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  • Do dogs cry happy tears?

  • This is News Review from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

  • And I'm Beth.

  • Make sure you watch to the end to learn vocabulary to talk about crying.

  • Don't forget to subscribe to our channel, like this video, and try the quiz on our website.

  • Now, more about our story.

  • Tears of joy... from a dog?

  • Researchers from Japan say the pets cry happy tears when they see their owners.

  • Dogs often cry to clear their eyes, but it's the first time that their tears have been linked to emotions.

  • It's thought the tears might make the relationship between dogs and humans stronger.

  • You've been looking at the headlines, Beth. What is the vocabulary?

  • We have 'teary-eyed', 'well up' and 'shed'.

  • This is News Review from BBC Learning English.

  • Let's have a look at our first headline.

  • This one comes from RTE: You're crying! Study shows dogs get tear-eyed when they reunite with owners

  • So this headline is saying that dogs get teary-eyed when they reunite with their owners, and 'reunite' means 'meet again, usually after a while'.

  • But we're looking at the word 'teary-eyed' here.

  • And I'm sure you all know what tears arethe water that falls when you cry, usually because you're sad, but sometimes, also, when you're very happy.

  • Yes, and tears here are things, they are nouns, but in this headline 'teary-eyed' is used to describe something.

  • Yes, and 'teary-eyed' is an adjective.

  • It describes someone or something, like in this story, which is crying or is likely to cry.

  • So, Beth, in what situation do we use 'teary-eyed'?

  • Well, any in which there are strong emotions.

  • So, Neil, have you been to a wedding at all recently?

  • Oh, yes. I love a good wedding.

  • You can see the father of the bride teary-eyed making an emotional speech.

  • And we can see there that expression 'teary-eyed' is not just used for sadness.

  • Yeah. That's right. It's used for both tears of joy and tears of sadness.

  • You know what? Whenever I have to say goodbye to my mum's dog, I get really teary-eyed.

  • You must really love him, then?

  • No, I can't stand him. It's tears of joy.

  • Let's have a look at that again.

  • Let's have a look at our next headline.

  • This one comes from CNN: Dog's eyes well up with tears of joy when reunited with their owners

  • So we can see that expression 'tears of joy' again, which means 'happy crying', but we are going to learn 'well up'.

  • Now, a well is a big hole outside that you can get water from.

  • Yes. That is exactly what a well is, and it is a very useful way to think about this phrasal verb 'well up'.

  • Now, what happens Neil, if you bring too much water to the surface of a well?

  • If you bring too much water to the surface, it spills it flows over.

  • Exactly. So, imagine that your eyes are like a well. So, if you well up

  • Yes, it means the water, the tears in your eyes, would flow. You would cry.

  • Exactly. And that is what the headline is saying.

  • So, dogs are welling up when they see their owners.

  • The dogs are going to cry. And 'welling up' is also used to describe a feeling.

  • If you're getting emotional, or you're about to cry.

  • Imagine you're watching a really sad film, and you get to that really sad section, and you feel yourself welling up.

  • Well, control your emotions, please, Beth, we've still got more vocabulary to teach.

  • Let's have a look at that again.

  • Next headline, please, Beth.

  • This is from the Daily Mail: They call it puppy love! Dog shed tears of joy when reunited with their owners

  • So, once again, we see that expression 'tears of joy', and the word 'reunite' meaning 'meet again after a while', but we are interested in the word 'shed'.

  • Now, this is easy, Beth. I know what a shed is.

  • It's like a little house, often in a garden, where you keep tools, bicycles, that kind of thing.

  • Well, yes. That is a shed, but here in the headline, it's used completely differently.

  • Even though it does have the same spelling and pronunciation as the little house in your garden.

  • OK. Yes, it's used to talk about releasing or letting something go. But tell us more.

  • Well, yeah. You're right.

  • So, it's a verb, and we use it to talk about something becoming separate from something else that it was attached to. Neil, do you like snakes?

  • No, not really, but I know why you asked me the question because a snake sheds its skin.

  • It means the skin falls off, and we're talking a lot about dogs today, dogs shed their fur.

  • It comes out everywhere. It covers you.

  • Yeah. That's right.

  • And we also use 'shed' with tears. So 'to shed tears' just means 'to cry'.

  • So, if he or she sheds tears, then they are crying.

  • Right. Well, I'm getting a little emotional here.

  • So, before we all start shedding tears, let's get a summary.

  • We've had 'teary-eyed' — describes someone or a dog who's crying, or about to cry.

  • 'Well up' — Are you watching a sad film? Because this might happen to you.

  • And 'shed' — separate from something. In this case, tears come from the eyes.

  • Don't forget there is a quiz on a website, bbclearningenglish.com.

  • Thank you for joining us, and goodbye.

  • Bye.

Do dogs cry happy tears?

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