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A Rough Shaking
A Rough Shaking

Chapter IV

Cover illustration for A Rough Shaking
Context Illustration Reading 1/52 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.
Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.
His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.
He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.
Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.
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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.

A Rough Shaking

Chapter IV

Reading 1/52 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.
Line 2
Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.
Line 3
His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.
Line 4
He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.
Line 5
Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.”

Bible noun US /bible/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.”

FIRST noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.”

Neither determiner US /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading “His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.”

Whether conjunction US /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading “His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

accepted

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

better

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

Bible

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

concerning

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

constantly

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

correct

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

DIDauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.

down

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

DRAW

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

From this reading WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.

few

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

FIRSTnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.

five

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

fluently

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

forty

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

God

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

greater

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

handed

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

heart

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

heaven

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

kingdom

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

knew

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

large

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

law

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

lofty

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

man

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

more

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

Mr

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

much

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

obey

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

OUT

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

From this reading WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.

own

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

Porson

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

religion

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

SMILE

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

From this reading WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.

talk

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

theories

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

thousands

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

Thus

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

From this reading Thus he was greater in the kingdom of heaven than thousands that knew more, had better theories about God, and could talk much more fluently concerning religion than he.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

tried

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

From this reading He did what was better: he tried constantly to obey the law of God, whether he found it in the Bible or in his own heart.

trouble

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

WHATpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading WHAT DID DRAW OUT HIS FIRST SMILE.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading His theories of religion were neither large nor lofty; he accepted those that were handed down to him, and did not trouble himself as to whether they were correct.

wife

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

years

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.

younger

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

From this reading Mr. Porson was a man about five and forty; his wife was a few years younger.