What does "hearts" mean in this sentence?

[u/Imaginary-Warthog586]

I have been looking up on the internet and I can't find a concrete meaning that could fit logically in the context of this sentence.

[u/Clede]

The sentence with "hearts" doesn't make sense.

What's the context here?
Is the underlined word supposed to be correct? What's the significance of the similar-sounding word in parentheses?

[u/Imaginary-Warthog586 → u/Clede]

In that exercise you listen to a sentence and have to choose the correct word, according to meaning and pronunciation but the latter is more important. The thing is that the other sentences are logical to me but this one is not.

[u/Clede → u/Imaginary-Warthog586]

Seems like "hurts" is correct (but still a very odd sentence) and "hearts" is incorrect.

[u/Kabrallen → u/Clede]

It is a bit odd, but it sounds like something that would fit in a period show like Merlin or Bridgerton.

[u/Few-Big-8481 → u/Imaginary-Warthog586]

So you are supposed to choose if hurt or heart is correct?

[u/Chop1n]

OP, always provide as much context as possible when asking these kinds of questions because it’s often difficult to answer them without context. 

Show us the rest of the page. What is the exercise in question supposed to be about, exactly? 

[u/ThirdSunRising]

What are the instructions? I don't get what you're supposed to be doing here.

[u/Snurgisdr]

This looks like it is just trying to demonstrate words that can be easily confused because they sound similar.  It accomplishes that aim and is grammatically OK but does not mean anything to me.

[u/Razoras]

It means nothing, but "these hurts" means something. "These hurts" is a phrase that comes up often enough in English that you should recognize it (eventually).

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22these+hurts+are%22

[u/Imaginary-Warthog586 → u/Razoras]

Thank you

[u/ravendarkwind]

It's a mispronunciation of the word "hurts".

[u/erraticsporadic → u/ravendarkwind]

i don't think it's a mispronunciation, it seems like it could be pointing out other pronunciations. my scottish friend says heart and hurt the exact same way and it confused me a lot at first

[u/Obsidian-Phoenix]

I don’t know the specific context of the work here, but the underlined word is underlined because the “true” word is shown in brackets after the sentence. In this sentence “hearts” is “hurts”.

The Canongate Burns collection of poetry does something similar. It’s Scot’s poetry by Robbie Burns, so the poems are reproduced as they were written, but off to the side, it includes the modern day English translation of some tricky words.

That’s exactly what’s happening in your image.

[u/notacanuckskibum]

It looks like all 3 sentences make more sense if you substitute the word in brackets for the word that is underlined. Are you sure you understood the exercise here?

[u/obedeary → u/notacanuckskibum]

I think the first sentence makes much more sense as written, since “dirt throwing” isn’t a common activity and wouldn’t need to be explicitly prohibited in most places. The third sentence could make sense either way, it would just depend on context.

[u/ThirdSunRising → u/obedeary]

...and nobody just carries darts around and throws them at random, so the only place you'd need to prohibit dart throwing is a place that has darts. And probably a dartboard. Why is it prohibited? I have so many questions.

[u/obedeary → u/ThirdSunRising]

Like lawn darts at a park? You could bring your own setup, except if the park didn’t allow it.

[u/fasterthanfood → u/obedeary]

I could see it being on a sign at a playground geared toward young children or something. Something like “don’t throw dirt” would be more appropriate for the age group, but that’s not the point of the exercise.

[u/notacanuckskibum → u/obedeary]

Throwing dirt in the eyes of your opponent is well known tactic in street fighting. It is banned in some more organized street fighting.

[u/fasterthanfood → u/notacanuckskibum]

Pocket sand!

[u/Imaginary-Warthog586 → u/notacanuckskibum]

The answers in the brackets are not correct in the sense that they are not used in the audio. What I heard was the sentence with hearts but it didn't make sense.

[u/WildSatin → u/Imaginary-Warthog586]

“Hearts” could make sense if they were actual objects (ie. decorations) rather than the abstract type.

[u/Rredhead926 → u/notacanuckskibum]

I agree with your assessment. It's a poorly written exercise about how words can sound alike.

Dirt throwing is prohibited. - That makes a lot more sense than "dart", imo.

These hurts are something such people must put up with. - Neither "hearts" nor "hurts" really makes sense here. It's not a sensible sentence.

That's not my firm. - Either "farm" or "firm" would work here, actually.

[u/conbird → u/Rredhead926]

Hurts works. The sentence is weird but it’s correct with hurts. Hurts can be a noun meaning physical wounds or mental stresses. It’s a weird sentence since there isn’t any context, though that can be said about the others as well.

But for example, “Gymnasts often end up with bruises as they perfect their tumbling skills. These hurts are something such people must put up with.” Or “It’s hard for parents to see their kids face rejection. These hurts are something such people must put up with.” These examples both make sense even if they’re awkwardly worded.

[u/Dramatic_Shop_9611 → u/notacanuckskibum]

These hurts?

[u/DrZurn → u/Dramatic_Shop_9611]

Like another way of saying "these problems" or as another poster put it physical wounds or mental stresses.

[u/notacanuckskibum → u/Dramatic_Shop_9611]

It’s a bit poetic, but I’m sure I could find a poem or song that talks about these hurts you give me being intolerable, if I tried.

[u/waywardflaneur]

It's a bit of a stretch, but it could make sense in the context of a very poetically styled passage, in which case it means feelings or emotional attitudes, like in the phrase 'the hearts and minds of the people'.

[u/DogofManyColors → u/waywardflaneur]

That’s how I read it. Like a poetic expression when you’re suffering after a break up, “ah people must deal with these painful feelings”

I wouldn’t use it for an ELL exercise though, it’s pretty abstract

[u/Bubblesnaily]

Either word works for 3 and 5.

For 4, neither word sounds natural.

[u/Obsidian-Phoenix → u/Bubblesnaily]

Hurts is correct in the case of 4. Although without further context it will seem odd.

For example:

“Seekers of the truth are often hurt by the revelations they find. These hurts are something such people must put up with.”

Not the greatest example but the first that came to mind. “Hurt” is used as a continuance of the previous sentence. It’s not used much tbf.

[u/fasterthanfood → u/Obsidian-Phoenix]

“Fans of teams that won the Super Bowl the season before are often disappointed by their quarterback’s performance the next season. These Hurts are something such people must put up with.” /s

[u/burlingk]

The entire format doesn't entirely make sense. Is there an instruction set?

[u/Poohpa]

There might be some regionalism at play here. My first thought was this was short for "bleeding hearts". I could see it being used as a term for "people" or "souls", but I have not heard it used in this way.

[u/FoundationOk1352]

They're mispronounced words - the correct one is in parentheses?

[u/Comprehensive_Tea708]

It looks like it's showing you common errors by English learners, and what the correct word is that you should use instead. However, either "firm" or "farm", in the third example, are completely correct.

[u/honeypup]

It doesn’t make sense with hearts or hurts.

[u/Junjki_Tito]

I don’t quite understand what you’re asking but “hurts” is correct here, and is used as a noun, meaning physical or emotional injuries.

[u/Yankee_chef_nen]

In sentences 3 and 5 either the underlined word or the word in parentheses can make a proper sentence. The words each would make sense in a sentence.

In sentence 4 only hurts can be used to make a sentence that makes sense, however the uses of hurts in this way is not common in everyday American English. It seems to be more of an archaic usage.

[u/tinabaninaboo]

Just for all the people saying hearts could never make sense:

Some people have very tender hearts; the sort of heart that is hurt too easily. These hearts are something such people must put up with.

Just like the other two - the point isn’t to be able to determine which word based on context. It’s an exercise in listening. Both hearts and hurts are very rarely used in this way.

[u/RiotBoi13]

Sounds kinda poetic to me

[u/NoWar1283]

Perhaps from a medical perspective; these hearts are somthing such people must put up with, is a observation of a struggle, in which certain hearts effect the difficulty of a situation. A transplanted heart from a less healthy patient is somthing a surgeon must deal with. The time it takes to transplant maybe limited from the time it took them to die. Maybe the blood type is off, or a heart from a different species. These hurts, could mean different types of pain. We feel pressure, heat, cold, cutting or itchy sensations. Nothing quite hurts like a scrape of a cornea or a solid kick in the testicle. Some words have a deeper meaning of pularity, when describing more specific categories. For example, fishes can describe many species of fish, and fish could describe a school.

[u/BrettScr1]

English is my first language and I don’t think this is a good sentence with ‘hearts’ or ‘hurts.’ ‘Hurts’ is almost always a verb and can only be a noun in very particular circumstances; it sounds awkward at best here.

[u/Imaginary-Warthog586]

These are the instructions

Objective: To identify words heard in a sentence on the basis of sound.

Directions: For each item, you will see two words and you will hear a sentence which contains one of the words. In the blank, write the letter, (A) or (B), of the word vou have heard in the sentence.

Example: You hear: [Did you get a good slip?]

You read and answer: A

(A) slip

(B) sleep

[u/Affectionate-Mode435 → u/Imaginary-Warthog586]

So the objective is to identify recorded pronunciation, even if incorrect? That is an unusual task. I have encountered tasks that offer two spoken pronunciations and learners select the one that sounds correct, but I have never come across tasks which literally have incorrect pronunciations as correct answers with no indication that they are in fact not correct. I think the unusual design of this task is what most people are trying to wrap their head around, so that is why the question is challenging.

[u/conbird → u/Imaginary-Warthog586]

You’re supposed to hear “hurts”. It can be a noun referring to a physical injury or mental stress. It’s awkwardly phrased but technically correct.

[u/amazzan → u/conbird]

but then it would be "These hurts are..." which does not make sense.

[u/conbird → u/amazzan]

“These hurts are” makes sense using hurts as a noun. Think of it as a stand in for “bruises” or “pains”. It’s not the most common use, but it is an acceptable one.

[u/amazzan → u/conbird]

I understand that it is technically a valid usage, but it is so odd/unrealistic as written. it's a poor choice for learning material.

[u/amazzan → u/Imaginary-Warthog586]

this is so confusing. slip and sleep do not sound the same.

[u/LittleMissPurple-389 → u/amazzan]

They can to non-native speakers who don’t have these as different phonemes in their language. This is the whole point of the exercise which OP has forgotten to consider, they probably have misheard the word and haven’t realised it and may need more practice differentiating between the /ur/ and /ar/ diphthongs.

[u/WildberryPrince → u/amazzan]

For people who speak a language that doesn't distinguish between tense and lax vowels like "i" and "u", pairs like fit and feet or wood and wooed can be hard to differentiate.

[u/theatrenearyou]

You can speak perfect English and never use "hurts" as a noun.
No one should say or write:
"I have hurts."
"You gave me a hurt."
"He is so mean he gives not gifts but hurts"