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A Reputed Changeling
A Reputed Changeling

Chapter XXXI · Seven Years

Cover illustration for A Reputed Changeling
Context Illustration Reading 1/41 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."
SCOTT.
This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"
"I--or my double?" he asked.
"When?"
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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 Reputed Changeling

Chapter XXXI · Seven Years

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."
Line 2
SCOTT.
Line 3
This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"
Line 4
"I--or my double?" he asked.
Line 5
"When?"
/wen/

Learner Dictionary

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

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “"It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."”

Double noun US /double/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"I--or my double?" he asked.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"”

Has auxiliary verb US /hæz/

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

From this reading “"It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"”

All words in this reading · 61

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 "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

account

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

almost

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

Anne

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

away

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

bower

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

contortions

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

dainty

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

day

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

death

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

delicate

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

double

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

From this reading "I--or my double?" he asked.

down

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

Elfin

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

expected

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

face

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

Fairy

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

feet

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

figure

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

fray

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

give

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "I--or my double?" he asked.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

joyless

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

King

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

motto

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "I--or my double?" he asked.

night

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "I--or my double?" he asked.

power

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

queer

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

really

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

SCOTT

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

From this reading SCOTT.

sinful

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

snatched

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

sunk

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

twisted

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

twixt

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

utterance

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

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, And 'twixt life and death was snatched away To the joyless Elfin bower."

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading This motto was almost the account that the twisted figure, with queer contortions of face, yet delicate feet and hands, and dainty utterance, might have been expected to give, when Anne asked him, "Was it you, really?"