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War and Peace
War and Peace

Chapter XV

Cover illustration for War and Peace
Context Illustration Reading 1/162 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.
At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.
She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.
“What’s the matter with her?” thought Pierre, glancing at her.
She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.
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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.

War and Peace

Chapter XV

Reading 1/162 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.
Line 2
At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.
Line 3
She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.
Line 4
“What’s the matter with her?” thought Pierre, glancing at her.
Line 5
She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

Learner Dictionary

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

Around preposition US /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.”

Beside preposition US /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading “She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.”

Directly noun US /ˈdirectly/

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

From this reading “At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.”

Struck noun US /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““What’s the matter with her?” thought Pierre, glancing at her.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.”

All words in this reading · 73

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 At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

ball

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

Borís

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

boston

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

card

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

change

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

colonel

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

Count

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

curious

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

directlynounUS /ˈdirectly/

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

down

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

facing

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

general

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

gentle

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

glancing

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

From this reading “What’s the matter with her?” thought Pierre, glancing at her.

guests

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

happened

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

indifference

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

less

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

looking

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

made

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

matter

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

From this reading “What’s the matter with her?” thought Pierre, glancing at her.

Natásha

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

only

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

Pierre

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

plainness

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

pretty

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

principal

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

redeemed

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

reluctantly

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

reply

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

Rostóv

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

sat

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

silent

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

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

sister

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

sit

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

sitting

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

some

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

strucknounUS /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

table

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

tea

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

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading She was silent, and not only less pretty than at the ball, but only redeemed from plainness by her look of gentle indifference to everything around.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “What’s the matter with her?” thought Pierre, glancing at her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading At the card table he happened to be directly facing Natásha, and was struck by a curious change that had come over her since the ball.

What's

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

From this reading “What’s the matter with her?” thought Pierre, glancing at her.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Pierre, as one of the principal guests, had to sit down to boston with Count Rostóv, the general, and the colonel.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading She was sitting by her sister at the tea table, and reluctantly, without looking at him, made some reply to Borís who sat down beside her.