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Pandora's Box and the Golden Jar
Pandora's Box and the Golden Jar

Chapter III

Chapter 3, section 1: The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid. There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and th
Context Illustration Reading 1/99 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.
There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.
Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.
The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.
Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!
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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.

Pandora's Box and the Golden Jar

Chapter III

Reading 1/99 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.
Line 2
There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.
Line 3
Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.
Line 4
The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.
Line 5
Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

Learner Dictionary

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

most adverb US /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading “The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.”

Collocations
The mostA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
most beautifulA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 88

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 There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

afraid

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

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

all

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

almost

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

any

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

beautiful

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

brow

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

burst

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

called

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

carved

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

centre

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

chose

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

dark

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

donenounUS /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

else

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

expression

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

face

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

features

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

flowers

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

garland

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

grave

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

high

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

imagined

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

indeed

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

lid

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

like

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

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

liked

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

lips

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

lively

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

living

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

many

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

mischievous

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

mouth

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

needs

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

out

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

Pandora

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

polished

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

probably

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

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

rather

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

reliefnounUS /rɪˈliːf/

a feeling of comfort after worry or pain

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

richness

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

saveprepositionUS /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

smile

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

smooth

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

spoken

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

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

There

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

times

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

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

utter

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

very

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

wood

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

From this reading There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow.

words

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

wore

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

From this reading The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:-- "Do not be afraid, Pandora!