Let Something 'Pull at Your Heartstrings'
2022-02-13
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2February 14th is Valentine's Day in the United States and other countries.
3It is the day to express love and warm feelings for those important people in our lives.
4So, today we will talk about an expression that is all about deep feelings - to pull at one's heartstrings.
5When something pulls at your heartstrings, it makes you feel strongly.
6It creates a deep well of emotion right in the center of your heart.
7Things that tug at our heartstrings also stir our feelings and emotions.
8They bring them to the surface.
9What kinds of things have this effect on us?
10Well, that depends on who you are.
11If you love a well-told story, a well-written book can pull at your heartstrings.
12A friend of mine loves art.
13Once I saw her crying in front of a painting.
14The colors she said really tugged at her heartstrings.
15People who love movies can have their heartstrings pulled by a good film.
16I love music. So, for me, the right song or even the right notes will pull at my heartstrings.
17But we don't use this expression for all feelings.
18For example, anger is not an emotion that is connected to this expression.
19The feelings that are at play with this expression can be happy or sad.
20Usually those emotions are ones of love, longing or both.
21Sympathy, pity, or compassion are common emotions we think of when we hear the expression "pull at your heartstrings."
22Public aid campaigns and commercials often try to tug at our heartstrings.
23Think of seeing a puppy left out in the cold, or an old married couple who can't pay for needed medication.
24Both of those examples try to tug at your heartstrings and your wallet as well.
25Now, let's talk about some notes on usage.
26The verbs we often use for this expression are pull, pluck, and tug.
27Sometimes you might hear they expression said as "to play on someone's heartstrings."
28But that is a little less common.
29Also, you don't always have to use the preposition "at."
30You can simply say something "tugs the heartstrings."
31And sometimes the word "heartstrings" is used on its own.
32For example, a critic might say a movie "aims for the heartstrings but misses ... hitting the funny bone instead."
33Some word experts say that in medieval times it was thought that "heartstrings" were tissues that supported the heart.
34So, if you pulled them, you controlled the heart and the emotions.
35Now, here is the expression used between two friends.
36Did you see the new children's movie that just came out - The Long Lost Lonely Little Ladybug?
37That's a children's movie? It sounds so ... sad.
38It is. I watched it last night and I cried for hours afterward.
39That sounds awful.
40Oh no, it was just what I needed - a good cry. I'm still thinking about it today.
41 That movie really pulled at my heartstrings.
42I don't mind a good movie that pulls at my heartstrings.
43But it sounds like this movie pulled them right out of your chest. Maybe next time ... watch a comedy!
44And that's all the time we have this Words and Their Stories.
45Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2February 14th is Valentine's Day in the United States and other countries. It is the day to express love and warm feelings for those important people in our lives. 3So, today we will talk about an expression that is all about deep feelings - to pull at one's heartstrings. 4When something pulls at your heartstrings, it makes you feel strongly. It creates a deep well of emotion right in the center of your heart. 5Things that tug at our heartstrings also stir our feelings and emotions. They bring them to the surface. 6What kinds of things have this effect on us? Well, that depends on who you are. 7If you love a well-told story, a well-written book can pull at your heartstrings. A friend of mine loves art. Once I saw her crying in front of a painting. The colors she said really tugged at her heartstrings. People who love movies can have their heartstrings pulled by a good film. I love music. So, for me, the right song or even the right notes will pull at my heartstrings. 8But we don't use this expression for all feelings. For example, anger is not an emotion that is connected to this expression. The feelings that are at play with this expression can be happy or sad. Usually those emotions are ones of love, longing or both. 9Sympathy, pity, or compassion are common emotions we think of when we hear the expression "pull at your heartstrings." 10Public aid campaigns and commercials often try to tug at our heartstrings. Think of seeing a puppy left out in the cold, or an old married couple who can't pay for needed medication. Both of those examples try to tug at your heartstrings and your wallet as well. 11Now, let's talk about some notes on usage. 12The verbs we often use for this expression are pull, pluck, and tug. Sometimes you might hear they expression said as "to play on someone's heartstrings." But that is a little less common. 13Also, you don't always have to use the preposition "at." You can simply say something "tugs the heartstrings." 14And sometimes the word "heartstrings" is used on its own. For example, a critic might say a movie "aims for the heartstrings but misses ... hitting the funny bone instead." 15Some word experts say that in medieval times it was thought that "heartstrings" were tissues that supported the heart. So, if you pulled them, you controlled the heart and the emotions. 16Now, here is the expression used between two friends. 17Did you see the new children's movie that just came out - The Long Lost Lonely Little Ladybug? 18That's a children's movie? It sounds so ... sad. 19It is. I watched it last night and I cried for hours afterward. 20That sounds awful. 21Oh no, it was just what I needed - a good cry. I'm still thinking about it today. That movie really pulled at my heartstrings. 22I don't mind a good movie that pulls at my heartstrings. But it sounds like this movie pulled them right out of your chest. Maybe next time ... watch a comedy! 23And that's all the time we have this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 24Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 25_____________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27tug - v. to pull hard 28stir - v. to cause to arise or take place 29emotion - n. strong feeling (as anger, love, joy, or fear) often accompanied by a physical reaction 30sympathy - n. the feeling that you care about and are sorry about someone else's trouble, grief, misfortune, etc. : a sympathetic feeling 31pity - n. a strong feeling of sadness or sympathy for someone or something 32compassion - n. pity for and a desire to help someone 33funny bone - n. a sense of humor 34comedy - n. an amusing play that has a happy ending : an amusing and often ridiculous event