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Maitre Cornelius
Maitre Cornelius

Chapter I · A Church Scene of the Fifteenth Century

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Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.
The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.
The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.
Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.
The lights on each altar and all the candelabra in the choir were burning.
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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.

Maitre Cornelius

Chapter I · A Church Scene of the Fifteenth Century

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.
Line 2
The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.
Line 3
The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.
Line 4
Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.
Line 5
The lights on each altar and all the candelabra in the choir were burning.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.”

Faithful noun US /ˈfaithful/

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

From this reading “The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.”

Nevertheless adverb US /ˌnevərðəˈles/

in spite of what has just been said

From this reading “Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.”

All words in this reading · 78

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

1479

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

All

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

altar

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

From this reading The lights on each altar and all the candelabra in the choir were burning.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

archbishop

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

begins

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

benediction

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

Bourdeilles

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

burning

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

candelabra

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

From this reading The lights on each altar and all the candelabra in the choir were burning.

candle-trays

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

cathedral

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

certain

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

choir

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

From this reading The lights on each altar and all the candelabra in the choir were burning.

church

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

darkness

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

day

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

de

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

deepest

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

destined

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading The lights on each altar and all the candelabra in the choir were burning.

ending

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

explained

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

faithfulnounUS /ˈfaithful/

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

fallen

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

finished

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

give

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

goodly

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

Helie

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

history

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

honor

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

lights

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

From this reading The lights on each altar and all the candelabra in the choir were burning.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

merit

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

moment

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

NeverthelessadverbUS /ˌnevərðəˈles/

in spite of what has just been said

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

noble

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

number

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

obscurity

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

offerings

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

parts

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

pious

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

prevailed

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

receive

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

rising

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

Saints

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

seat

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

sermon

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

service

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

signification

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

sufficiently

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

tapers

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

Tours

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

towers

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

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.

triangular

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

From this reading Nevertheless a goodly number of tapers were burning in honor of the saints on the triangular candle-trays destined to receive such pious offerings, the merit and signification of which have never been sufficiently explained.

vespers

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The archbishop Helie de Bourdeilles was rising from his seat to give the benediction himself to the faithful.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading In 1479, on All Saints’ day, the moment at which this history begins, vespers were ending in the cathedral of Tours.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading The sermon had been long; darkness had fallen during the service, and in certain parts of the noble church (the towers of which were not yet finished) the deepest obscurity prevailed.