I Say A Little Prayer

• By: Aretha Franklin
• Album: Aretha Now

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
wake /weɪk/ A1	verb - to stop sleeping
makeup /ˈmeɪkʌp/ A2	noun - cosmetics applied to the face to enhance or alter appearance
prayer /preər/ B1	noun - a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity
comb /koʊm/ A2	verb - to tidy and untangle hair using a comb
hair /her/ A1	noun - any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans, mammals, and other animals
dress /dres/ A1	noun - a one-piece garment for women or girls that covers the body and part or all of the legs verb - put on clothes
wear /wer/ A1	verb - have (something) on one's body as clothing, decoration, or protection
stay /steɪ/ A1	verb - remain in a place
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - have a strong feeling of affection for (someone) noun - an intense feeling of affection
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move at a speed faster than a walk
bus /bʌs/ A1	noun - a large motor vehicle carrying passengers by road, typically one serving the public on a fixed route and for a fare
work /wɜːrk/ A1	noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result. verb - be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result.
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
break /breɪk/ A2	noun - an interruption of something verb - to separate into pieces
coffee /ˈkɔːfi/ A1	noun - a hot drink made from roasted and ground coffee beans
heartbreak /ˈhɑːrtbreɪk/ B2	noun - overwhelming distress
darling /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/ A2	noun - a beloved person
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of

Grammar:

• Before I put on my makeup...

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction "before" + clause

  ➔ The conjunction "before" introduces a time clause, indicating the action of putting on makeup happens after the action of saying a prayer.

• And wondering what dress to wear now...

  ➔ Indirect Question with "what" + infinitive

  ➔ "What dress to wear" is an indirect question functioning as the object of "wondering". It's a shortened form of "wondering what dress I should wear."

• You'll stay in my heart and I will love you

  ➔ Future Simple (will) for prediction

  ➔ "You'll stay" and "I will love" use the future simple tense to express a promise or prediction about the future.

• That's how it must be to live without you

  ➔ Modal verb "must" expressing necessity + "to" infinitive

  ➔ "Must be" expresses a strong conviction or necessity. The "to" infinitive phrase explains the reason for this necessity.

• Would only mean heartbreak for me

  ➔ Conditional Sentence Type 2 (implied condition) + "would"

  ➔ This implies a condition (e.g., "If I lived without you"). "Would" expresses a hypothetical result.

• While riding I think of us, dear...

  ➔ Participle clause indicating simultaneous action with "while" + gerund

  ➔ "While riding" is a reduced adverbial clause. The full clause would be "While I am riding...", but it's shortened for conciseness.

• For me there is no one but you

  ➔ Existential "there is" + "but" meaning "except"

  ➔ "There is no one but you" means that you are the only person for me, excluding all others. "But" functions as a preposition here, meaning "except".