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Chapter II

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Context Illustration Reading 1/50 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Supper was just served when they got downstairs.
It was another variety of this wonderful evening.
The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.
But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.
What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!
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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.

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Chapter II

Reading 1/50 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Supper was just served when they got downstairs.
Line 2
It was another variety of this wonderful evening.
Line 3
The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.
Line 4
But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.
Line 5
What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “It was another variety of this wonderful evening.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.”

Seeing noun US /seeing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.”

Sure noun US /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.”

Wonderful noun US /ˈwonderful/

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

From this reading “It was another variety of this wonderful evening.”

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 The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

accustomed

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

almost

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading It was another variety of this wonderful evening.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!

beautiful

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

buzz

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

From this reading What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!

Christmas

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

confections

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

dining-room

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

downstairs

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

From this reading Supper was just served when they got downstairs.

evening

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

From this reading It was another variety of this wonderful evening.

fell

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

fruits

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

glass

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

got

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

From this reading Supper was just served when they got downstairs.

greens

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was another variety of this wonderful evening.

just

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

From this reading Supper was just served when they got downstairs.

lights

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

Matilda

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

much

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was another variety of this wonderful evening.

others

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

plate

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

rapture

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

room

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

From this reading What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!

seeing

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

served

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

From this reading Supper was just served when they got downstairs.

setting

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

sight

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

sort

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

Supper

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

From this reading Supper was just served when they got downstairs.

surenounUS /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!

table

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

tasting

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Supper was just served when they got downstairs.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It was another variety of this wonderful evening.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

tree

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

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

variety

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

From this reading It was another variety of this wonderful evening.

very

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Supper was just served when they got downstairs.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading But the others were accustomed to this sort of thing, and fell to tasting, with very little rapture about the seeing.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What a buzz the room was in, to be sure!

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Supper was just served when they got downstairs.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The dining-room long table was so beautiful with lights, fruits, greens, and confections, with setting of plate and glass, that to Matilda it was almost as much of a sight as the Christmas tree had been.

wonderfulnounUS /ˈwonderful/

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

From this reading It was another variety of this wonderful evening.