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Elsie Venner
Elsie Venner

Chapter XXVII · A Soul in Distress

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Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.
On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.
Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”
There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.
The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.
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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.

Elsie Venner

Chapter XXVII · A Soul in Distress

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

Line 1
The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.
Line 2
On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.
Line 3
Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”
Line 4
There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.
Line 5
The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.

Learner Dictionary

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

Distress noun US /dɪˈstrɛs/

extreme sadness or suffering

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

Has auxiliary verb US /hæz/

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

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

Pleased noun US /ˈpleased/

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

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.””

All words in this reading · 84

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 On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

afflicted

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

age

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.

anxiety

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

came

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

chapters

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

Chauncy

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

close

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

congregation

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

delicate

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

From this reading The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.

departed

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

discomfort

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

distressnounUS /dɪˈstrɛs/

extreme sadness or suffering

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

door

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

evening

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

events

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

Fairweather

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

God

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

handwriting

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

From this reading The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

ItsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

mercy

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

note

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

person

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

place

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

pleasednounUS /ˈpleased/

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

prayers

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

received

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

requests

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

Reverend

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

Saturday

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

saying

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

sex

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

show

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

soul

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

source

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

special

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

spiritual

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

taken

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

There

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

two

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

unknown

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

week

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

From this reading The events told in the last two chapters had taken place toward the close of the week.

well

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

From this reading The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

woman's

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

From this reading The handwriting was delicate and might well be a woman's.

word

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

From this reading On Saturday evening the Reverend Chauncy Fairweather received a note which was left at his door by an unknown person who departed without saying a word.

words

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

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Its words were these: “One who is in distress of mind requests the prayers of this congregation that God would be pleased to look in mercy upon the soul that he has afflicted.”

writer

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

From this reading There was nothing to show from whom the note came, or the sex or age or special source of spiritual discomfort or anxiety of the writer.