Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

1 7.5

An American poet known for long story poems like Paul Revere's Ride

proper noun
/ˈhɛnri ˈwɒdzˌwɜrθ ˈlɔŋˌfɛloʊ/

: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is best known for his poem 'Paul Revere's Ride', which captures a moment in American history.

Examples

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote 'The Song of Hiawatha', which remains one of his most celebrated works.
The house where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lived is now a popular museum.
Many students in the U.S. study works by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during their literature classes.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a great poet.
I recently read a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
In high school, we explored the themes of nature in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poetry.
The influence of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on American literature is still felt today.

Surface Forms

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow main

Morphology

Henry + Wadsworth + Longfellow

This is a personal name composed of arbitrary proper nouns; knowing the constituent names only signals that it refers to a person but gives no information about his identity, profession, or dates. A B1 learner who knows the words would not be able to derive that Longfellow was a 19th-century American poet, so the meaning is not compositionally predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is easy to remember because his surname Longfellow looks like the phrase 'long fellow'. He was an American poet in the 1800s who wrote long narrative poems, so the name helps you recall a writer of 'long' poems.