The English We Speak: Tug at the heartstrings

Learning English Conversations

BBC

Education, Language Learning

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2024

⏱️ 3 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Here's an expression for when something makes you feel strong emotions. [Image: Getty] Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2024/ep-240909

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to the English we speak where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers
0:06.9	so that you can use them too. I'm Faye Fayfei and I'm joined by Georgie.
0:10.9	Hi Faye how are you doing? I'm well thank Georgie. Hi Faye, how are you doing?
0:13.0	I'm well, thank you.
0:14.0	What about you?
0:15.0	I actually feel quite emotional, Faye.
0:18.0	This morning I watched a video about a man who was reunited with his pet dog after it had been missing for three weeks.
0:25.3	It was a beautiful story.
0:26.6	It really tugged at my heartstrings.
0:28.3	Oh, how sweet.
0:30.6	Now you set the story tucked at your heart strings and that's the phrase we're looking at in this program
0:38.1	Tuck or pull at the heart strings means that something brings out strong emotions.
0:44.1	That's right, but particularly emotions you might associate with the heart.
0:48.8	Things like love, compassion, sympathy or sadness.
0:52.3	So imagine something literally pulling on the nerves or
0:56.1	strings attached to the heart. Faye, when was the last time something pulled at your
1:00.8	heartstrings? Recently I've been following this soap on TV and the two main characters really want to be with each other and they've overcome a lot of difficulties and we, the audience audience really wanted them to be together as well but in the end they still
1:17.4	couldn't be with each other it really tucked at my heartstrings oh I it did. Let's hear more examples from our BBC Learning English
1:26.2	colleagues.
1:27.0	I saw my niece perform a song from a musical and it really tugged on my heartstrings.
1:35.0	So my friend has just got a puppy and he is so cute.
1:40.0	He was really tugging at my heartstrings.
	...

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