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Magnhild
Magnhild

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for Magnhild
Context Illustration Reading 1/8 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.
It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.
"From whom can this be?" thought Tande.
He opened the letter.
It was signed "Magnhild."
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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.

Magnhild

Chapter IX

Reading 1/8 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.
Line 2
It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.
Line 3
"From whom can this be?" thought Tande.
Line 4
He opened the letter.
Line 5
It was signed "Magnhild."

Learner Dictionary

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

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.”

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.”

Brought noun US /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading “While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.”

Next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"From whom can this be?" thought Tande.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.”

All words in this reading · 65

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 While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

address

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

afraid

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "From whom can this be?" thought Tande.

become

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

bed

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "From whom can this be?" thought Tande.

characters

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

dainty

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

delicate

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

envelope

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

extending

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

flourish

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "From whom can this be?" thought Tande.

glazed

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

hand

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

lady's

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

letter

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

lines

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

Magnhild

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

From this reading It was signed "Magnhild."

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

nextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

old-fashioned

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

opened

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

From this reading He opened the letter.

round

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

sailor's

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

signed

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

From this reading It was signed "Magnhild."

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

somewhat

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

strong

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

superfluous

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

Tande

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

tendency

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

terminated

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

there

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading "From whom can this be?" thought Tande.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "From whom can this be?" thought Tande.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

unpracticed

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "From whom can this be?" thought Tande.

wife

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

From this reading While he was still in bed the next morning there was brought to Tande by the sailor's wife a letter.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

written

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

yellow

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

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading It had a dainty, old-fashioned, somewhat yellow, glazed envelope, and the address was written in an unpracticed lady's hand, with delicate characters, of which those extending below the lines terminated in a little superfluous flourish, as if afraid of being round and yet with a strong tendency to become so.