🗓️ Idiom: Go Through the Motions (v)
💬 Meaning
- To do something in a mechanical or routine way without real effort or enthusiasm.
- To perform a task only because it’s required, not because you believe in it.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The compliance officer just went through the motions during the audit and missed several major issues.
- Some employees go through the motions of completing training, but they don’t absorb the material.
- The company appeared to follow the rules, but it was clear they were only going through the motions.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from the idea of acting out a sequence of actions (motions) without genuine feeling or engagement. It originally referred to actors miming gestures without meaning, and over time came to describe people doing tasks with no real interest or intent.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
After years in the compliance role, she was just __________ and no longer questioned the process.
Answer
going through the motions
2. Choose the correct meaning of “go through the motions”:
A) To break important rules intentionally
B) To do something without real interest or effort
C) To handle a situation with great care
Answer
B) To do something without real interest or effort
3. Change the sentence using “go through the motions”:
“The team followed the audit checklist, but it was clear they weren’t truly engaged.”
Answer
The team was just went through the motions with the audit checklist.
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