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Dick and Dolly
Dick and Dolly

Chapter XVI

Cover illustration for Dick and Dolly
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.
As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.
Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.
But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:
“What have you been doing all morning?”
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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.

Dick and Dolly

Chapter XVI

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.
Line 2
As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.
Line 3
Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.
Line 4
But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:
Line 5
“What have you been doing all morning?”

Learner Dictionary

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

Already noun US /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading ““What have you been doing all morning?””

Expecting verb US /ɪkˈspektɪŋ/

thinking that somebody or something will arrive

From this reading “Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading ““What have you been doing all morning?””

Least noun US /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““What have you been doing all morning?””

Sharply noun US /ˈsharply/

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

From this reading “Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.”

All words in this reading · 79

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 As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

accomplished

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

all

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

ample

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

arm

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

Aunt

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “What have you been doing all morning?”

best

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

chair

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

children

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

difficult

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

dining-room

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

dinner

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

doing

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

From this reading “What have you been doing all morning?”

doleful

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

door

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

down

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

enjoying

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

entry

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

expectingverbUS /ɪkˈspektɪŋ/

thinking that somebody or something will arrive

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

faces

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “What have you been doing all morning?”

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

holding

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

laughing

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

leastnounUS /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

locomotion

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

made

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

making

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “What have you been doing all morning?”

necks

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

Nine

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

other

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

pair

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

Penninah

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

PLAYHOUSE

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

proved

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

punishment

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

Rachel's

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

round

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

see

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

sharplynounUS /ˈsharply/

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

sniffed

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

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

somehow

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

stairways

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

Then

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

triumphal

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

twins

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

up

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

From this reading Aunt Penninah was already in her chair, and looked up sharply, as if expecting to see a doleful pair of twins.

waist

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

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading As she had an arm round each of their necks, locomotion down the stairways was difficult, but they all accomplished it somehow, and made a triumphal entry at the dining-room door.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading But the laughing faces proved that, if not enjoying their punishment, the children were, at least, making the best of it, and Aunt Nine sniffed a little, as she asked:

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “What have you been doing all morning?”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE PLAYHOUSE Then they all went down to dinner, the twins holding hands with each other, round Aunt Rachel’s ample waist.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “What have you been doing all morning?”