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An open verdict
An open verdict

Chapter I

Cover illustration for An open verdict
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MRS.
DULCIMER HAS HER VIEWS.
‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.
‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.
It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.
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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.

An open verdict

Chapter I

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MRS.
Line 2
DULCIMER HAS HER VIEWS.
Line 3
‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.
Line 4
‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.
Line 5
It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

Learner Dictionary

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

HAS auxiliary verb US /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “DULCIMER HAS HER VIEWS.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.”

All words in this reading · 45

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 ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

Berkeley

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

Bishop

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

conversations

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

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

domestic

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

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

DULCIMER

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

From this reading DULCIMER HAS HER VIEWS.

eyes

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

favourite

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

HASauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading DULCIMER HAS HER VIEWS.

hearth

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

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

HERdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading DULCIMER HAS HER VIEWS.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

Job

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

KENRICK

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

lifting

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

Lucifer

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

match

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

MRS

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

From this reading MRS.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

proud

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

retorted

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

said

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

SIR

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

splendid

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

tête-à-tête

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

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

Vicar

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

Vicar's

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

VIEWS

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

From this reading DULCIMER HAS HER VIEWS.

volume

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

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

way

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

From this reading It was the Vicar’s way in these _tête-à-tête_ conversations by the domestic hearth.

wife

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading ‘As poor as Job, and as proud as Lucifer,’ retorted the Vicar, without lifting his eyes from a volume of his favourite Bishop Berkeley.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading ‘SIR KENRICK would be a splendid match for her’, said the Vicar’s wife.