The Way You Do The Things You Do – English Lyrics

• By: The Temptations
• Album: Meet The Temptations

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the infectious rhythm and clever wordplay of "The Way You Do The Things You Do" by The Temptations! This iconic Motown track is a fantastic resource for English language learners due to its repetitive and rhyming lyrical structure, making new vocabulary and sentence patterns easy to grasp. The song's abundant use of simple yet vivid metaphors offers a fun way to explore descriptive language and idiomatic expressions. You'll also encounter natural spoken English rhythms through the song's emphasis and reduction of words, perfect for improving your pronunciation and listening comprehension. Learn English with the timeless charm of The Temptations!

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - a facial expression indicating pleasure or amusement verb - to have or put on a smile
bright /braɪt/ B1	adjective - giving out or reflecting a lot of light; shining
candle /ˈkændl/ A2	noun - a stick of wax with a wick in the middle, which produces light when it burns
tight /taɪt/ A2	adjective - held or fastened firmly or closely
handle /ˈhændl/ A2	noun - a part of something that is designed to be held by your hand
sweet /swiːt/ A1	adjective - having a pleasant taste like that of sugar
perfume /ˈpɜːrfjuːm/ B1	noun - a fragrant liquid typically made from essential oils extracted from flowers and spices
pretty /ˈprɪti/ A2	adjective - attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful
flower /ˈflaʊər/ A1	noun - the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs surrounded by brightly colored petals
steal /stiːl/ B1	verb - to take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation
cool /kuːl/ A2	adjective - fashionable or attractive
smart /smɑːrt/ A2	adjective - intelligent
rich /rɪtʃ/ B1	adjective - having a great deal of money or assets
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes
honey /ˈhʌni/ A2	noun - a sweet, viscous fluid produced by bees from the nectar of flowers
complete /kəmˈpliːt/ B1	adjective - having all the necessary or appropriate parts.

Key Grammar Structures

• You've got a smile so bright

  ➔ Present Perfect Simple (contracted)

  ➔ "You've got" is a contraction of "You have got". While "have got" and "have" are often interchangeable, "have got" emphasizes possession or a state. "So bright" is an adverb modifying the adjective "bright", expressing degree.

• You know you could have been a candle

  ➔ Modal Verb + Perfect Infinitive (could have been)

  ➔ "Could have been" expresses a possibility in the past that did not happen. It implies that the person had the potential to be a candle, but is not one now.

• I'm holding you so tight

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ "I'm holding" describes an action that is happening at the moment of speaking. "So tight" is an adverbial phrase modifying the verb "holding", showing the degree of tightness.

• The way you swept me off my feet

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ "Swept" is the past tense of "sweep." The phrase "swept me off my feet" is an idiom meaning to make someone fall in love quickly and intensely. The entire phrase acts as a noun phrase in the larger sentence.

• As pretty as you are

  ➔ As...as Comparison

  ➔ This construction compares the degree of the adjective "pretty". It indicates that the person is very pretty and sets up a comparison to something else.

• If your good looks were some minutes

  ➔ Second Conditional (Hypothetical)

  ➔ This is the "if + simple past, would + infinitive" structure. It describes a hypothetical situation that is unlikely or contrary to fact. The speaker imagines a world where the person's good looks could be measured in minutes.

• You know that you could be an hour

  ➔ Modal Verb + Base Form

  ➔ "Could be" indicates a possibility or potential. In this context, it suggests the person's good looks are so powerful that they could fill an entire hour (as opposed to mere minutes).