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Arthur
Arthur

Chapter XXX

Cover illustration for Arthur
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.
She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.
Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.
I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.
The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.
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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 XXX

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.
Line 2
She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.
Line 3
Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.
Line 4
I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.
Line 5
The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

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 “The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.”

Details noun US /ˈdetails/

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

From this reading “I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.”

Incomprehensible adjective US /ˌɪnkɑmprɪˈhensəbəl/

impossible or very difficult to understand

From this reading “I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.”

Next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.”

Substance noun US /ˈsʌbstəns/

wealth or financial means

From this reading “The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.”

All words in this reading · 77

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 was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

abruptly

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

appear

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

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

aspirations

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

astonishment

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

breakfast

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

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

character

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

confidentially

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

court

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

DE

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

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

detailsnounUS /ˈdetails/

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

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

dreamed

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

entering

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

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

event

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

explain

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

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

FERSEN

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

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

following

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

From this reading The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

freely

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

futility

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

habits

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

incomprehensibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkɑmprɪˈhensəbəl/

impossible or very difficult to understand

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

learned

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

From this reading The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

led

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

M

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

From this reading The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

Madame

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

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

most

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

nextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

night

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

other

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

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

paying

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

perhaps

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

prince

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

PRINCESSE

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

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

regarding

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

restless

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

said

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

spent

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

spoke

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

substancenounUS /ˈsʌbstəns/

wealth or financial means

From this reading The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE PRINCESSE DE FERSEN The next morning Madame de Fersen did not appear at breakfast.

Then

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

warn

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

way

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

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

well

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

From this reading She was not well, the prince said, and had spent a restless night.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading The following is the substance of what I learned from M. de Fersen about his wife.

whim

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

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.

wife

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

From this reading Then, abruptly, to my great astonishment, he spoke to me most freely and confidentially, regarding the character, the mind, the habits of his wife, and the life led by her, perhaps to warn me of the futility of my aspirations, in the event of my having dreamed of paying my court to Madame de Fersen.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I can in no other way explain his incomprehensible whim in entering upon such details with me.