Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson

Chapter I

Cover illustration for Samuel Johnson
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.
His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.
He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.
The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.
He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Samuel Johnson

Chapter I

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.
Line 2
His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.
Line 3
He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.
Line 4
The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.
Line 5
He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.”

Born noun US /born/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.”

Prosperous adjective US /ˈprɑspərəs/

successful and without serious problems

From this reading “His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.”

Themselves pronoun US /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading “The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.”

All words in this reading · 75

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

1709

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

From this reading Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

Birmingham

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

birth

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

bookseller

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

bookstall

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

bornnounUS /born/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

cathedral

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

Churchman

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

class

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

clergy

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

county

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

devoted

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

difficulty

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

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

dynasty

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

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

exaggerates

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

exiled

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

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

father

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

High

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

highly

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.

including

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

Johnson

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

From this reading Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.

Lichfield

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

From this reading Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.

magistrate

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

maintain

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

many

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

market-days

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

Michael

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

more

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

neighbouring

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

oaths

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

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

often

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

opened

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

prejudices

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

probably

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

prosperousadjectiveUS /ˈprɑspərəs/

successful and without serious problems

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

reconciled

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

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

respected

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

Samuel

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

From this reading Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.

separate

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

sheriff

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

son's

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

sufficiently

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

supplies

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

taking

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

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

Tory

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

town

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

towns

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

tradesman

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

unable

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

wants

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

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading The tradesman often exaggerates the prejudices of the class whose wants he supplies, and Michael Johnson was probably a more devoted High Churchman and Tory than many of the cathedral clergy themselves.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He reconciled himself with difficulty to taking the oaths against the exiled dynasty.

year

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

From this reading His father, Michael Johnson, was a bookseller, highly respected by the cathedral clergy, and for a time sufficiently prosperous to be a magistrate of the town, and, in the year of his son's birth, sheriff of the county.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading He opened a bookstall on market-days at neighbouring towns, including Birmingham, which was as yet unable to maintain a separate bookseller.