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Massimilla Doni
Massimilla Doni

Chapter I

Cover illustration for Massimilla Doni
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.
MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.
Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.
You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.
You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.
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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.

Massimilla Doni

Chapter I

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.
Line 2
MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.
Line 3
Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.
Line 4
You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.
Line 5
You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

Learner Dictionary

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

Connoisseur noun US /ˌkɑːnəˈsɜːr/

a person who knows a great deal about the quality of something

From this reading “You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.”

Least noun US /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.”

Name noun US /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.”

All words in this reading · 83

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

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

Accept

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

acknowledgment

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

afforded

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

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

also

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

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

Bell

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

bury

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

care

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

Clara

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

connoisseurnounUS /ˌkɑːnəˈsɜːr/

a person who knows a great deal about the quality of something

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

DEAR

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

difficulties

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

expense

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

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

genius

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

grateful

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

head

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

initiate

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

Jacques

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

James

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

kindness

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

knowledge

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

labor

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

laughing

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

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

leastnounUS /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

more

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

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

musical

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

mysteries

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

namenounUS /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

once

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

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

patient

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

perhaps

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

pleasures

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

poems

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

procure

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

readiness

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

satisfaction

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

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

self-styled

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

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

set

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

Strunz

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

successfully

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

tales

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

taught

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading You have also afforded me the satisfaction of laughing more than once at the expense of a self-styled connoisseur.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

transcendental

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

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

Translated

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

tried

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

two

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

ungrateful

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

very

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

Waring

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and James Waring To Jacques Strunz.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading You have at least taught me what difficulties and what labor genius must bury in those poems which procure us transcendental pleasures.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

written

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

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Accept this as my grateful acknowledgment of the readiness with which you tried--perhaps not very successfully--to initiate me into the mysteries of musical knowledge.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading MY DEAR STRUNZ:--I should be ungrateful if I did not set your name at the head of one of the two tales I could never have written but for your patient kindness and care.