Chapter VI
EPISTLE II. TO A LADY. Of the Characters of Women. Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all." Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
An Essay on Man
Chapter VI
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EPISTLE
II.
TO
A
LADY.
Of
the
Characters
of
Women.
Nothing
so
true
as
what
you
once
let
fall,
"Most
women
have
no
characters
at
all."
Matter
too
soft
a
lasting
mark
to
bear,
And
best
distinguished
by
black,
brown,
or
fair.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
EPISTLE
II.
Line 2
TO
A
LADY.
Line 3
Of
the
Characters
of
Women.
Line 4
Nothing
so
true
as
what
you
once
let
fall,
"Most
women
have
no
characters
at
all."
Line 5
Matter
too
soft
a
lasting
mark
to
bear,
And
best
distinguished
by
black,
brown,
or
fair.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Fair
noun
US /fair/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."”
Let
auxiliary verb
US /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."”
Nothing
pronoun
US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."”
Once
noun
US /once/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."”
All words in this reading · 37
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 TO A LADY.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
bear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
best
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
black
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
brown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
Characters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of the Characters of Women.
distinguished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
EPISTLE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EPISTLE II.
fairnounUS /fair/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
fall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
II
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EPISTLE II.
LADY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO A LADY.
lasting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
mark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
Matter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
Most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
OfprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of the Characters of Women.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
soft
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Of the Characters of Women.
TOparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO A LADY.
too
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear, And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair.
true
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."
Women
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of the Characters of Women.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Nothing so true as what you once let fall, "Most women have no characters at all."