A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently. 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!' 'I could have kept him.' 'You would not ask him to stay, if he wished to go?' 'Yes, I would; he must stay, for my sake.'
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
next to; at the side of
From this reading “'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “'I could have kept him.'”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “'Yes, I would; he must stay, for my sake.'”
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'”
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'You would not ask him to stay, if he wished to go?'
next to; at the side of
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'Yes, I would; he must stay, for my sake.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'You would not ask him to stay, if he wished to go?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'I could have kept him.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading 'You would not ask him to stay, if he wished to go?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I could have kept him.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading 'Yes, I would; he must stay, for my sake.'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'Yes, I would; he must stay, for my sake.'
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Yes, I would; he must stay, for my sake.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'You would not ask him to stay, if he wished to go?'
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'What can we do, dear?' said the old man, standing beside her and smoothing her hair gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'You would not ask him to stay, if he wished to go?'
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading 'He would not stay,--I could not keep him!'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Yes, I would; he must stay, for my sake.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'You would not ask him to stay, if he wished to go?'
