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The Rainbow Bridge
The Rainbow Bridge

Chapter XIV

Cover illustration for The Rainbow Bridge
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.
These rare occasions were times of joy.
Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.
The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.
At last Marian thought of a plan.
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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 Rainbow Bridge

Chapter XIV

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.
Line 2
These rare occasions were times of joy.
Line 3
Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.
Line 4
The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.
Line 5
At last Marian thought of a plan.

Learner Dictionary

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

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At last Marian thought of a plan.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.”

ONCE noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.”

Sometimes noun US /sometimes/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “These rare occasions were times of joy.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At last Marian thought of a plan.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.”

Wherever conjunction US /weˈrevər/

in or to any place at all

From this reading “Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.”

All words in this reading · 61

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 MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

chance

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

child

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

Claire

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

compelled

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

CONVERSATIONS

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

cousins

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

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

Ella

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

father

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

few

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

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

gay

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

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

happiness

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

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

home

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

hours

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

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

house

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

joy

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

From this reading These rare occasions were times of joy.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At last Marian thought of a plan.

leave

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

Marian

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

merriment

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

Mrs

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

MUSICAL

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

occasions

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

From this reading These rare occasions were times of joy.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading These rare occasions were times of joy.

ONCE

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

only

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

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

plan

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

From this reading At last Marian thought of a plan.

play

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

rare

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

From this reading These rare occasions were times of joy.

regret

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

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

sometimes

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

St

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The little cousins had gay times and their only regret was that such hours of happiness were few.

there

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These rare occasions were times of joy.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At last Marian thought of a plan.

Tilly

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

times

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

From this reading These rare occasions were times of joy.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

together

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

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

usually

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading These rare occasions were times of joy.

whereverconjunctionUS /weˈrevər/

in or to any place at all

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ONCE in a great while Marian and Ella had a chance to play together.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Mrs. St. Claire usually took Ella with her wherever she went, but sometimes she was compelled to leave the child at home with her father or Tilly, and there was merriment in the house.