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On the Stairs
On the Stairs

Chapter V

Cover illustration for On the Stairs
Context Illustration Reading 1/63 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.
His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.
Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.
She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.
"She missed her Paris," said Raymond, "and her drive in the Bois."
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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.

On the Stairs

Chapter V

Reading 1/63 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.
Line 2
His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.
Line 3
Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.
Line 4
She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.
Line 5
"She missed her Paris," said Raymond, "and her drive in the Bois."

Learner Dictionary

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

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Along preposition US /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Born noun US /born/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.”

Brought noun US /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading “She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Distant adjective US /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.”

Sometimes noun US /sometimes/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.”

All words in this reading · 89

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 I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

Albert

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

Albert's

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

American

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

artificial

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

babyhood

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

back

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

big

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

Bois

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

From this reading "She missed her Paris," said Raymond, "and her drive in the Bois."

bornnounUS /born/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

called

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

came

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

cherished

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

chronology

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

completely

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

critical

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

deal

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

deference

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

diminished

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

drive

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

From this reading "She missed her Paris," said Raymond, "and her drive in the Bois."

Europe

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

exacting

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

Father

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

father's

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

filled

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

grandmother

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

home

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

house

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

impression

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

inspect

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

interest

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

kept

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

leaving

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

lessened

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

LittlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

mean

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

menage

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

missed

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

From this reading "She missed her Paris," said Raymond, "and her drive in the Bois."

more

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

mother

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

now

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

offspring

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

old

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

Paris

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

From this reading "She missed her Paris," said Raymond, "and her drive in the Bois."

purely

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

Raymond

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

From this reading "She missed her Paris," said Raymond, "and her drive in the Bois."

said

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

From this reading "She missed her Paris," said Raymond, "and her drive in the Bois."

see

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

sense

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

sharpened

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

sometimes

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

town

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

From this reading His father's lessened interest in Europe (and his diminished deference for it) kept his mother at home completely--and by "home" I now mean the town in which Albert had been born.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

water-waves

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

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

well

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She brought her water-waves and her sharpened critical sense, and went back leaving the impression that she was artificial and exacting.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading I Little Albert's babyhood kept his mother a good deal at home--and by "home" I mean the house in which he had been born.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.

year

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

From this reading Father, mother, and offspring filled the big house as well as they could--the big, _old_ house as it was sometimes called by those who cherished a chronology that was purely American; and Albert was more than a year and a half along in life before his grandmother came across to see him and to inspect the distant _menage_.