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A Master's Degree
A Master's Degree

Chapter VIII · Loss, or Gain?

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Context Illustration Reading 1/88 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.
--CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.
Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.
“Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.
“No, I want to be with you, Uncle Lloyd.”
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Master's Degree

Chapter VIII · Loss, or Gain?

Reading 1/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.
Line 2
--CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.
Line 3
Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.
Line 4
“Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.
Line 5
“No, I want to be with you, Uncle Lloyd.”

Learner Dictionary

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

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “--CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.”

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “_We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.”

Make noun US /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “_We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading ““Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.”

Sometimes noun US /sometimes/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “_We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “_We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.”

Until preposition US /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.”

All words in this reading · 86

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

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

back

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

bargains

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “No, I want to be with you, Uncle Lloyd.”

bewailed

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

blisses

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

cannot

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

CARY

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

catch

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

East

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

ELINOR

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

entering

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

evening

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

exacting

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

fishes

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

friends

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

fudge

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

full

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

gets

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

girl

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

hair

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

hard

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

Helps

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

holidays

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “No, I want to be with you, Uncle Lloyd.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

lamenting

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

late

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

library

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

like

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

Lloyd

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

lost

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

lot

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

measure

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

misses

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

more

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

nets

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

NorconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

Norrie

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

opportunity

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

rules

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

school

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

sometimes

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

sorry

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

spent

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

Then

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

tightened

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

two

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

Uncle

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

want

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

From this reading “No, I want to be with you, Uncle Lloyd.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

wash

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

From this reading Then her Uncle Lloyd tightened the rules, exacting full measure for lost time, until she bewailed to her girl friends that she had no opportunity even to make fudge or wash her hair.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

weeks

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

Wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading _We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets, And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets_.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “No, I want to be with you, Uncle Lloyd.”

WREAM

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

From this reading --CARY ELINOR WREAM spent the holidays in the East and was two weeks late in entering school again.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Were you sorry to come back, then, Norrie?” her uncle asked one evening when they were alone in their library, and Elinor was lamenting her hard lot.