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A Daughter of Eve
A Daughter of Eve

Chapter VII · Suicide

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Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.
Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.
His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.
So goes the world of literature.
No one is really liked but an inferior.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Daughter of Eve

Chapter VII · Suicide

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.
Line 2
Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.
Line 3
His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.
Line 4
So goes the world of literature.
Line 5
No one is really liked but an inferior.

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 “Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “No one is really liked but an inferior.”

Saved noun US /saved/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.”

All words in this reading · 85

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 His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

absence

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

adore

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading No one is really liked but an inferior.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

become

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

case

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

console

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

consoled

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

country-seat

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

day

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

enemies

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

fall

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

falling

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

Florine

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

friends

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

goes

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

From this reading So goes the world of literature.

gulf

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

hand

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

hated

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

hold

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

inferior

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

From this reading No one is really liked but an inferior.

intention

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading No one is really liked but an inferior.

letters

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

liked

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

From this reading No one is really liked but an inferior.

literature

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

From this reading So goes the world of literature.

Marie's

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

midst

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

moment

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

month

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

near

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No one is really liked but an inferior.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading No one is really liked but an inferior.

out

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

passionate

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

pro

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

Raoul

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

ready

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

really

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

From this reading No one is really liked but an inferior.

received

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

ruling

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

savednounUS /saved/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

showed

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So goes the world of literature.

staff

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

success

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

tem

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

unfortunately

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

usual

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

Vandenesse

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Marie’s absence might have saved Raoul from the gulf into which he was falling, if Florine had been near him; but, unfortunately, he was alone in the midst of friends who had become his enemies from the moment that he showed his intention of ruling them.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

wife

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.

world

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

From this reading So goes the world of literature.

writers

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

From this reading His staff of writers hated him “pro tem.,” ready to hold out a hand to him and console him in case of a fall, ready to adore him in case of success.

wrote

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

From this reading In the month of May Vandenesse took his wife, as usual, to their country-seat, where she was consoled by the passionate letters she received from Raoul, to whom she wrote every day.