Page 48 - PowerE-L05-C

Lesson 12

Expressing feelings

Do you express your romantic feelings of love or affection?

Or do you keep them bottled up inside, but showing it non-
verbally? Are you the type who writes love letters filled with

yearning emotions? Or do you keep it unsaid expecting your

love to be implied and understood? For many people, it’s im-
portant to show how you feel, to tell it and to talk about it with

your friend, your lover, or your parents. Of course, words with-
out actions are mere noise. Usually, humans are pleased with

the acquaintances’ verbal praise. This is a universal truth. But aren’t words important
too, and wouldn’t they make a great combination with actions? Having been brought

up to be inexpressive, many Koreans find it quite odd to say “I love you” to their loved
ones. Of course, it doesn’t mean that these people are not affectionate, only that they

aren’t vocal about it. I heard this story about a couple married for 20 years. When
they drove in silence, out of the blue, the husband said, “Honey, I love you.” Upon

hearing this for the first time in 20 years, the wife was caught in a sudden surprise

and she hit a tree. The point is, love expressed in words take on a great impact when
said at an unexpected moment, not frequently and predictably. On the other hand, it

doesn’t hurt to say I love you as much as you can. In fact, it can do a world of good.

Comprehension

1. What types of people does the writer mention regarding to expressing
romantic feeling of love?
2. According to the paragraph, when does love have a great impact?

Questions
1. What do you think about expressing feelings?

2. What do you think about expressing anger?
3. What are the merits and demerits when expressing feelings freely?
4. What type of person are you regarding the expressing romantic feeling?

Vocabulary & Expressions

affection : a gentle feeling of love and caring
mere : used to emphasize how small or unimportant something or someone is
vocal : protesting or complaining strongly and loudly about something
impact : the effect or influence that an event
predictable : if the result of something is predictable, you know what it will be before it happens
(adv. predictably)

46