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The Armourer's Prentices
The Armourer's Prentices

Chapter X · Two Vocations

Cover illustration for The Armourer's Prentices
Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”
Longfellow.
Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.
They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.
Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.
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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 Armourer's Prentices

Chapter X · Two Vocations

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”
Line 2
Longfellow.
Line 3
Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.
Line 4
They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.
Line 5
Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

Learner Dictionary

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

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.”

Dragon noun US /ˈdræɡən/

a mythical or imagined creature shaped like a large reptile

From this reading “Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading ““The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.””

However adverb US /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading “They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.”

Whether conjunction US /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading “Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.”

All words in this reading · 78

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 “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

affairs

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

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

Ambrose

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

Areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

arms

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

bands

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

brawny

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

clang

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

commendation

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

court

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

day

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

DragonnounUS /ˈdræɡən/

a mythical or imagined creature shaped like a large reptile

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

effigy

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

employed

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

ex

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

executing

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

grind-stones

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

hammers

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

hand

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

iron

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

large

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

Longfellow

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

From this reading Longfellow.

man

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

mighty

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

muscles

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

needs

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

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

Orders

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

printer

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

promised

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

put

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

ringing

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

screech

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

sinewy

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

smith

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

Spring

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

Stephen's

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

strong

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

thickly

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

Tibble's

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

tilting-match

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

voto

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

wait

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

From this reading They both, however, found their affairs must needs wait.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

weapons

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

From this reading Orders for weapons for the tilting-match had come in so thickly the day before that every hand must be employed on executing them, and the Dragon court was ringing again with the clang of hammers and screech of grind-stones.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Stephen’s first thought in the morning was whether the _ex voto_ effigy of poor Spring was put in hand, while Ambrose thought of Tibble’s promised commendation to the printer.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “The smith, a mighty man is he With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.”