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Aunt Jane's Nieces
Aunt Jane's Nieces

Chapter XIX

Cover illustration for Aunt Jane's Nieces
Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
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DUPLICITY.
Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.
She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.
The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.
Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Aunt Jane's Nieces

Chapter XIX

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
DUPLICITY.
Line 2
Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.
Line 3
She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.
Line 4
The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.
Line 5
Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

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 “Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.”

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.”

Strength noun US /ˈstrength/

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

From this reading “The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

almost

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

any

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

arrived

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

Aunt

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

aunt's

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

bad

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

breathing

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

cast

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

change

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

cushions

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

day

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

defiant

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

drawn

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

DUPLICITY

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

From this reading DUPLICITY.

early

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

EvennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

expected

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

eyes

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

face

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

forenoon

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

girl

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

glance

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

gray

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

hard

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

heavily

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

invalid's

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

Jane

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

lacking

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

lay

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

niece

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

night

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

Patricia

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

piercing

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

pleading

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

previous

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

quality

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

rather

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

sent

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

sharpness

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

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

shocked

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

strengthnounUS /ˈstrength/

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Even the sharpness and piercing quality of her hard gray eyes was lacking and the glance she cast at her niece was rather pleading than defiant.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

trials

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

From this reading Aunt Jane had a bad night, as might have been expected after her trials of the previous day.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

vitality

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

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading She sent for Patricia early in the forenoon, and when the girl arrived she was almost shocked by the change in her aunt's appearance.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading The invalid's face seemed drawn and gray, and she lay upon her cushions breathing heavily and without any appearance of vitality or strength.