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A Widow's Tale, and Other Stories
A Widow's Tale, and Other Stories

Chapter XXXIV

Cover illustration for A Widow's Tale, and Other Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.
They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.
Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.
They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.
The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.
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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 Widow's Tale, and Other Stories

Chapter XXXIV

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.
Line 2
They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.
Line 3
Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.
Line 4
They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.
Line 5
The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.”

John noun US /john/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.”

Sometimes noun US /sometimes/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.”

Themselves pronoun US /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading “They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

all

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

assailed

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

bosoms

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

centre

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

certainty

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

claim

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

college

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

company

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

curiosities

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

enough

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

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

evening

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

filled

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

hang

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

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

John

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

kinds

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

knew

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

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

like

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

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

mattered

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

mockery

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

others

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

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

out

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

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

outsiders

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

photographs

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

pictures

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

place

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

prints

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

room

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

rudely

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

sit

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

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

Sometimes

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

strewn

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

subject

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

table

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

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

tables

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

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They knew themselves to be the _élite_, and that was enough for them.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

very

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

walk

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

windows

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

From this reading They did not sit upon tables and hang out of windows like the others.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The table in the centre of the room was strewn with prints, with photographs from pictures, and curiosities of all kinds.

youthful

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

From this reading Sometimes their claim to this place was rudely assailed by outsiders; sometimes it was the subject of mockery: but this mattered very little to the certainty which filled their youthful bosoms.

élite

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

From this reading It was not very long after this evening walk that John found himself in a company of the very _élite_ of his college.