[ti:Heart to Heart] [ar:Faith Lapidus] [al:WORDS AND THEIR STORIES] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Go to 51voa.com for more... [00:10.16]Now, the VOA [00:12.95]Special English program [00:15.04]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. [00:17.88]Each week, this program [00:19.93]explains the many meanings [00:22.17]of English expressions. [00:23.96]Today's expressions [00:25.87]include a very important [00:27.91]word ¨C heart. [00:29.95]We will try to get [00:31.69]to the heart of the matter [00:33.33]to better understand [00:35.22]the most important things [00:37.46]about words and their stories. [00:39.80]So take heart. [00:41.94]Have no fear about learning [00:44.78]new expressions. [00:45.81]Besides, popular English words [00:48.98]can be fun. [00:50.37]There is no need [00:52.11]for a heavy heart. [00:54.10]Such feelings of sadness [00:56.09]would only break my heart, [00:58.53]or make me feel unhappy [01:01.22]and hopeless. [01:02.56]Now, let us suppose you [01:06.29]and I were speaking freely [01:08.04]about something private. [01:10.47]We would be having a heart [01:12.57]to heart discussion. [01:13.86]I might speak from [01:16.41]the bottom of my heart, [01:17.60]or say things honestly [01:19.94]and truthfully. [01:21.48]I might even open up [01:23.72]my heart to you [01:24.82]and tell a secret. [01:26.76]I would speak [01:28.10]with all my heart, [01:29.89]or with great feeling. [01:32.53]When a person shares [01:35.82]her feelings freely [01:37.56]and openly like this, [01:39.55]you might say she wears [01:42.14]her heart on her sleeve, [01:44.18]or on her clothing. [01:45.67]Her emotions are [01:47.96]not protected. [01:49.06]If we had an honest discussion, [01:52.94]both of us would know [01:55.23]that the other person's heart [01:57.52]is in the right place. [01:59.51]For example, I would know [02:03.10]that you are a kind-hearted [02:05.88]and well-meaning person. [02:08.12]And, if you are [02:09.97]a very good person, [02:11.52]I would even say that [02:14.30]you have a heart of gold. [02:17.09]However, you might have [02:19.58]a change of heart based [02:21.87]on what I tell you. [02:23.46]Our discussion might cause you [02:26.75]to change the way [02:28.19]you feel about something. [02:29.63]But, let us suppose you [02:34.31]get angry over what I tell you. [02:36.80]Or worse, you feel no sympathy [02:40.53]or understanding for me [02:42.52]or my situation. [02:44.26]If this happens, [02:46.05]I might think that you [02:48.74]have a heart of stone. [02:50.48]And, if you say something [02:53.68]to make me frightened [02:55.67]or worried, my heart might [02:58.11]stand still or skip a beat. [03:00.55]Yet, even though you may be angry, [03:05.32]I would know that at heart, [03:07.92]you are a kind person. [03:10.36]In reality, you do care. [03:13.51]And any argument between us [03:16.59]would not cause me to lose heart [03:19.48]or feel a sense of loss. [03:21.92]My heart goes out to anyone [03:25.45]who loses a friend [03:26.99]over an argument. [03:28.93]It really is a sad situation, [03:32.07]and I feel sympathy [03:34.26]for the people involved. [03:35.85]I promise that what [03:38.90]I have told you today [03:40.24]is true ¨C cross my heart. [03:42.73]I really wanted [03:44.87]to play some music [03:46.36]at the end of this feature. [03:48.00]In fact, I had my heart [03:50.75]set on it. [03:51.80]So here it is, [03:53.84]"Don't Go Breaking my Heart" [03:56.27]by Elton John. [03:58.12](MUSIC) [04:31.71]This VOA Special English program, [04:34.34]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, [04:36.43]was written by Jill Moss. [04:38.67]I'm Faith Lapidus.