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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.
Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not. She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature. I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet. I wish I had known it was your friend.” “I am very glad you didn’t, Harry.”
Study this chapter through synchronized reading, listening, pronunciation, and contextual vocabulary.
Reading 74/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 366–370
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.
understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
From this reading “Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.”
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.”
relating to or covered with or resembling freckles
From this reading “I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.”
of a dreadful kind
From this reading “I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.”
long and thin and often limp
From this reading “I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.”
seen in the mind as a mental image
From this reading “I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.”
-ing form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading “I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.”
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 She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am very glad you didn’t, Harry.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am very glad you didn’t, Harry.”
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
relating to or covered with or resembling freckles
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading I wish I had known it was your friend.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “I am very glad you didn’t, Harry.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “I am very glad you didn’t, Harry.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
of a dreadful kind
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I wish I had known it was your friend.”
apprehended with certainty
From this reading I wish I had known it was your friend.”
long and thin and often limp
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
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 Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
not any; not one
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
on one occasion
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
seen in the mind as a mental image
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
-ing form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
precisely as stated
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish I had known it was your friend.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am very glad you didn’t, Harry.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I wish I had known it was your friend.”
