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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
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I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray. Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you. Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life. I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows. I grew afraid and turned to quit the room.
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Reading 34/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 166–170
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading “Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.”
a member of one of four linguistic divisions of the prehistoric Greeks
From this reading “I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.”
intense or sharp
From this reading “I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.”
plural of “joy” — the emotion of great happiness
From this reading “I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.”
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “I grew afraid and turned to quit the room.”
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading “I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.”
a region marking a boundary
From this reading “Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading I grew afraid and turned to quit the room.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
a member of one of four linguistic divisions of the prehistoric Greeks
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
intense or sharp
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading I grew afraid and turned to quit the room.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
plural of “joy” — the emotion of great happiness
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading I grew afraid and turned to quit the room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I grew afraid and turned to quit the room.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows.
express in words
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
up to a particular time
From this reading I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading I grew afraid and turned to quit the room.
a region marking a boundary
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then—but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
