Chapter XXVII
“How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
Middlemarch
Chapter XXVII
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1 / 5
“How
happy
is
he
born
and
taught
That
serveth
not
another’s
will;
Whose
armor
is
his
honest
thought,
And
simple
truth
his
only
skill!
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
“How
happy
is
he
born
and
taught
That
serveth
not
another’s
will;
Whose
armor
is
his
honest
thought,
And
simple
truth
his
only
skill!
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Born
noun
US /born/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!”
Honest
adjective
US /ˈɑnɪst/
truthful and trustworthy
From this reading ““How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!”
Thought
noun
US /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!”
Whose
determiner
US /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading ““How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!”
All words in this reading · 21
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
another's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
armor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
bornnounUS /born/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
happy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
honestadjectiveUS /ˈɑnɪst/
truthful and trustworthy
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
only
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
serveth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
simple
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
skill
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
taught
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
truth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
WhosedeterminerUS /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his only skill!