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The Financier: A Novel
The Financier: A Novel

Chapter XIV

Cover illustration for The Financier: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.
Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.
Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.
For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.
He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.
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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 Financier: A Novel

Chapter XIV

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.
Line 2
Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.
Line 3
Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.
Line 4
For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.
Line 5
He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.”

Current noun US /ˈcurrent/

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

From this reading “Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.”

Despite preposition US /dɪˈspaɪt/

although something is true; in spite of

From this reading “Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.”

Feeling noun US /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading “Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.”

Handsome noun US /ˈhandsome/

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

From this reading “He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

Aileen

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

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

belief

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

From this reading Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

certain

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

clear

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

closer

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

control

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

From this reading Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.

CurrentnounUS /ˈcurrent/

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

From this reading Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.

decidedly

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

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

definite

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

DespiteprepositionUS /dɪˈspaɪt/

although something is true; in spite of

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

direct

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

eyes

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

feelingnounUS /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.

final

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

forming

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

glow

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

handsomenounUS /ˈhandsome/

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

health

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

liaison

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

like

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

love

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

lover

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

matched

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

native

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

natural

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

nine

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Current religious feeling and belief could not control her.

notion

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

own

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

past

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

proceed

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

reached

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

relationship

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

religious

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

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

ruddy

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

slowly

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

strong

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

successful

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

sympathy

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

temperament

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

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

ten

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

there

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

understanding

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

upbringing

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

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

victim

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

From this reading Despite her religious upbringing, Aileen was decidedly a victim of her temperament.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading This definite and final understanding having been reached, it was but natural that this liaison should proceed to a closer and closer relationship.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He should be strong, handsome, direct, successful, with clear eyes, a ruddy glow of health, and a certain native understanding and sympathy—a love of life which matched her own.

years

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

From this reading For the past nine or ten years there had been slowly forming in her mind a notion of what her lover should be like.