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Cousin Mary
Cousin Mary

Chapter XXII

Cover illustration for Cousin Mary
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MARY’S INVESTIGATIONS.
Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.
It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.
She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.
The spectators could not understand this strange sight.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Cousin Mary

Chapter XXII

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MARY’S INVESTIGATIONS.
Line 2
Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.
Line 3
It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.
Line 4
She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.
Line 5
The spectators could not understand this strange sight.

Learner Dictionary

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

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “The spectators could not understand this strange sight.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.”

Rest noun US /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.”

Understand noun US /understand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The spectators could not understand this strange sight.”

All words in this reading · 59

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 a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

affecting

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

all

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

Asquith

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

chair

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

circumstance

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

commonplaces

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading The spectators could not understand this strange sight.

countenance

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

daughter's

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

dulled

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

ear

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

ease

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

evening

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

family

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

happy

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

heart

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

heavy

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

Hetty's

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

INVESTIGATIONS

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

From this reading MARY’S INVESTIGATIONS.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

jokes

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

kept

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

kind

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

MARY'S

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

From this reading MARY’S INVESTIGATIONS.

Mrs

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The spectators could not understand this strange sight.

nursery

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

perfectly

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

restnounUS /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

see

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

side

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

sight

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

smiling

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

spectators

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

From this reading The spectators could not understand this strange sight.

stories

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

strange

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

talking

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

telling

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading The spectators could not understand this strange sight.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

tranquil

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

From this reading Mrs. Asquith kept to all appearance perfectly tranquil during the rest of that evening.

trifling

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

From this reading She kept telling all the nursery stories, all the little family jokes, every kind of trifling happy circumstance, the commonplaces of the family, to her daughter’s dulled and heavy ear.

unburdened

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

understandnounUS /understand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The spectators could not understand this strange sight.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was a strange and affecting sight to see her by the side of Hetty’s chair, talking with a smiling countenance and every appearance of ease and an unburdened heart.