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

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for Fruitfulness
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.
It is enough to kill anybody.
I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."
"But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.
The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.
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.

Fruitfulness

Chapter IX

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.
Line 2
It is enough to kill anybody.
Line 3
I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."
Line 4
"But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.
Line 5
The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

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 “The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.”

Anybody pronoun US /ˈenibədi/

any person at all

From this reading “It is enough to kill anybody.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."”

Ourselves pronoun US /aʊərˈselvz/

used when we are both doing the action and receiving it

From this reading “"But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.”

Pleasant noun US /pleasant/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

all

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

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

amazement

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

amuse

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

amusement

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

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

anybodypronounUS /ˈenibədi/

any person at all

From this reading It is enough to kill anybody.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

awful

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

Beauchêne

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

building

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

centred

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

cheeks

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

children

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

covered

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

dash

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

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

dear

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

declared

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

depth

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

enough

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

From this reading It is enough to kill anybody.

family

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

favor

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

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

fellow

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

followed

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

furniture

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

gazed

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

gesture

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

hand

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading It is enough to kill anybody.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

kill

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

From this reading It is enough to kill anybody.

kissed

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

kitchen

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

live

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

Mathieu

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

offering

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

ourselvespronounUS /aʊərˈselvz/

used when we are both doing the action and receiving it

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

pleasantnounUS /pleasant/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

rough

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

round

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

rustic

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

said

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

solitude

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

some

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

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

stupefies

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

table

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It is enough to kill anybody.

too

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

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

two

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

utensils

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

village

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

visitors

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

walls

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

waving

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading "But we do amuse ourselves," said Mathieu, waving his hand round that rustic kitchen in which centred all their pleasant family life.

winter

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

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The two visitors followed his gesture, and gazed in amazement at the walls covered with utensils, at the rough furniture, and at the table on which the children were still building their village after offering their cheeks to be kissed.

work

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

From this reading I am all in favor of work, you know; but, dash it! one must have some amusement too."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "It stupefies me, my dear fellow," declared Beauchêne, "that you can live in this awful solitude in the depth of winter.