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The Forsyte Saga - Complete
The Forsyte Saga - Complete

Chapter XXXVI · James in Waiting

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Context Illustration Reading 1/65 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.
His father had been unwell lately.
This would have to be kept from him!
Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.
His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Forsyte Saga - Complete

Chapter XXXVI · James in Waiting

Reading 1/65 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.
Line 2
His father had been unwell lately.
Line 3
This would have to be kept from him!
Line 4
Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.
Line 5
His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

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 “His father had been unwell lately.”

Decline noun US /dɪˈklaɪn/

a gradual loss of health and strength

From this reading “His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “This would have to be kept from him!”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.”

Serenity noun US /səˈren.ə.t̬i/

The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled by external storms.

From this reading “Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.”

Till preposition US /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “This would have to be kept from him!”

All words in this reading · 68

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

affection

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

always

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading This would have to be kept from him!

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His father had been unwell lately.

bound

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

bringing

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

counted

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

declinenounUS /dɪˈklaɪn/

a gradual loss of health and strength

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

deep

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

dined

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

down

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

dread

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

face

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

father

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

From this reading His father had been unwell lately.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading This would have to be kept from him!

grave

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

grey

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading His father had been unwell lately.

hairs

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading This would have to be kept from him!

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading This would have to be kept from him!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

how

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

increased

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

intimately

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

James

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

kept

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

From this reading This would have to be kept from him!

knowledge

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

Lane

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

late

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

lately

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

From this reading His father had been unwell lately.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

moment

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

much

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

NevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

own

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

Park

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

prop

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

real

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.

realised

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

Remove

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

scandal

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

serenitynounUS /səˈren.ə.t̬i/

The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled by external storms.

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

shrinking

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

Soames

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

sorrow

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

Sweated

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This would have to be kept from him!

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

turned

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

From this reading Sweated to serenity, Soames dined at the Remove and turned his face toward Park Lane.

unwell

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

From this reading His father had been unwell lately.

up

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Never till that moment had he realised how much the dread of bringing James’ grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave had counted with him; how intimately it was bound up with his own shrinking from scandal.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading This would have to be kept from him!

years

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

From this reading His affection for his father, always deep, had increased of late years with the knowledge that James looked on him as the real prop of his decline.