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A Man's Hearth
A Man's Hearth

Chapter XIX

Cover illustration for A Man's Hearth
Context Illustration Reading 1/67 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.
Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.
The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.
The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.
It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Man's Hearth

Chapter XIX

Reading 1/67 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.
Line 2
Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.
Line 3
The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.
Line 4
The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.
Line 5
It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.”

Speak noun US /speak/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.”

All words in this reading · 82

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

accustomed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

ADRIANCES

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

agreement

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

April

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

availed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

bringing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

came

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

chose

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

concluding

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

delicate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

destruction

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

envoi

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

evening

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

evenings

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

event

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

exploding

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

feigning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

fell

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

forget

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

gracefully

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

house

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

household

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

invitation

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

invited

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

marriage

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

Masterson

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

material

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Masterson had been invited to come, but he never availed himself of the invitation.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

only

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

painful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

pastel-tinted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

poem

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

quietly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

ran

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

red

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

shattering

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

shell

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

speak

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

spent

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

spring

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

sunset

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

tacit

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The Adriances did not speak of him, by tacit agreement feigning to forget the only painful evening they had spent since their marriage.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

tranquil

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

truly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

visitor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

warning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

weeks

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ADRIANCES The weeks ran quietly on, bringing spring as the only visitor to the little red house.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It chose one of the first evenings of April, when a delicate, pastel-tinted sunset was concluding the day as gracefully as the _envoi_ of a poem.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading The event that fell like an exploding shell into the tranquil household, shattering its accustomed life as truly as if by material destruction, came quite without warning.