Chapter I
Stave I: Marley's Ghost
"Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough." "Come, then," returned the nephew gaily.
A Christmas Carol
Chapter I · Stave I: Marley's Ghost
STAVE I: MARLEY'S GHOST MARLEY was dead: to begin with.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
"Merry
Christmas!
What
right
have
you
to
be
merry?
What
reason
have
you
to
be
merry?
You're
poor
enough."
"Come,
then,"
returned
the
nephew
gaily.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
"Merry
Christmas!
Line 2
What
right
have
you
to
be
merry?
/wʌt right hæv juː tuː biː ˈmeri/
Line 3
What
reason
have
you
to
be
merry?
Line 4
You're
poor
enough."
Line 5
"Come,
then,"
returned
the
nephew
gaily.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
merry
adjective
US /ˈmeri/
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"Merry Christmas!”
Collocations
Merry ChristmasA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
Christmas WhatA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 18
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What right have you to be merry?
Christmas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Merry Christmas!
ComenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Come, then," returned the nephew gaily.
enough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're poor enough."
gaily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Come, then," returned the nephew gaily.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What right have you to be merry?
MerryadjectiveUS /ˈmeri/
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "Merry Christmas!
nephew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Come, then," returned the nephew gaily.
poornounUS /poor/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading You're poor enough."
reason
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What reason have you to be merry?
returnednounUS /ˈreturned/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading "Come, then," returned the nephew gaily.
rightnounUS /right/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading What right have you to be merry?
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Come, then," returned the nephew gaily.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Come, then," returned the nephew gaily.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What right have you to be merry?
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What right have you to be merry?
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What right have you to be merry?
You're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're poor enough."
Chapter Quiz
What is the central narrative or theme conveyed in this section of Stave I: Marley's Ghost?
Which core linguistic virtue or character attribute is emphasized in this passage?
According to the text: "STAVE I: MARLEY'S GHOST...", what tone does the author establish?
Shadowing Practice
Narrator:
STAVE I: MARLEY'S GHOST
Narrator:
is called fancy about him as any man in the city of