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A Dreadful Temptation
A Dreadful Temptation

Chapter V

Cover illustration for A Dreadful Temptation
Context Illustration Reading 1/14 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.
Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.
It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.
Then there came a light tap upon the door again.
She thought it was the maid to light the gas.
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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.

A Dreadful Temptation

Chapter V

Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.
Line 2
Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.
Line 3
It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.
Line 4
Then there came a light tap upon the door again.
Line 5
She thought it was the maid to light the gas.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.”

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then there came a light tap upon the door again.”

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.”

Remained noun US /ˈremained/

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

From this reading “Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She thought it was the maid to light the gas.”

Until preposition US /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

ached

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then there came a light tap upon the door again.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

away

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

black

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

came

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

chamber

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

confused

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

darkness

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

disturbed

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

door

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

fall

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

floor

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

gas

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

From this reading She thought it was the maid to light the gas.

gathered

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

head

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

heavy

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

hid

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

hurt

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

light

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

From this reading Then there came a light tap upon the door again.

like

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

luxurious

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

lying

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

maid

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

object

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

once

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

pall

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

quietly

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

remainednounUS /ˈremained/

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

saying

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

sent

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

severely

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

sight

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

sofa

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

tap

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

From this reading Then there came a light tap upon the door again.

tapped

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

Then

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

From this reading Then there came a light tap upon the door again.

there

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

From this reading Then there came a light tap upon the door again.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She thought it was the maid to light the gas.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

true

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was quite true, for her heavy fall upon the floor had hurt her severely; so she remained quietly lying on a sofa until black darkness hid everything from her confused sight.

wish

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

From this reading Her maid came and tapped at the door once, but she sent her away, saying that her head ached and she did not wish to be disturbed.

Xenie

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

From this reading Xenie remained alone in her chamber until darkness gathered like a pall over every luxurious object about her.