English

Chapter Focus
CONTENT:

To the man who has
conquered the brides
heart and her
mothers.

Marriage customs

BUILDING
language:
Synonyms/adjectives
and adverbs

READING SKILL:

â€" Traditional wedding toast

Inferencing

LANGUAGE revolve around:
Subjunctive verbs

132 Chapter 12 Johns Formosan Wedding
contain READINGS INTERMEDIATE
© Oxford University Press www.oup.com/elt

Chapter

12

Johns
Taiwanese
Wedding

Before You Read
1. The photographs on page 132 ornament scenes from the story you argon
going to read. What is happening in the photographs?
2. In the story, a Taiwanese woman and an American man are going
to reward married. What problems might they corroborate planning their
wedding ceremony?
3. stick out you guess from the title what kind of story it is? Biographical?
autobiographical? Humorous? How do you know?


SELECT READINGS INTERMEDIATE
© Oxford University Press www.oup.com/elt

133

 nurture Passage
J OHNS TAIWANESE WEDDING
by John Felty and bill sticker McDowell

from Hemispheres Magazine
1

5

10

15

20

25

In the spring, Huilings mother pulled me aside and asked, What
exactly are your plans with my daughter?



As I had already discussed
marriage with Huiling, my 24-year-old Taiwanese fiancée, Mrs. Chens
tone didnt fluster 1 me. She was vertical worried that if I, a 29-year-old
American graduate student, didnt have serious marital intentions,2
her family would suffer a great exhalation of face.3 One point that
infuriated4 her was my inability to find a meiren.
I asked some friends about a meiren and learned that its a title
given to the grooms relative who goes to the prospective 5 brides
house to carry out all the touchy 6 negotiations that go into planning a
traditional Chinese wedding. Having a meiren is a little oldfashioned, but it can be useful. As a third party,7 they help save face
during the arguments that inevitably arise all over issues like the dowry
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