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Helena
Helena

Chapter XIV

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Context Illustration Reading 1/47 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.
She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
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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.

Helena

Chapter XIV

Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
Line 2
But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
Line 3
And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
Line 4
Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.
Line 5
She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.

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 “But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.”

Beginning noun US /ˈbeginning/

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

From this reading “But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.”

Herself pronoun US /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading “And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.”

Whenever conjunction US /weˈnevər/

at any time that; every time that

From this reading “Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

Alcotts

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

allowed

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

From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

beginningnounUS /ˈbeginning/

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

breaking

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

Buntingford

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

From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.

Buntingford's

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

chance

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

claimed

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

From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.

conditions

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

deadly

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

defied

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

denied

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

From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.

destroyed

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

doctors

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

From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.

excitement

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

exhaustion

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

fight

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

finally

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

forty-eight

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

grip

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

guest

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

heart

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.

hopeless

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

hours

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

indeed

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

From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.

influenza

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

inform

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

laid

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

lingered

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

making

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

means

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

night

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

poison

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

presence

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

From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.

recklessly

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

recovery

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

roof

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

saw

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

From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

surroundings

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

taken

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

together

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

too

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

unexpected

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

From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

wandering

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

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

weakened

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

From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.

wheneverconjunctionUS /weˈnevər/

at any time that; every time that

From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.