Howdy, folks, and welcome to the forth episode of “Learn English with Fairytales''. . Today’s episode is going to be about a story which I'm sure you'll point out as one of the most beautiful Christmas stories out there: "The holy night", by Selma Lagerlöf. . You cand find the transcript of this episode here: http://tinyurl.com/e4r8dk7u . Come find us on our brand new Instagram account: http://tinyurl.com/4kj75cz4 . Here's the list of vocabulary and expressions selected from today's story: - Sorrow, /ˈsôrō,ˈsärō/, (noun) referring to a feeling of great distress caused by loss, disappointment or misfortune When I was five years old I had such great sorrow. - (to) Recollect, /ˌrekəˈlek(t)/, (verb) meaning to remember It isn't much that I recollect about my grandmother. - (to) Stoop, /sto͞op/, (verb) meaning to bend you head or body forward and downward She stooped when she walked. - Refrain, /rəˈfrān/, (noun) meaning a repeated line or number of lines in a poem or a song One of the songs had this refrain. - Loneliness, /ˈlōnlēnəs/, (noun) referring to a sadness caused by the lack of friends or company All that I can recall is the great loneliness when she was gone. - Homestead, /ˈhōmˌsted/, (noun) referring to a house, especially a farmhouse, and outbuildings I remember how the stories and songs were driven from the homestead. - (to) Feel impelled, (expr.) pushed by someone or something to do something I feel impelled to tell it once again. - (to) Kindle, /ˈkindəl/, (verb) meaning to light or set on fire There was a man who went out in the dark night to borrow live coals to kindle a fire. - A long way off, /ā lôNG wā ôf/, (expr.) referring to a great distance , both in time and space At last, he saw the gleam of a fire a long way off. - (to) Dash, /daSH/, (verb) meaning to run or travel somewhere in a great hurry They dashed toward him. - Surly, /ˈsərlē/, (adj.) meaning bad-tempered and/or unfriendly He was a surly old man. - (to) Tend a flock, /tend ə fläk/, (expr.) meaning taking care of a group of animals He seized the long, spiked staff, which he always held in his hand when he tended his flock. - (to) Whizz, /(h)wiz/, (verb) meaning to move quickly through the air with a whistling or whooshing sound It turned off to one side and whizzed past him. - (to) Ponder, /ˈpändər/, (verb) to think about something very carefully He pondered that the dogs couldn't hurt the man. - Coal, /kōl/, (noun) referring to a combustible black or brown rock, mainly consisting of carbonised parts from a plant There were no logs or branches left, only a big heap of live coals. - Mantle, /ˈman(t)əl/, (noun) referring to a sleeveless cloak He laid the coals in his mantle. - Hardhearted, /ˌhärdˈhärdəd/, (adj.) meaning being incapable of being moved to pity or tenderness The shepherd was such a cruel and hardhearted man. - Compassion, /kəmˈpaSH(ə)n/, (noun) referring to a sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others And how does it happen that all things show you compassion? - Portend, /pôrˈtend/, (verb) meaning to be a sign of warning that something is likely to happen But the shepherd did not wish to lose sight of the man before he had found out what all this might portend. - (to) Dwell, /dwel/, (verb) meaning to inhabit or occupy and habitation The shepherd saw the man didn't have so much as a hut to dwell in. - Knapsack, /ˈnapˌsak/, (noun) referring to a bag with shoulder straps, carried on the back and typically made of canvas He loosened the knapsack from his shoulder. - (to) Redeem, /rəˈdēm/, (verb) compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something The Saviour was born who should redeem the world from its sins. - (to) Cast a glance at (something), /kast a ɡlans at /(expr.) meaning to take a brief look at something They cast a glance at the child. . "Learn English with Fairytales" is an educational project curated by Gaetano Del Gaiso and Camilla Turco.
