AEE: Avoid Mistakes With These English Adjectives

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: All Ears English
Episode: Avoid Mistakes With These English Adjectives
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Aubrey Carter
Date: December 13, 2025

This episode focuses on helping English learners confidently use a set of emotional adjectives—"heartwarming," "touching," "moving," and "poignant." The hosts break down when and how to use these words, common learner mistakes, and demonstrate their use in conversation. The episode also explores how these adjectives convey personal feelings and help build deeper connections in English interactions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why These Adjectives Matter ([02:30]–[03:18])

• Connection Not Perfection: Sharing what is “heartwarming” or “touching” opens a window into your values, making English conversations richer and more authentic.
  • “Sharing what you find heartwarming or touching is such a great way to connect, because you're talking about what is really meaningful to you.” — Aubrey ([03:06])

Common Learner Mistake ([03:31])

• Learners often say "heart touching" when describing something emotional, but native speakers use "heartwarming" or "touching" instead.
  • “A student said, it's a heart touching story. I can see how this could be a very easy mistake to make... We say heartwarming and we say touching, but we don't say heart touching.” — Aubrey ([03:31])

Detailed Breakdown of Each Adjective

1. Heartwarming ([04:30]–[06:19])

• Definition: Describes something that evokes strong, positive emotions, often warmth or affection.
• Use Cases: Weddings, acts of kindness, uplifting movies or messages.
• Examples:
  • “My friend told me a really heartwarming story about her experience rescuing a dog.” — Aubrey ([05:41])
  • “All those Instagram videos about dogs, rescue dogs… gosh, they're so heartwarming.” — Lindsay ([05:51])
• Memorable Quote:
  • "It's true. They're so nice. I got a heartwarming message from my friend just to say they were thinking of me." — Lindsay ([06:05])

2. Touching ([06:35]–[06:58])

• Definition: Similar to "heartwarming," used for something that deeply moves you emotionally in a positive way.
• Use Cases: Gifts, personal gestures, meaningful videos.
• Examples:
  • “It's touching when my kids give me handmade cards on Mother's Day.” — Aubrey ([06:42])
  • “The tribute video for our teacher was really touching.” — Lindsay ([06:51])
• Insight: Usually interchangeable with "heartwarming"; always positive.

3. Moving ([07:08]–[07:36])

• Definition: Stirring strong feelings, can be positive OR negative depending on context.
• Use Cases: Emotional speeches, tragedy, resilience after disaster.
• Examples:
  • “The life sketch he gave at his mother's funeral was so moving that many people were in tears.” — Aubrey ([07:20])
  • “Seeing the community come together after the storm was incredibly moving.” — Lindsay ([07:31])
• Note: “Moving” is more flexible and can refer to sad or beautiful moments.

4. Poignant ([07:46]–[10:26])

• Definition: Evocative of deep emotion, often mixed with sadness or nostalgia.
• Use Cases: Joyful reunions, memories, tragedies.
• Examples:
  • “It was poignant to see my friend after nearly 30 years.” — Aubrey ([07:46])
  • “After all they had overcome together, it was a poignant moment when the team celebrated their victory.” — Lindsay ([07:56])
• Flexible Usage:
  • “The photograph of the empty playground was poignant. It reminded me of my childhood.” — Aubrey ([09:59])
  • “Those were very poignant photos that marked the moment of what was happening in New York and globally.” — Lindsay ([10:26])
• Key Insight:
  • “Poignant… can also be sadness. It could be negative emotions as well.” — Aubrey ([09:59])

Positive vs Negative Emotions ([10:26]–[11:23])

• "Heartwarming" and "touching" are always positive.
• "Moving" and "poignant" can be used for both positive and negative emotional experiences.
  • “You could say it was moving to see the images after the hurricane, so many people had lost their homes. Here you could use poignant or moving… can be about positive emotions or negative.” — Aubrey ([11:05])

Practical Role Play: Bringing Adjectives Into Conversation ([11:30]–[13:56])

Role Play Example:
At a charity event after a presentation:

• Aubrey: “That presentation was really heartwarming. I loved seeing everything the volunteers have done this year.” ([11:38])
• Lindsay: “I agree. Especially what the kids shared about how the program changed their lives. That was incredibly touching.” ([11:47])
• Aubrey: “Yes. And watching the video montage of the families, it was so moving. Seeing the before and after photos was especially poignant.” ([11:53])

Bonus Vocabulary:

• Montage — A series of images or moments shown quickly, often to convey the passage of time or change. ([12:56])

Lesson Highlight:
Adding intensifiers (“really”, “incredibly”, “especially”) before these adjectives makes them more natural and emotionally expressive.

• “For all of these, it's very native and natural to add an intensifier like that. It almost feels like it's not enough to say that presentation was heartwarming or it was moving..." — Aubrey ([13:57])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Emotional Adjectives and Connection:
  • "This is one of those episodes where we get a skill that does so much more, that says so much more than just words." — Lindsay ([03:18])
• On Mixing Up Idioms:
  • "I mix up my... idioms all the time. Lots of native speakers do this." — Lindsay ([03:52])
• On Funerals and Weddings:
  • “Are you someone that cries at weddings, Aubry?... It's not even about the people. It's about, like, the ceremony and the gravity of it...” — Lindsay ([05:04–05:24])
• On Intensifiers:
  • “I feel like for all of these, it's very native and natural to add an intensifier... It just felt like it needed this cushion of or especially or incredibly.” — Aubrey ([13:57–15:27])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Heartwarming & Touching Adjectives Intro — [03:31]–[06:19]
• Detailed Adjective Breakdown — [06:19]–[07:46]
• Negative Emotions & Flexibility — [09:59]–[11:23]
• Role Play Example — [11:30]–[12:56]
• Explanation of 'Montage' — [12:56]–[13:24]
• Intensifiers in Usage — [13:57]–[15:31]
• Takeaway & Closing Words — [15:40]–[16:11]

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Takeaway

Being able to use emotional adjectives like "heartwarming," "touching," "moving," and "poignant" makes your English more natural and lets you share and connect on a deeper level. Remember:

• "Heartwarming" and "touching" are always positive.
• "Moving" and "poignant" can be both positive and negative, depending on context.
• Use intensifiers like “really,” “incredibly,” or “especially” to make your expression more authentic.
• These words don't just describe events; they offer others a glimpse into what moves you, fostering real connection—core to the All Ears English philosophy of “Connection NOT Perfection.”

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Transcript

[A]

This is the All Ears English Podcast. Avoid mistakes with these English adjectives. Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection with your American hosts, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the Allears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com app.

[B]

What is moving to you? What is heartwarming? When we share this, we share a lot about ourselves. Listen in today to get new ways to say what moves you in English. What does comfort mean to you? For me, comfort is sleeping cool, especially in the summer as it gets super hot where I live in Arizona. No tossing, no turning, just deep, refreshing rest. The Avocado Green Mattress is their best selling certified organic mattress that delivers luxurious comfort, ergonomic back support and naturally cool sleep. Plus it has three comfort options, firm, medium or plush. Comfort is sleeping on organic materials like wool and latex that promote air circulation and moisture wicking without retaining heat. Say goodbye to night sweats. Mother Nature knows best. Better for you and the planet. Head to avocadogreenmattress.com today and check out their mattress and bedding sale. That's a V O C a d o G R E E n M a t T R e S S Avocado Dream of Better.

[A]

Hey there, Aubry. What's shaking?

[B]

I'm great, Lindsay. How are you? Good.

[A]

Feeling good. We're getting into the holidays here. December. Oh my gosh. I can't believe it. Yes.

[B]

No. Speaking of holidays, I have a question for you.

[A]

All right.

[B]

What's the last thing you saw that was heartwarming? I feel like there were a lot of heartwarming moments over the holidays. Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I watched a movie, an old movie, Memoirs of a Geisha, over the weekend. Have you ever seen it?

[B]

Oh, yes, but it's been ages. I remember. Really good movie.

[A]

Yeah. The ending is kind of heartwarming, I would say. But it's also kind of a sad movie at the same time. But it's very culturally interesting. It's a good one. It's a good one.

[B]

Okay. Nice. I love that. I love this adjective. And sharing what you find heartwarming or touching is such a great way to connect because you're talking about what is really meaningful to you.

[A]

Oh My gosh. For sure. This is one of those episodes where we get a skill that does so much more, that says so much more than just words. Like the fact that, like, that movie was touching says more about me than just about that movie, right?

[B]

Yes, exactly. But this was inspired by a student mistake that we saw. When describing a film, a student said, it's a heart touching story. I can totally see how this could be a very easy mistake to make, because we say heartwarming and we say touching, but we don't say heart touching. We're going to get into this vocabulary today. Yeah.

[A]

And to be fair, I mix up my. These aren't really idioms. They kind. Kind of are, I guess. But I m up my idioms all the time.

[B]

You know, it's very easy to do. Lots of native speakers do this. You'll hear on podcasts or the radios. They'll just, like, mix two. This happens all the time.

[A]

All the time. So, guys, hit the follow button right here on the show. If you love Allers English, our goal is to give you skills that help you actually connect, because we know that connection leads to a happier life, and that's the reason we communicate. Right. So that's what we're here for.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. If you see or experience something heartwarming and touch, we want you to have the language skills to connect about that. In English.

[A]

Exactly. All right, so what do we need to know about today's adjectives?

[B]

Yeah. Well, they are for describing something that evokes emotion, often, you know, gentle or affectionate feelings. But really for, like, bigger feelings, you probably wouldn't be like, you know, my son made me toast. It was really heartwarming. That's not quite a big enough feeling. But maybe funerals, weddings, births, movies, like you said, often have very heartwarming messages.

[A]

Or endings or when someone does something really, really kind or thoughtful. Are you someone that cries at weddings, Aubry?

[B]

Yes, I know. You have mentioned you are as well. Yeah, I do. I find it very touching, especially when they share really meaningful vows. Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

It's funny. I'll go into a wedding, be like, oh, this isn't gonna, you know, touch me or. Yeah, whatever. You know, I don't know these people very well or something. And then I'll just be bawling. Yeah.

[B]

Just touched. Yeah.

[A]

It's not even about the people. It's about, like, the ceremony and the gravity of it. Right. Of getting married. Yeah.

[B]

The commitment. There's something about that, you know, sharing your life. And it is heartwarming.

[A]

Absolutely. And that's our first word. Heartwarming.

[B]

Right. So exactly.

[A]

Let's give some examples. All right.

[B]

My friend told me a really heartwarming story about her experience rescuing a dog. So perfect. Right? That's always going to be heartwarming when someone's sharing something like that.

[A]

It's like all those Instagram videos that I get sucked into about dogs, like rescue dogs and a dog rescuing a baby or things like that. Gosh, they're so heartwarming. They kill.

[B]

It's worth it. I'm like, this is going to make my day better. I'm going to watch this. Oh, my gosh.

[A]

It's true. They're so nice. I got a heartwarming message from my friend just to say they were thinking of me. And it can. It can be. I mean, it is for big things, but it can be smaller things, too. It's just the. The level of intensity of how touching was the thing.

[B]

Exactly. Right. So it's not so much that the thing is big, it's that the emotion is big because you can feel really strong emotion from something small like this. Right. You get a note from a friend just to let them know you're thinking about them. That's you're feeling a big emotion. Right, Exactly.

[A]

Exactly. All right. And that leads into the next one. Oh, my gosh. The transitions are just so easy today. Touching is the next one. Aubry. Yes.

[B]

Yeah. So, for example, it's touching when my kids give me handmade cards on Mother's Day. That really is. I love a handmade card. They're cute little drawings. Yeah.

[A]

I'm sure that's a really nice moment. Yeah, absolutely. Or the tribute video for our teacher was really touching.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. So this is very interchangeable with heartwarming. They're always positive. It means meaningful, evoked, positive emotions and then moving.

[A]

Very similar to touching, wouldn't you say?

[B]

Yes, yes. But interestingly, the next two we're going to talk about can also be for negative feelings.

[A]

Yeah, Right.

[B]

So first, moving. It can be positive. For example, the life sketch he gave at his mother's funeral was so moving that many people were in tears.

[A]

Or seeing the community come together after the storm was incredibly moving.

[B]

Yes. But stick around for the next two we're going to share how they can also be about negative things. Okay. And then our last one here is poignant. So it was poignant to see my friend after nearly 30 years, for example. So this can also be positive. That's a positive emotion. Mm.

[A]

Yep. Or after all they had overcome together, it was a poignant moment when the team celebrated their victory. Also pretty positive, right?

[B]

Yes, right. Those are definitely positive. We can say something is poignant when it is meaningful. It's touching, heartwarming. But yeah, we'll talk around, we'll share. These can be negative.

[A]

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[B]

Yeah, so for example, with poignant, you might say the photograph of the empty playground was poignant. It reminded me of my childhood. So you can use poignant, for example, to talk about things that are tragic. Right. You're just saying that it evoked a lot of emotion, but it could be just nostalgia and it could also be sadness. It could be negative emotions as well.

[A]

For sure. Like I remember after, well, in 2008, when there was the crash, there were lots of photos in the newspaper of people walking out of buildings with boxes and plants and having just lost their jobs. Right. Those were very poignant photos that marked the moment of what was happening in New York and globally.

[B]

Right, Right. So this doesn't mean heartwarming. It means like emotional. You know, you could say seeing everyone at my grandmother's funeral was really poignant. So I'm just saying it caused a lot of emotional. It was moving.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Not necessarily positive.

[A]

Yeah. And. Yeah. Any other examples here, Aubrey, that we need to give?

[B]

Yeah. For moving as well. Right. You could say it was moving to see the images after the hurricane, so many people had lost their homes. So here you could use poignant or moving. So it's interesting that these completely dependent on the context can be about positive emotions or negative.

[A]

Right. But heartwarming, touching, not used for.

[B]

Those are always positive. Okay, good to know. Good to know.

[A]

So, Aubry, let's do a role play. So we're at a charity event where we've just seen a film about what the organization accomplished that year.

[B]

So this kind of perfect. I'll start us out. That presentation was really heartwarming. I loved seeing everything the volunteers have done this year.

[A]

I agree. Especially what the kids shared about how the program changed their lives. That was incredibly touching.

[B]

Yes. And watching the video montage of the families, it was so moving. Seeing the before and after photos was especially poignant.

[A]

Nice. Yes. All right, so basically the first one, that presentation was really heartwarming. You're opening up the conversation that way, common way to, you know, once the lights go on and we're going to start socializing, you might start a conversation that way. Right?

[B]

Yeah. And it's interesting because you could also talk about the weather, but this is such a better way to connect. You've both just experienced something touching, heartwarming. Now you have the vocabulary to share that, to share these feelings.

[A]

For sure. For sure. And then what did I say?

[B]

And you were talking about, you know, some kids shared how this program changed their lives. You said that was incredibly touching. So these are positive, this interchangeable. You could also say that was incredibly heartwarming. Yes.

[A]

Good. And then I said. You said watching the video montage of the families, it was so moving. Aubrey, what's a montage? Just as a bonus.

[B]

Yeah. So that's when you see a lot of different pictures or images that they. It goes through really quickly. Someone might be speaking over it, and we'll call that a montage. You'll often see that in a film to show that a lot of time has passed. Little snippets of little things that would happen to. To see time pass. Yeah.

[A]

Or people might make these for funerals or for people's birthdays. Big birthdays. Right. Just music and then photos being flashed on this. Like a. Like a slideshow kind of. But.

[B]

Right. And this. It's interesting because that video montage could have been, you know, scenes after a hurricane, for example, and you could still say it was moving. So. But it could also have been very positive things of people serving others. Right. So this would work for both. Whatever that montage was about. You could call it moving or poignant.

[A]

Love it. And then we did say poignant. Seeing the before and after photos was especially poignant. So, yeah, you can zoom in on something very specific. Right. Make a further comment.

[B]

Good.

[A]

All right.

[B]

So one thing to point out. Notice how in this role play, each of these has an intensifier. Right. We said really heartwarming. Incredibly touching. So moving and especially poignant. And this is interesting because as I wrote the role play, I was trying to leave these out just to switch it up, and it felt strange to me. So I feel like for all of these, it's very native and natural to add an intensifier like that. It almost feels like it's not enough to say that presentation was heartwarming or it was moving. We almost always add an intensifier before. Interesting.

[A]

Yeah, that's really interesting. I wouldn't have noticed that, but I'm glad you pointed that out. I wonder why that is, that we. We feel like we have to do that.

[B]

It's true. I almost feel like because we're trying to convey these big emotions, it's almost not enough alone. It was. It was heartwarming. I'm like, I. To give it a little more. It was really heartwarming.

[A]

Yeah. That or maybe also, you know, when we're sharing something that touches us, it's sharing something about our minds. So maybe we feel like we need to add more words. I don't know, be a little less direct. I don't know. Interesting.

[B]

I thought about this for a bit though, because I'm like, I could. Couldn't I just say, you know, seeing the before and after photos was poignant and it just felt like it wasn't enough. It sort of felt too blunt, almost like a little bit hard. It just felt. Felt like it needed this cushion of or especially or incredibly. I feel like I hear it that way the most often. And so it felt strange to not have them there.

[A]

I think emotion oriented words do need some kind of cushion.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So having an intensifier, I think that's it. Love it. Really good observation there. I love that. So, Aubrey, what's our takeaway for today?

[B]

Well, sharing what you find moving and poignant is one of the best ways to connect in English. So now you have the phrases to do this, to share what you find meaningful. To ask others about what they find meaningful.

[A]

All right, good stuff guys. If you like our style, make sure you go ahead and hit the follow button right here on the podcast player so you don't miss a single episode and so that Allers English will drop right into your listening library so we'll be part of your day five days a week. All right.

[B]

Good stem. Thanks Lindsay. Great episode today.

[A]

Take care.

[B]

Bye bye.

[A]

Thanks for listening to all ears English Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com fluencyscore and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

[C]

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[D]

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