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Chapter I
Natalie Spencer was giving a dinner. She was not an easy hostess. Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her. Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted. Yet the dinner was an unimportant one.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Yet the dinner was an unimportant one.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.”
but in spite of that
From this reading “Yet the dinner was an unimportant one.”
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Natalie Spencer was giving a dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She was not an easy hostess.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Natalie Spencer was giving a dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was not an easy hostess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Natalie Spencer was giving a dinner.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was not an easy hostess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Natalie Spencer was giving a dinner.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was not an easy hostess.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Yet the dinner was an unimportant one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was not an easy hostess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Natalie Spencer was giving a dinner.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Natalie Spencer was giving a dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like most women of futile lives she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet the dinner was an unimportant one.
