are on the fence.
Situation two.
You receive an important offer late in the evening and want to answer tomorrow.
You decide to sleep on it.
Situation three.
The advantages are balanced, so you trust your instinct.
You go with your gut.
Situation four.
After months of hesitation, you finally start your own small business.
You take the plunge.
Now complete this sentence about your own life.
I am still on the fence about...
And one more.
One day, I would like to take the plunge and...
Continue with lesson nine in the free Idiom Toolbox course at yourenglishtoolbox.com.
The lesson includes a slow dialogue that you can replay at zero point five or zero point seven five speed.
The direct link is in the episode description.
So, what does your gut say about the storytelling workshop?
It says I should complete the form.
Are you taking the plunge?
Yes.
I have just pressed the registration button.
How do you feel?
Excited.
And slightly terrified.
Then you are no longer on the fence.
No. Now I am fully on the other side of it.
See you next time, friends.
Goodbye.
