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Glite Dictionary
Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Richard Brinsley Sheridan

1 8.2
An Irish playwright and politician famous for funny plays about society like The School for Scandal and The Rivals
  • proper noun
: Richard Brinsley Sheridan
  • Richard Brinsley Sheridan is best known for his play 'The School for Scandal'.

Examples

  • Richard Brinsley Sheridan wrote the famous comedy 'The Rivals' in 1775.

  • The wit of Richard Brinsley Sheridan continues to influence modern comedy writers.

  • Students study Richard Brinsley Sheridan as part of eighteenth-century British drama.

  • Many consider Richard Brinsley Sheridan a master of satire.

  • Did you read Richard Brinsley Sheridan's works?

  • Richard Brinsley Sheridan was a prominent figure in the theatrical world of the 18th century.

  • Richard Brinsley Sheridan served as a member of Parliament while also writing plays.

Surface Forms

Richard Brinsley Sheridan main

Morphology

Richard + Brinsley + Sheridan

This is a full proper name referring to a specific historical person; the lexical constituents are personal names rather than semantically compositional words, so knowing 'Richard', 'Brinsley' and 'Sheridan' does not let a learner infer 'Irish playwright and politician' or the biographical details. Proper names are referential and language-specific, so the MWE’s informational meaning is not derivable from its parts for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Richard Brinsley Sheridan was an Irish writer and politician in the late 1700s who wrote clever, funny plays that made fun of rich people and their gossip. His plays like 'The School for Scandal' and 'The Rivals' showed his quick wit, so his name is remembered for smart, comic writing.