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Paul Revere

Paul Revere

11 6.2
An American silversmith known for his midnight ride in 1775 to warn colonists
  • proper noun
  • /pɔl rɪˈvɪr/
: Paul Revere
  • Paul Revere is famous for warning the American colonists of the British attack in 1775.

Examples

  • Paul Revere is a hero.

  • A statue of Paul Revere stands in Boston as a tribute to his historic journey.

  • Many schoolchildren learn about Paul Revere and his midnight ride during American history lessons.

  • Paul Revere rode!

  • Children often learn about Paul Revere in history class due to his famous midnight ride.

  • The story of Paul Revere is a key part of American Revolutionary history.

  • In his midnight ride, Paul Revere warned the colonists of the approaching British army.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Paul + Revere

This is a referential proper name for a historical person; the meanings of the constituents 'Paul' and 'Revere' do not convey that he was an American silversmith who made a famous midnight ride. Proper names are arbitrary and require specific world knowledge or prior exposure rather than being compositionally derivable, so a B1 learner who only knows the name parts would not infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Paul Revere was an American silversmith who made a famous midnight ride in 1775 to 'warn' colonists that British soldiers were coming. The strong image of him riding through the night to give an alarm is why his name is remembered today.