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Violet Forster's Lover
Violet Forster's Lover

Chapter XIX

Cover illustration for Violet Forster's Lover
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.
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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.

Violet Forster's Lover

Chapter XIX

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
Line 2
At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
Line 3
Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
Line 4
How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
Line 5
At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.

Learner Dictionary

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

Along preposition US /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.”

Descended noun US /ˈdescended/

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

From this reading “Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!”

Foot noun US /foot/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.”

Passage noun US /ˈpassage/

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

From this reading “The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.”

Stopped noun US /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!”

Wondered noun US /wondered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.”

All words in this reading · 74

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 Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

ankle

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

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

best

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

better

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

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

came

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

caught

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

caution

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

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

cold

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

comfortless

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

Curiously

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

darkness

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

day

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

descendednounUS /ˈdescended/

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

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

draperies

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

footnounUS /foot/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.

Forster

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

gave

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

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

ghostly

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

glimmer

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

grey

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

hall

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

head

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

heel

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

house

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

How

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

light

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

listen

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

From this reading At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.

made

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

now

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

painted

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

passagenounUS /ˈpassage/

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

paused

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

possible

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

quiet

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

see

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

shimmeringly

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

spite

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

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

stair

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

staircase

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

stairs

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

From this reading At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.

stoppednounUS /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.

stumbled

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

tread

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

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

twinge

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

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

Two

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

Violet

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

way

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

windows

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

From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.

Women

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

From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.

wonderednounUS /wondered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.