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Half Brothers
Half Brothers

Chapter XXIII

Cover illustration for Half Brothers
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A FORCED CONFESSION.
In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.
But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.
They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.
It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Half Brothers

Chapter XXIII

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

Line 1
A FORCED CONFESSION.
Line 2
In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.
Line 3
But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.
Line 4
They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.
Line 5
It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

Learner Dictionary

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

Already noun US /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.”

Hear noun US /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.”

Journey noun US /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading “They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.”

Relief noun US /rɪˈliːf/

a feeling of comfort after worry or pain

From this reading “It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.”

Stopped noun US /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 A FORCED CONFESSION.

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

Ampezzo

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

away

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

brain

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

clear

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

CONFESSION

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

From this reading A FORCED CONFESSION.

Cortina

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

day's

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

deserting

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

enough

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

entrance

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

essential

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

father

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

fleeing

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

FORCED

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

From this reading A FORCED CONFESSION.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

get

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

hearnounUS /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

intention

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

journeynounUS /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

Margaret

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

only

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

pass

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

Philip

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

reliefnounUS /rɪˈliːf/

a feeling of comfort after worry or pain

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

son

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

Sophy's

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

spot

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

stoppednounUS /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

swiftly

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

From this reading In fleeing as swiftly as she could from Cortina, Margaret had no intention of deserting Sophy's son.

telegraphed

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

then

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

there

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.

Toblach

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

Valley

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

From this reading They stopped, then, at Toblach, at the entrance of the Ampezzo Valley, and only half a day's journey from Cortina.

waited

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was a relief to her to hear that Philip had already telegraphed for his father, and as he must pass through Toblach they waited for him there.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading But it seemed essential to her to get away from the spot for a little while, that her brain might be clear enough for thought.