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The Cryptogram: A Novel
The Cryptogram: A Novel

Chapter V

Cover illustration for The Cryptogram: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/111 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
DECIPHERING.
Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.
Zillah seemed to be perverse.
She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.
She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.
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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.

The Cryptogram: A Novel

Chapter V

Reading 1/111 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
DECIPHERING.
Line 2
Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.
Line 3
Zillah seemed to be perverse.
Line 4
She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.
Line 5
She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

Learner Dictionary

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

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.”

Choose noun US /choose/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.”

Confidential adjective US /ˌkɑnfəˈdɛnʃəl/

spoken privately and not for general knowledge

From this reading “Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.”

Herself pronoun US /hərˈself/

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

From this reading “She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Zillah seemed to be perverse.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

attending

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

away

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Zillah seemed to be perverse.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

capricious

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

chair

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

choosenounUS /choose/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

confidentialadjectiveUS /ˌkɑnfəˈdɛnʃəl/

spoken privately and not for general knowledge

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

conversation

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

days

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

DECIPHERING

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

From this reading DECIPHERING.

declare

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

five

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

flinging

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

Gualtier

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

Hilda

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

hour

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

how

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

Krieff

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

leave

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

Many

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

minutes

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

Miss

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

music

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

now

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

opportunity

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

other

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

perverse

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

From this reading Zillah seemed to be perverse.

piano

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

quit

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

room

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

see

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Zillah seemed to be perverse.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

some

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Zillah seemed to be perverse.

wanted

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading She was as capricious as ever as to her music: some days attending to it for five minutes, other days half an hour; but now she did not choose to leave the room.

weeks

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

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Many weeks passed away before Gualtier had another opportunity of having a confidential conversation with Miss Krieff.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading She would quit the piano, and, flinging herself into a chair, declare that she wanted to see how Hilda stood it.

Zillah

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

From this reading Zillah seemed to be perverse.