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A Fair Barbarian
A Fair Barbarian

Chapter V

Cover illustration for A Fair Barbarian
Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ACCIDENTAL.
When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.
From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.
All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.
She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.
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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 Fair Barbarian

Chapter V

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ACCIDENTAL.
Line 2
When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.
Line 3
From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.
Line 4
All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.
Line 5
She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.”

Length noun US /leŋθ/

a period of time or extent

From this reading “From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.”

Secret noun US /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading “She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

ACCIDENTAL

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

From this reading ACCIDENTAL.

administered

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

All

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

apartment

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

babyhood

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

blue

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

chairs

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

containing

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

dinner

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

disliked

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

drawing-room

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

evenings

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

faded

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

fifth

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

following

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

furniture

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

girl's

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

grandmother

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

height

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

imposing

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

indeed

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

From this reading She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

Lady

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

lengthnounUS /leŋθ/

a period of time or extent

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

Lucia

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

massive

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

most

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

much

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

occurred

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

From this reading She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

opposite

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

proceeded

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

received

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

reproofs

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

rose

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

satin

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

scathing

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

sitting

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

spent

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

straightest

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

Theobald

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

theory

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

From this reading She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

things

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

From this reading She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

times

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

unpleasant

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

From this reading She had a secret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in the drawing-room after dinner.

upholstered

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

very

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

wake

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When dinner was over, Lady Theobald rose, and proceeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading From her very babyhood Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which was an imposing apartment of great length and height, containing much massive furniture, upholstered in faded blue satin.

year

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

From this reading All the girl's evenings, since her fifth year, had been spent sitting opposite her grandmother, in one of the straightest of the blue chairs: all the most scathing reproofs she had received had been administered to her at such times.