Chapter XI
“‘Why did you come?’ she inquired. “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her. At length I said— “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
Derues: Celebrated Crimes
Chapter XI
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
“‘Why
did
you
come?’
she
inquired.
“I
did
not
answer,
but
looked
sternly
at
her,
in
order
to
discompose
her.
At
length
I
said—
“‘You
should
have
written,
madame,
and
warned
me
that
my
coming
would
be
indiscreet.’
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
“‘Why
did
you
come?’
Line 2
she
inquired.
/ʃiː ˈinquired/
Line 3
“I
did
not
answer,
but
looked
sternly
at
her,
in
order
to
discompose
her.
Line 4
At
length
I
said—
Line 5
“‘You
should
have
written,
madame,
and
warned
me
that
my
coming
would
be
indiscreet.’
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Come
noun
US /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““‘Why did you come?’”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ““‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’”
Inquired
noun
US /ˈinquired/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “she inquired.”
Length
noun
US /leŋθ/
a period of time or extent
From this reading “At length I said—”
Looked
noun
US /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.”
Order
noun
US /order/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.”
Would
modal verb
US /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading ““‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’”
All words in this reading · 33
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
answer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “‘Why did you come?’
coming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “‘Why did you come?’
discompose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
indiscreet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
inquirednounUS /ˈinquired/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading she inquired.
lengthnounUS /leŋθ/
a period of time or extent
From this reading At length I said—
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
madame
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
ordernounUS /order/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At length I said—
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading she inquired.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
sternly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her.
warned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
Why
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Why did you come?’
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
written
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.’
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “‘Why did you come?’