The descriptive qualitative method was used to explore the use of expressive speech acts in Senior High School learners' interviews. It is anchored in the Speech Act theory and Fairclough’s CDA framework was used in the analysis of this study. The linguistic features used by the interactants were compound sentences and the simple present tense. Verbs most likely to appear are to be verbs. The functions present in expressive speech acts are complimenting, lamenting, apologizing, deploring, and praising. The ideologies in the discourse reveal that the pandemic and the online setup are seen as having dominant control over their learning situation. The internet connection is seen as a force that limits their learning. The interactants feel that the situation is temporary. Even so, the interactants desire to connect with their teachers and classmates. They also feel sympathy for their teachers in their roles during the online learning setup.