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Father Sergius
Father Sergius

Chapter II

Cover illustration for Father Sergius
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.
There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.
The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.
In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.
Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.
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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.

Father Sergius

Chapter II

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.
Line 2
There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.
Line 3
The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.
Line 4
In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.
Line 5
Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

Learner Dictionary

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

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.”

Books noun US /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading “In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.”

Cell noun US /sel/

A small stone room in a prison where an inmate is locked behind iron bars.

From this reading “Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.”

Merchant noun US /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/

A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.

From this reading “There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.”

Outside noun US /ˈoutside/

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

From this reading “Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.”

Shelf noun US /ʃelf/

A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.

From this reading “In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.”

All words in this reading · 92

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 There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

Abbot

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

afterwards

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

all

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

assigning

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

back

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

brother

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

buried

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

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

cave

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

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

cellnounUS /sel/

A small stone room in a prison where an inmate is locked behind iron bars.

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

day

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

door

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

dual

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

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

dug

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

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

excellent

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

fastened

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

food

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

front

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

gave

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

grave

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

handed

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

hermitage

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

Hilary

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

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

Hilary's

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

hillside

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

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

hook

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

icons

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

lay

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

leaving

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

letter

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

manager

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

mattress

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

merchantnounUS /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/

A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

monastery

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

monk

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

niche

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

obeyed

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

obtained

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

once

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

origin

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

out

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

outer

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

OutsidenounUS /ˈoutside/

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

own

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

permission

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

placed

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

possessions

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

quietly

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

received

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

request

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

Sergius

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

Sergius's

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

set

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

shelfnounUS /ʃelf/

A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

showed

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

simply

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

sleeping

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

small

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

starets

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

straw

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

table

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

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

Tambov

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

There

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

From this reading There the Abbot, an excellent manager of merchant origin, received Sergius simply and quietly and placed him in Hilary’s cell, at first assigning to him a lay brother but afterwards leaving him alone, at Sergius’s own request.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

up

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

From this reading Sergius obeyed the starets, showed his letter to the Abbot, and having obtained his permission, gave up his cell, handed all his possessions over to the monastery, and set out for the Tambov hermitage.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The cell was a dual cave, dug into the hillside, and in it Hilary had been buried.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Outside the outer door, which fastened with a hook, was another shelf on which, once a day, a monk placed food from the monastery.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading In the back part was Hilary’s grave, while in the front was a niche for sleeping, with a straw mattress, a small table, and a shelf with icons and books.