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A bankrupt heart, Vol. 2 (of 3)
A bankrupt heart, Vol. 2 (of 3)

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for A bankrupt heart, Vol. 2 (of 3)
Context Illustration Reading 1/47 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.
One day she expressed something of the kind to him.
She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’
Ilfracombe laughed.
‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A bankrupt heart, Vol. 2 (of 3)

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.
Line 2
One day she expressed something of the kind to him.
Line 3
She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’
Line 4
Ilfracombe laughed.
Line 5
‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

Learner Dictionary

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

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’”

Here noun US /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “One day she expressed something of the kind to him.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “One day she expressed something of the kind to him.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

call

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

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

came

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

Christmas

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

Countess

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

country

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

darling

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

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

day

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

From this reading One day she expressed something of the kind to him.

deal

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

departure

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

Devenish

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

Dowager

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

expressed

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

From this reading One day she expressed something of the kind to him.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

herenounUS /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading One day she expressed something of the kind to him.

husband

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

Ilfracombe

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

From this reading Ilfracombe laughed.

inclement

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

indoors

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

kept

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

kind

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

From this reading One day she expressed something of the kind to him.

Ladies

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

laughed

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

From this reading Ilfracombe laughed.

made

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

moment

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

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

Nora

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

often

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One day she expressed something of the kind to him.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

people

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

present

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

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

purposes

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

retirement

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

said

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

seats

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading One day she expressed something of the kind to him.

spent

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

taken

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

Thistlemere

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

usually

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

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading She said,-- ‘I thought people usually kept their country seats for the purposes of retirement, but we have never been alone since we came here.’

weather

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

Why

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

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?

wish

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

From this reading Christmas was over; the Countess Dowager and the Ladies Devenish had taken their departure from Thistlemere; the weather was inclement, and a great deal of time had to be spent indoors; which made Nora often wish that she and her husband were alone.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading ‘Why, my darling, what do you call us at the present moment?