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Chapter XVI
We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves. Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English. We age quickly in Ireland with the whiskey and the broken heads. The Irish leaders cannot fight. They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “We age quickly in Ireland with the whiskey and the broken heads.”
one or the other of two
From this reading “We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.”
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading “We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.”
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We age quickly in Ireland with the whiskey and the broken heads.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading We age quickly in Ireland with the whiskey and the broken heads.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Irish leaders cannot fight.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
one or the other of two
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Irish leaders cannot fight.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We age quickly in Ireland with the whiskey and the broken heads.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We age quickly in Ireland with the whiskey and the broken heads.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Irish leaders cannot fight.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We age quickly in Ireland with the whiskey and the broken heads.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They can make the country ungovernable, and keep an English army occupied in watching them.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading We Irish must either laugh or cry, and if we went in for crying, we should all hang ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We age quickly in Ireland with the whiskey and the broken heads.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Too close a union with the Irish had produced degeneracy both of character and creed in all the settlements of English.
