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The Water-Babies
The Water-Babies

Chapter V

Cover illustration for The Water-Babies
Context Illustration Reading 1/56 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”
WORDSWORTH, _Ode to Duty_.
[Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?
He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.
But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.
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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.

The Water-Babies

Chapter V

Reading 1/56 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”
Line 2
WORDSWORTH, _Ode to Duty_.
Line 3
[Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?
Line 4
He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.
Line 5
But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.

Learner Dictionary

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

Ancient adjective US /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Anything pronoun US /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.”

Dost auxiliary verb US /dɑːst/

an old form of “do”, used with “thou”

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Duty noun US /ˈduːti/

a responsibility that must be carried out

Fair noun US /fair/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Help noun US /help/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “[Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?”

Thee pronoun US /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Thinking noun US /thinking/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.”

Thou pronoun US /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Thy determiner US /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading ““Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.””

All words in this reading · 72

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

ancientadjectiveUS /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

away

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

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

became

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

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

beds

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

benignant

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

BUTconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

cat

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

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.

Dog

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

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

dostauxiliary verbUS /dɑːst/

an old form of “do”, used with “thou”

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

DutynounUS /ˈduːti/

a responsibility that must be carried out

From this reading WORDSWORTH, _Ode to Duty_.

Ellie

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

From this reading But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.

face

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

fairnounUS /fair/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

Flowers

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

footing

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

fragrance

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

fresh

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

Godhead's

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

grace

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

heavens

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

helpnounUS /help/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

laugh

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

Lawgiver

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

most

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

NorconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.

Ode

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

From this reading WORDSWORTH, _Ode to Duty_.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

off

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

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

Picture

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

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

preserve

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

rocks

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

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

said

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

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

slipped

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

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

smile

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

stars

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

Stern

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

strong

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

thinkingnounUS /thinking/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But he could not help thinking of little Ellie.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading WORDSWORTH, _Ode to Duty_.

Tom

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

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

treads

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

water

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

From this reading He slipped away off the rocks into the water, as I said before.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

wear

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading [Picture: Dog and cat] BUT what became of little Tom?

WORDSWORTH

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

From this reading WORDSWORTH, _Ode to Duty_.

wrong

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

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear The Godhead’s most benignant grace; Nor know we anything so fair As is the smile upon thy face: Flowers laugh before thee on their beds And fragrance in thy footing treads; Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong; And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.”