Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Cosmopolis — Volume 4
Cosmopolis — Volume 4

Chapter II

Cover illustration for Cosmopolis — Volume 4
Context Illustration Reading 1/66 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.
That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.
To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.
Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.
The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Cosmopolis — Volume 4

Chapter II

Reading 1/66 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.
Line 2
That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.
Line 3
To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.
Line 4
Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.
Line 5
The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

Learner Dictionary

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

Different noun US /ˈdifferent/

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

From this reading “COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.”

Disposition noun US /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/

the way something is arranged or positioned

From this reading “COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.”

Fortune noun US /ˈfortune/

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

From this reading “The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.”

Required noun US /required/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.”

All words in this reading · 82

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 the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

Alba

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

Alba's

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

attention

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

attentive

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

Baron

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

call

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

capturing

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

certainly

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

COMMON

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

comprehend

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

considerable

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

Contessina's

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

contracted

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

death

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

differentnounUS /ˈdifferent/

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

dispositionnounUS /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/

the way something is arranged or positioned

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

Dorsenne

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

dowry

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

dreaminess

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

emotion

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

evening

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

expansion

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

fifty

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

fortunenounUS /ˈfortune/

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

francs

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

From this reading Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

girl

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

gone

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

Hafner

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

heart

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

hundred

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

impulsive

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

income

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

From this reading Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.

independence

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

From this reading Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

Julien's

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

From this reading Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.

large

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

meant

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

From this reading Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.

MISERY

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

more

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

mother

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

mother's

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

novelist

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

object

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

observed

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

once

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

opulent

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

proportion

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

requirednounUS /required/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

scheming

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading That evening she had not even observed Alba's dreaminess, Dorsenne once gone, and it required that Hafner should call her attention to it.

synonymous

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

thousand

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

From this reading Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

too

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

touched

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

twenty-five

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

From this reading Julien's income of twenty-five thousand francs meant independence.

two

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

Venetian

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

very

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading COMMON MISERY The Contessina's disposition was too different from her mother's for the mother to comprehend that heart, the more contracted in proportion as it was touched, while emotion was synonymous with expansion in the opulent and impulsive Venetian.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading The two hundred and fifty thousand francs which Alba would have at her mother's death was a very large fortune.

young

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

From this reading To the scheming Baron, if the novelist was attentive to the young girl it was certainly with the object of capturing a considerable dowry.