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Glite Dictionary
George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw

6 5.5
An Irish-born British writer of plays and critic who influenced modern theatre
  • proper noun
  • Literature
: George Bernard Shaw
  • As a founder of the Fabian Society, George Bernard Shaw played a significant role in British socialism.

Examples

  • George Bernard Shaw exaggerated only slightly when he wrote in 1892 that Grove's "life work has been of more value than all of the Prime Ministers of this century."

    Academic text (1995)

  • The English playwright George Bernard Shaw is known for his contributions to modern theater.

  • One of George Bernard Shaw's most famous works is the play 'Pygmalion', which critiques social class.

Surface Forms

George Bernard Shaw main

Morphology

George + Bernard + Shaw

This is a full proper name referring to a specific historical person; the identity and biographical information (Irish-born British playwright, dates, etc.) cannot be derived from the constituent given names and surname. Knowing 'George', 'Bernard', and 'Shaw' does not allow a B1 learner to infer the referent or its meaning, so the expression is non-compositional for learners.

Etymology

George Bernard Shaw was an Irish-born writer of plays and a critic who used sharp, funny lines on stage to talk about social problems. So when you see George Bernard Shaw, think of a clever writer who wanted people to laugh and to think.