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The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories
The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

Chapter XXXIV

Cover illustration for The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/14 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).
He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.
The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.
A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.
Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”
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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 Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

Chapter XXXIV

Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).
Line 2
He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.
Line 3
The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.
Line 4
A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.
Line 5
Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

Learner Dictionary

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

Around preposition US /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.”

Continued noun US /ˈcontinued/

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

From this reading “The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.”

Free adjective US /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading “A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).”

Passage noun US /ˈpassage/

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

From this reading “A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.”

Several noun US /ˈseveral/

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

From this reading “Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.””

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.”

All words in this reading · 82

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 Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

all

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

belonging

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

boyarinia

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

built

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

centre

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

From this reading A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.

children

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

continuednounUS /ˈcontinued/

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

corner

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

court

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

deceased

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

described

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

door

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

EachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

estate

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

extent

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

feet

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

fenced

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

follows

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

four

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

freeadjectiveUS /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

held

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

house

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

household

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

inclosure

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

insignificant

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

interior

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

izba

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

known

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

lady

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

lived

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

man

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

nearest

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

nobility

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

nobleman

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

off

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

passagenounUS /ˈpassage/

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

From this reading A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.

Polikey

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

Polikey's

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

position

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

rather

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

room

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

Russian

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

From this reading A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.

separate

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

servants

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

serve

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

several

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

small

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

smallest

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

From this reading Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.”

square

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

staff

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

stone

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.

stove

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

From this reading A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.

surrounding

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

ten

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

very

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

walls

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which was a free passage.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

widow

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

wife

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

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house with his wife and children.

yards

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

From this reading The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.