I Heard It Through The Grapevine

• By: Marvin Gaye

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
knew /nuː/ A1	verb - past tense of know; to be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information
plans /plænz/ A2	noun - a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something verb - decide on and arrange in advance
blue /bluː/ A1	adjective - sad or depressed
loved /lʌvd/ A1	verb - past tense of love; to have a strong affection for
surprise /sərˈpraɪz/ B1	noun - an unexpected or astonishing event, fact, or thing verb - to affect with wonder or astonishment
heard /hɜːrd/ A1	verb - past tense of hear; perceive with the ear the sound of
grapevine /ˈɡreɪpvaɪn/ B2	noun - the informal transmission of information, rumor, etc., from person to person
lose /luːz/ A2	verb - to be deprived of something
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - shed tears
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - drops of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in the eye as a result of strong emotion
losing /ˈluːzɪŋ/ B1	verb - present participle of lose; being deprived of something
end /end/ A2	verb - to finish or conclude noun - the final part of something
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - accept that (something) is true, especially without proof
confused /kənˈfjuːzd/ B1	adjective - unable to think clearly; bewildered
true /truː/ A1	adjective - in accordance with fact or reality

Grammar:

• I bet you're wondering how I knew

  ➔ Indirect Question after 'wondering'

  ➔ The phrase "how I knew" is an indirect question. Instead of asking "How did I know?", the speaker uses 'wondering' as an introductory clause. Word order in indirect questions follows the subject-verb order, not verb-subject order as in direct questions.

• About your plans to make me blue

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose ('to make me blue')

  ➔ The infinitive "to make me blue" explains the purpose of the "plans". It answers the question, "What are your plans for?" The answer is: To make me sad (blue).

• With some other guy you knew before

  ➔ Relative clause (you knew before)

  ➔ "You knew before" is a relative clause modifying "some other guy". The relative pronoun (that/whom) is omitted.

• Between the two of us guys

  ➔ Preposition 'between' used for two entities

  ➔ The preposition "between" is used to indicate a relationship or comparison involving two entities. In this case, it highlights the speaker and the other man.

• It took me by surprise I must say

  ➔ Parenthetical phrase ('I must say')

  ➔ "I must say" is a parenthetical phrase that adds emphasis or a personal opinion to the statement. It can be removed without affecting the core meaning of the sentence.

• Not much longer would you be mine

  ➔ Inversion (would you be mine) for emphasis

  ➔ Normally, the sentence would be "You would not be mine much longer". The inversion of "would" and "you" emphasizes the impending loss and adds a dramatic effect.

• I know a man ain't supposed to cry

  ➔ Informal contraction ('ain't') and 'supposed to'

  ➔ "Ain't" is a non-standard contraction of "am not", "is not", "are not", "has not", and "have not". "Supposed to" expresses obligation or expectation.

• But these tears i can't hold inside

  ➔ Omission of relative pronoun 'that' or 'which'

  ➔ The full sentence would be 'But these tears that I can't hold inside'. The relative pronoun 'that' which connects the noun 'tears' and the clause 'I can't hold inside' is omitted.