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Jonah and Co.
Jonah and Co.

Chapter XII

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Context Illustration Reading 1/108 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.
And that would have been a great shame.
It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.
Deliberately Berry surveyed himself.
We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.
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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.

Jonah and Co.

Chapter XII

Reading 1/108 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.
Line 2
And that would have been a great shame.
Line 3
It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.
Line 4
Deliberately Berry surveyed himself.
Line 5
We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

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 “We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “And that would have been a great shame.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.”

FAIR noun US /fair/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And that would have been a great shame.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Deliberately Berry surveyed himself.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “And that would have been a great shame.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

accident

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

ADELE

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

bed-chamber

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading And that would have been a great shame.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

BERRY

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

brother-in-law

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

Chateau

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

daring

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

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

day

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

Deliberately

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

From this reading Deliberately Berry surveyed himself.

FAIRnounUS /fair/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

Gavarnie

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And that would have been a great shame.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

HEELS

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Deliberately Berry surveyed himself.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

HOW

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

lasting

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

lips

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

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

MANHOOD

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

merest

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

OFF

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

PAIR

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

pier-glass

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

PUT

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

reproach

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

revisited

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

seen

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

shame

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

From this reading And that would have been a great shame.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

SHOWED

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

spared

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

stiffly

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

surveyed

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

From this reading Deliberately Berry surveyed himself.

Susan

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And that would have been a great shame.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

tones

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

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

trust

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

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

twitching

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

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading HOW BERRY PUT OFF HIS MANHOOD, AND ADELE SHOWED A FAIR PAIR OF HEELS But for Susan, I should not have seen the Chateau, and, but for the merest accident, we should not have revisited Gavarnie.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

wife's

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

From this reading It was the day before we were spared this lasting reproach that my brother-in-law stood stiffly before a pier-glass in his wife's bed-chamber.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading We stood about him with twitching lips, not daring to trust our tones.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading And that would have been a great shame.