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A Modern Instance
A Modern Instance

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for A Modern Instance
Context Illustration Reading 1/78 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.
She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.
In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.
She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.
She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”
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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 Modern Instance

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.
Line 2
She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.
Line 3
In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.
Line 4
She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.
Line 5
She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

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 “She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.”

Either determiner US /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading “In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.”

Feeling noun US /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading “She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!””

Gentleman noun US /ˈgentleman/

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

From this reading “In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.”

Gentlemen noun US /gentlemen/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.”

Lest conjunction US /lest/

in order that something should not happen

From this reading “She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.”

Let auxiliary verb US /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!””

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.”

Right noun US /right/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.”

Speak noun US /speak/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!””

Throat noun US /θroʊt/

The passage at the back of the mouth.

From this reading “She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.”

All words in this reading · 93

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 made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

acquiescence

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

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

afraid

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

all

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

ask

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

away

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

Bartley

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

Boston

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

compare

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

dressed

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

dwell

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

expected

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

eyes

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

feelingnounUS /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

finally

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

find

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

gentlemannounUS /ˈgentleman/

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

gentlemennounUS /gentlemen/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

glanced

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

glances

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

heart

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

homesick

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

How

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

ladies

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

lestconjunctionUS /lest/

in order that something should not happen

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

lonesome

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

looks

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

made

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

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

Marsh

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

murmur

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

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

notice

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

other

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

paper

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

papers

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

people

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

pretty

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

put

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

reading

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

rightnounUS /right/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

said

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

say

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

speak

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

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

steal

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

strangeness

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

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

style

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

tables

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

there

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

throatnounUS /θroʊt/

The passage at the back of the mouth.

From this reading She made a little murmur of acquiescence in her throat, but she could not speak for strangeness.

timid

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She began to steal little timid glances about, and to notice the people at the other tables.

very

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

well

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

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”

wishing

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

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading In her heart she did not find the ladies so very well dressed as she had expected the Boston ladies to be; and there was no gentleman there to compare with Bartley, either in style or looks.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading She let her eyes finally dwell on him, wishing that he would put his paper away and say something, but afraid to ask, lest it should not be quite right: all the other gentlemen were reading papers.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading She was feeling lonesome and homesick, when he suddenly glanced at her and said, “How pretty you look, Marsh!”