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A Fortunate Term
A Fortunate Term

Chapter X

Cover illustration for A Fortunate Term
Context Illustration Reading 1/50 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.
In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.
There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".
They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.
Many of the boarders were the children of parents who were out in India.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Fortunate Term

Chapter X

Reading 1/50 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.
Line 2
In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.
Line 3
There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".
Line 4
They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.
Line 5
Many of the boarders were the children of parents who were out in India.

Learner Dictionary

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

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.”

However adverb US /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading “In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.”

Mixed verb US /mɪkst/

involved with or connected to

From this reading “There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".”

Mysterious adjective US /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading “They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.”

Rest noun US /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".”

Themselves pronoun US /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading “There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".”

Understand noun US /understand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.”

All words in this reading · 91

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 In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

all

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

allusions

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

altogether

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

AmongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

attention

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

Boarders

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

breasts

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

calculated

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

children

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

From this reading Many of the boarders were the children of parents who were out in India.

classes

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

community

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

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

day

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

envy

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

estimation

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

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

fact

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

far

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

gave

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

girls

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

hatred

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

important

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

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

India

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

From this reading Many of the boarders were the children of parents who were out in India.

initiate

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

kept

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

malice

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

Many

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

From this reading Many of the boarders were the children of parents who were out in India.

Mavis

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

Merle

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

mixedverbUS /mɪkst/

involved with or connected to

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

Moorings

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

much

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

neglected

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

occupied

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

out

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

From this reading Many of the boarders were the children of parents who were out in India.

own

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

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

parents

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

From this reading Many of the boarders were the children of parents who were out in India.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

passwords

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

possible

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

proud

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

provoke

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

rather

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

references

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

refused

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

restnounUS /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

satisfaction

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

school

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

secrets

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

share

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

signs

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

somewhat

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

sorts

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

sternly

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

There

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

twelve

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

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".

uncharitableness

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

understandnounUS /understand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

very

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

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Among the Boarders Mavis and Merle, being day girls at The Moorings, have occupied so much of our attention that we have somewhat neglected the boarders.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading In their own estimation, however, they were a very important part of the community.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

whompronounUS /huːm/

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

From this reading They had all sorts of little secrets that day girls might not share, signs and passwords and mysterious references, which gave them great satisfaction, and were calculated to provoke envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness in the breasts of those who did not understand the allusions, and whom they sternly refused to initiate.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading There were twelve of them altogether, and though, during classes, they mixed with the rest of the school, they were rather proud of the fact that, as far as possible, they "kept themselves to themselves".