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Geoffrey Strong
Geoffrey Strong

Chapter V

Cover illustration for Geoffrey Strong
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.
It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.
He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.
The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.
They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Geoffrey Strong

Chapter V

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.
Line 2
It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.
Line 3
He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.
Line 4
The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.
Line 5
They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.”

Doctor noun US /doctor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.”

Pleasant noun US /pleasant/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.”

Taste verb US /teɪst/

To perceive flavor through the mouth.

From this reading “It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.”

All words in this reading · 78

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 It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

altogether

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

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

always

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

ball

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

came

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

clean

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

clear

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

curtains

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

delicate

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

dimity

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

dirty

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

doctornounUS /doctor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

doctor's

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

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

dresses

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

fresh

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

fringe

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

furnishing

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

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

garden

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

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

girl's

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

graceful

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

high

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

HYSTERICS

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

LETTER-WRITING

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

like

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

liked

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

looking

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

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

mahogany

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

mantel

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

mouldings

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

narrow

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

old

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

out

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

paint

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

pleasantnounUS /pleasant/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

quaint

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

room

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

sat

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

shapes

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

some

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

style

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

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

tall

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

tassel

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

tasteverbUS /teɪst/

To perceive flavor through the mouth.

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

things

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

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had never been dirty, they never could be dirty, the young doctor thought; some things must always be fresh and clean; like that girl's dresses.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

too

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

wainscoting

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was a pleasant room, looking upon the garden, and in style and furnishing altogether to the young doctor's taste.

well

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The dimity curtains, too, with their ball and tassel fringe, were of such a fresh clear white.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

white

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

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He liked the tall narrow mantel, with its delicate mouldings; he liked the white paint, and the high wainscoting against which, the old mahogany came out so well; and he liked the mahogany itself, which was in quaint and graceful shapes.

writing

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.

young

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

From this reading LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS The young doctor sat in his room writing.