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Arthur
Arthur

Chapter III

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Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.
On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.
Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.
The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.
It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.
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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.

Arthur

Chapter III

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.
Line 2
On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.
Line 3
Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.
Line 4
The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.
Line 5
It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.”

Château noun US /ʃæˈtoʊ/

A large French country house or castle, often surrounded by expansive estates and private galleries.

From this reading “The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.”

Returned noun US /ˈreturned/

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

From this reading “THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

age

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

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

arrival

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

From this reading Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.

become

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

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

BEREAVEMENT

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

black

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

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

bricks

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

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

built

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

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

châteaunounUS /ʃæˈtoʊ/

A large French country house or castle, often surrounded by expansive estates and private galleries.

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

confines

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

country-seat

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

edifice

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

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

England

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

enlightened

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

extremely

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

father

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

firm

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

forest

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

forget

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

From this reading Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

gone

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

Gothic

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

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

grandeur

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

guidance

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

ill

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

just

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.

living

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

man

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

many

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

modest

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

NevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

old

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

overlooked

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

raised

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

retirement

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

return

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

returnednounUS /ˈreturned/

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

secluded

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

seriously

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

Serval

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

sight

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

From this reading Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.

sojourn

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

solitary

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

Spain

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

straggling

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading On my return to Serval, our country-seat, where my father had been living for many long years in retirement, I found him seriously ill.

tutor

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

twenty

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

vast

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

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

village

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The château, which was extremely secluded and overlooked a straggling village, raised itself in solitary grandeur on the confines of a great forest.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Never in my life will I forget the sight of him on my arrival.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was a vast Gothic edifice built of bricks which had become black with age.

years

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

From this reading THE BEREAVEMENT I was twenty years old, and had just returned from a long sojourn in England and in Spain, where I had gone under the guidance of my tutor, a good, modest, firm, and enlightened man.