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Blake's Burden
Blake's Burden

Chapter IV

Cover illustration for Blake's Burden
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.
He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.
She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.
He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.
After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Blake's Burden

Chapter IV

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.
Line 2
He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.
Line 3
She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.
Line 4
He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.
Line 5
After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

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 “After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.”

Blamed noun US /blamed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.”

Cordial noun US /cordial/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.”

JOURNEY noun US /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading “CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.”

All words in this reading · 81

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 After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

affection

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

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

appreciate

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

From this reading He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.

away

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

Blake

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

blamednounUS /blamed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

Blanche

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

CHALLONER

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

cold

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

cordialnounUS /cordial/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

corner

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

cousin's

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

dinner

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

effect

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

From this reading He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.

enjoyed

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

excellent

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

feel

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

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

gained

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

gentle

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

hardship

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

husband

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

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

instead

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.

JOURNEYnounUS /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

Keith

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

known

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

made

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

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

men

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

Mrs

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.

openly

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

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

opinion

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

pitiful

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

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

politeness

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

quick

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

From this reading He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.

quiet

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

quietly

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

rapidly

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

RESUMES

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

rotunda

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

sat

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

seen

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

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

society

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

sympathy

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

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

tact

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

From this reading He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.

talking

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was quick to appreciate her tact, and it had its effect on him.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

treated

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading After dinner Mrs. Keith took Blanche away, and the men found a quiet corner in the rotunda, where they sat talking for a time.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

wife

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

From this reading CHALLONER RESUMES HIS JOURNEY Blake, who had known hardship, enjoyed an excellent dinner and the society of his cousin's wife, whose good opinion he rapidly gained.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading She had seen his affection for her husband, and made him feel that he had her sympathy, without being openly pitiful.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading He would not have blamed her had she treated him with cold politeness, but instead of this she was gentle and quietly cordial.