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A Modern Wizard
A Modern Wizard

Chapter XX

Cover illustration for A Modern Wizard
Context Illustration Reading 1/55 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A WIZARD'S KNOWLEDGE.
During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.
She watched for another letter to Leon.
She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.
She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.
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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 Modern Wizard

Chapter XX

Reading 1/55 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A WIZARD'S KNOWLEDGE.
Line 2
During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.
Line 3
She watched for another letter to Leon.
Line 4
She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.
Line 5
She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

Learner Dictionary

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

Another noun US /ˈanother/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “She watched for another letter to Leon.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.”

Doctor noun US /doctor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.”

Herself pronoun US /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading “She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.”

Next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.”

Sure noun US /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.”

All words in this reading · 59

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 A WIZARD'S KNOWLEDGE.

abandon

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading She watched for another letter to Leon.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

compulsion

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

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

decided

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

DoctornounUS /doctor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

DuringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

extort

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She watched for another letter to Leon.

Grath

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

judged

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

judicious

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

knew

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

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

KNOWLEDGE

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

From this reading A WIZARD'S KNOWLEDGE.

Leon

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

From this reading She watched for another letter to Leon.

letter

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

From this reading She watched for another letter to Leon.

Madame

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

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

Matilda

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

means

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

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

Medjora

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

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

money

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

months

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

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

nextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

once

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

penny

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

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

possessed

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

project

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

sending

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

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She watched for another letter to Leon.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

sum

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

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

surenounUS /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

three

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

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She watched for another letter to Leon.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

use

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

waited

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

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

watched

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

From this reading During the next three months Madame Medjora waited and watched.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading She knew that Leon had no means of sending her such a sum, and she was sure that Doctor Medjora would never part with one penny under compulsion.

WIZARD'S

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

From this reading A WIZARD'S KNOWLEDGE.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.

writer

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

From this reading She judged the writer by herself, and she decided that Matilda Grath would not abandon her project, having once decided that she possessed knowledge, by the judicious use of which she could extort money.