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Far from the Madding Crowd
Far from the Madding Crowd

Chapter XXXIX · A Foggy Night and Morning—conclusion

A Foggy Night and Morning—conclusion, section 1: “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.” Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, a
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”
Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.
“A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.
“Very well, then; first, a licence.”
On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.
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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.

Far from the Madding Crowd

Chapter XXXIX · A Foggy Night and Morning—conclusion

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”
Line 2
Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.
Line 3
“A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.
Line 4
“Very well, then; first, a licence.”
Line 5
On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

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 “Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Very well, then; first, a licence.””

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading ““The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.””

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading ““A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading ““A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.”

Mysterious adjective US /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading “On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.”

Secret noun US /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading ““The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.””

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Very well, then; first, a licence.””

All words in this reading · 70

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 Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.

Bathsheba's

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

came

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

carry

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

Casterbridge

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

chapter

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

clock

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

dark

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

days

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

door

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

evening

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

event

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

few

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Very well, then; first, a licence.”

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

full

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.

hour

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

how

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.

later

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

letter

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

licence

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

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.

meditated

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

most

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

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.

mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

night

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

Oak

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

Oh

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

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

out

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

plainest

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

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

possible

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

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

preceding

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

private

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

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

said

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

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

some

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

steps

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

surrogate's

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

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

then

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

From this reading “Very well, then; first, a licence.”

ThosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

Very

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

From this reading “Very well, then; first, a licence.”

wedding

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

From this reading “The most private, secret, plainest wedding that it is possible to have.”

well

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

From this reading “Very well, then; first, a licence.”

wishes

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading On a dark night, a few days later, Oak came with mysterious steps from the surrogate’s door, in Casterbridge.

words

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

From this reading Those had been Bathsheba’s words to Oak one evening, some time after the event of the preceding chapter, and he meditated a full hour by the clock upon how to carry out her wishes to the letter.

yes

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

From this reading “A licence—Oh yes, it must be a licence,” he said to himself at last.