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Sleeping Beauty (Little Briar-Rose)
Sleeping Beauty (Little Briar-Rose)

Chapter I · Act 01: The Discourse of Sleeping Beauty (Little Briar-Rose) — The Origin & The Dilemma

Act 01: The Discourse of Sleeping Beauty (Little Briar-Rose) — The Origin & The Dilemma, section 1: ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children. Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs. They were rich; they li
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.
Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.
They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.
Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.
Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.
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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.

Sleeping Beauty (Little Briar-Rose)

Chapter I · Act 01: The Discourse of Sleeping Beauty (Little Briar-Rose) — The Origin & The Dilemma

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.
Line 2
Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.
Line 3
They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.
Line 4
Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.
Line 5
Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.”

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.”

None pronoun US /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading “Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.”

ONCE noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.”

Prosperous adjective US /ˈprɑspərəs/

successful and without serious problems

From this reading “They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.”

Several noun US /ˈseveral/

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

From this reading “Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.”

Theirs pronoun US /ðerz/

the one or ones belonging to them

From this reading “Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

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

From this reading “Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.”

Wonderful noun US /ˈwonderful/

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

From this reading “They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

Ah

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

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

care

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

child

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

children

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

contented

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

costliest

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

day

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

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

else

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

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

EverythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

full

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

heart

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

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

King

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

kingdom

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

lived

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

love

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

married

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

miserable

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

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

ONCE

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

only

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

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

own

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

palace

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

peace

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

people

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

prosperousadjectiveUS /ˈprɑspərəs/

successful and without serious problems

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

Queen

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

rich

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

say

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

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

several

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

sigh

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

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

theirspronounUS /ðerz/

the one or ones belonging to them

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

there

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

things

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

treasures

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

unhappy

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

very

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

wanted

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading ONCE upon a time there were a King and a Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children.

wish

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

From this reading Everything else that the heart could wish for was theirs.

wonderfulnounUS /ˈwonderful/

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

From this reading They were rich; they lived in a wonderful palace full of the costliest treasures; their kingdom was at peace, and their people were prosperous.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Every day the King would look at the Queen and say: "Ah, if we only had a little child," and the Queen would look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it.

years

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

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet none of these things contented them, because they wanted a little child of their own to love and to care for, and though they had been married several years, no child had come to them.

Chapter Quiz

What is the central philosophical inquiry and narrative progression in 'Act 01: The Discourse of Sleeping Beauty (Little Briar-Rose) — The Origin & The Dilemma'?

How does the prose style reflect classical academic excellence?

What primary language acquisition value does this text offer advanced English scholars?