Chapter XI
LADY CHILTERN. He burned it. SIR ROBERT CHILTERN. I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes. How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
An Ideal Husband
Chapter XI
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
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LADY
CHILTERN.
He
burned
it.
SIR
ROBERT
CHILTERN.
I
wish
I
had
seen
that
one
sin
of
my
youth
burning
to
ashes.
How
many
men
there
are
in
modern
life
who
would
like
to
see
their
past
burning
to
white
ashes
before
them!
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
LADY
CHILTERN.
Line 2
He
burned
it.
Line 3
SIR
ROBERT
CHILTERN.
Line 4
I
wish
I
had
seen
that
one
sin
of
my
youth
burning
to
ashes.
Line 5
How
many
men
there
are
in
modern
life
who
would
like
to
see
their
past
burning
to
white
ashes
before
them!
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Ashes
noun
US /ˈæʃ.ɪz/
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading “I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.”
Before
preposition
US /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!”
Life
noun
US /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!”
One
pronoun
US /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.”
Would
modal verb
US /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!”
All words in this reading · 37
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
ashesnounUS /ˈæʃ.ɪz/
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
burned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He burned it.
burning
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From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
CHILTERN
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From this reading LADY CHILTERN.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He burned it.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He burned it.
LADY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LADY CHILTERN.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
modern
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
ROBERT
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SIR ROBERT CHILTERN.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
seen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
sin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
SIR
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SIR ROBERT CHILTERN.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
wish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading How many men there are in modern life who would like to see their past burning to white ashes before them!
youth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wish I had seen that one sin of my youth burning to ashes.