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Betty's Bright Idea
Betty's Bright Idea

Chapter XI

Cover illustration for Betty's Bright Idea
Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ELDER BREWSTER'S CHRISTMAS SERMON.
Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.
They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.
From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.
Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Betty's Bright Idea

Chapter XI

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ELDER BREWSTER'S CHRISTMAS SERMON.
Line 2
Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.
Line 3
They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.
Line 4
From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.
Line 5
Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.”

Captain noun US /ˈcaptain/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.”

Forward noun US /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

Memories noun US /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

Recollections of past events.

From this reading “Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.”

Remember verb US /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

Rest noun US /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

Ship noun US /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.”

All words in this reading · 93

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

affairs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

alike

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

back-bone

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

backward

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

Bacon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

berry

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

breeding

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

Brewster

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

BREWSTER'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ELDER BREWSTER'S CHRISTMAS SERMON.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

CaptainnounUS /ˈcaptain/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

carols

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

CHRISTMAS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ELDER BREWSTER'S CHRISTMAS SERMON.

commanded

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

company

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

days

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

dearest

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

ELDER

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ELDER BREWSTER'S CHRISTMAS SERMON.

England

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

English

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

Englishman

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

forwardnounUS /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

full

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

gathered

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

grandmothers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

guided

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

heart

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

Heaven

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

holly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

homes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

household

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

Jones

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

knit

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

leaf

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

made

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

man

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

memoriesnounUS /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

Recollections of past events.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

more

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

mothers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

nurses

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

once

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

prickly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

restnounUS /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

ruled

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

SERMON

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ELDER BREWSTER'S CHRISTMAS SERMON.

Shakespeare

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

shipnounUS /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

spiritual

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

spoke

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

stock

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

Sunday

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

sung

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Christmas carols had been sung to them by nurses and mothers and grandmothers; the Christmas holly spoke to them from every berry and prickly leaf, full of dearest household memories.

temporal

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

thousand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

threads

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

untie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Sunday morning found the little company gathered once more on the ship, with nothing to do but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual--homes backward, in old England, and forward, in Heaven.

woman

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were, every man and woman of them, English to the back-bone.

years

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Captain Jones who commanded the ship to Elder Brewster who ruled and guided in spiritual affairs, all alike were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those days Christmas was knit into the heart of every one of them by a thousand threads, which no after years could untie.