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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary
what does the word "tis" mean
Hi everybody, what is the meaning of the word "tis" in the poem "When I Was One-and-Twenty"
and why the poet said "One-and-twenty" instead of twenty-one?
Here is the poem.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free."
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
"The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
'Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue."
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.
Thanks in advance.
and why the poet said "One-and-twenty" instead of twenty-one?
Here is the poem.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free."
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
"The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
'Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue."
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
1. Used for meter, to make the line have the proper number of syllables 2. 'tis = it is (again, for metrical purposes)
- 1.
- Used for meter, to make the line have the proper number of syllables 2.
- 'tis = it is (again, for metrical purposes)
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5 Answers
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1. Used for meter, to make the line have the proper number of syllables
2. 'tis = it is (again, for metrical purposes)
2. 'tis = it is (again, for metrical purposes)
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The word " 'tis " means "it is." Note that the apostrophe is where a letter has been left out, as in the word "didn't" = "did not."
"One-and-twenty" is a quaint and old-fashioned way of saying twenty-one. This used for literary effect when you want to sound poetic, or very literary, or very formal, or antiquated, or learned, or authoritative. For example:
He was a giant of a
"One-and-twenty" is a quaint and old-fashioned way of saying twenty-one. This used for literary effect when you want to sound poetic, or very literary, or very formal, or antiquated, or learned, or authoritative. For example:
He was a giant of a
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Thanks Philip and Anonymous
Thanks a lot.
Anonymous Note that the apostrophe is where a letter has been left out, as in the word "didn't" = "did not."But, isn't the apostrophe used to show the stressed syllables of words? (is the structure of negation correct?)
Thanks a lot.
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No. That's a stress mark.
I agree it looks a lot like an apostrophe.
Rover
No. That's a stress mark.
I agree it looks a lot like an apostrophe.
Rover
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[Quote: No. That's a stress mark.I agree it looks a lot like an apostrophe]. [Answer:I'm not aware of 'stress marks' used in general English orthography. I'd call it an apostrophe, since it is replacing the 'i' of 'it'.]Sorry, my tool bar isn't showing up, and the quote function isn't working either. - Philip
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