Kiss

Vocabulary

1. Affection (n)
/əˈfɛkʃən/: the feeling of caring about someone, of liking someone
Ex: She showed her little brother affection by giving him a hug

2. Adoration (n)
/ˌædəˈreɪʃn/: the feeling of truly loving someone
Ex: The dog stares at its owner with adoration when she comes home from work.

3. Grasp (verb)
/græsp/: to take hold of something
Ex: He desperately grasped the edge with one hand

4. Widespeard (adj)
/ˈwaɪdˈsprɛd/: found or occurring over a large area; common
Ex: Poverty is widespread in many developing nations.

Reading

Did you know that there are over 50 different types of kisses? They all have different meanings, depending on the culture. What seems to be universal is the fact that a kiss is the most common way of showing love, appreciation and affection. Let’s talk about a few types of kisses and what they actually mean.
A Kiss on the Hand

In the old days, this type of a kiss was a sign of respect or adoration. A person would hold out his/her hand, and the person paying respect would grasp it lightly and kiss the back of the hand. Even nowadays, in some traditional communities, this kiss is a way of showing respect to your elders .
An Eskimo Kiss

We all know about this kiss – it is one of the cutest ways to show affection to someone. You will often see a parent rubbing his/her nose against their child’s nose back and forth.
A Kiss on the Cheeks

In some cultures, kissing a friend or a relative on the cheeks is quite a common practice. Usually, this is done when meeting someone or when parting with them. The number of kisses, however, varies from one culture to another. It ranges from only one to even four kisses.
A Kiss on the Lips

There are numerous subcategories of this type of a kiss. However, the message that it generally sends is the one of reassurance and love. In most cultures, this kiss is exclusively for romantic couples. In some cultures, it is considered an inappropriate public display of affection. However, it is still one of the most widespread ways of showing someone you care about them.

To summarize, it is commonly believed that actions speak louder than words. And it is obvious that a kiss can help us express things that we sometimes cannot convey with words.


1. What does the meaning of a kiss depend on?

2. How is the kiss on the hand given?

3. Which kind of a kiss is appropriate for friends, and which one for romantic couples?

Discussion

1. Can a kiss really express how people feel towards each other? Why do you think so?

2. Does a kiss from someone close mean a lot to you? Why?

3. Is kissing in public acceptable in your culture? Why? Why not?

4. Why do you think public displays of affection are not appropriate in some countries?

5. What are some other ways to show your feelings, aside from kissing?