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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Read the complete chapter in order, with its original wording preserved for focused English study.
And why is it so? Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me. Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.” “Basil, this is extraordinary! I must see Dorian Gray.”
Study this chapter through synchronized reading, listening, pronunciation, and contextual vocabulary.
Reading 58/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 286–290
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.
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading ““Basil, this is extraordinary!”
a member of one of four linguistic divisions of the prehistoric Greeks
From this reading “Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading ““Basil, this is extraordinary!”
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading “Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.””
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.””
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading “Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.”
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading “Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.””
land that is covered with trees and shrubs
From this reading “Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.””
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And why is it so?
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading “Basil, this is extraordinary!
for the reason that
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
a member of one of four linguistic divisions of the prehistoric Greeks
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “Basil, this is extraordinary!
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And why is it so?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And why is it so?
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must see Dorian Gray.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
cut with a saw
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I must see Dorian Gray.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And why is it so?
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Basil, this is extraordinary!
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
during the time that
From this reading Because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And why is it so?
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
land that is covered with trees and shrubs
From this reading Some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for and always missed.”
