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Strawberry Acres
Strawberry Acres

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for Strawberry Acres
Context Illustration Reading 1/47 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.
The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.
The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!
To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.
But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.
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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.

Strawberry Acres

Chapter IX

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

Line 1
JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.
Line 2
The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.
Line 3
The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!
Line 4
To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.
Line 5
But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

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 “To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.”

Glowing noun US /ˈglowing/

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

From this reading “To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!”

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.”

Sure noun US /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.”

All words in this reading · 76

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

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

all

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

bareheaded

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

Cavalleria

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

coloured

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

considered

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

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

decorative

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

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

down

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

driveway

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

effect

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

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

errand

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

exult

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

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

gateway

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

gayly

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

glowingnounUS /ˈglowing/

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

host

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

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

house

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

illuminated

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

intermezzo

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

JACK-O

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

LANTERNS

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

lights

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

looking

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

many

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

Max

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

mild

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

night

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

October

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

odd

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

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

orchestra

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

out

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

porch

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

returning

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

road

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

Rusticana

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

sending

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

stolen

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

strains

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

surenounUS /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

taken

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

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The October night was so mild that he had stolen out bareheaded upon the errand which had taken him to the road.

wanted

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

From this reading The errand might have been considered an odd one: he wanted to look at the house!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

well

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

windows

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

From this reading JACK-O'-LANTERNS To the strains of the intermezzo from the "Cavalleria Rusticana," which the orchestra was sending out through the open windows, Max was returning from the gateway to the house.

worth

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

From this reading To be sure, illuminated as it was by many gayly coloured lights, the lanterns glowing all across the porch and down the driveway, it was well worth looking at.

young

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

From this reading But it was not this decorative effect which the young host had come out to exult over.