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Mrs. Arthur
Mrs. Arthur

Chapter XIII

Cover illustration for Mrs. Arthur
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.
His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.
He was left there, with Mrs. Bates and old Davies!
There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.
Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Davies were fitly matched.
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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.

Mrs. Arthur

Chapter XIII

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.
Line 2
His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.
Line 3
He was left there, with Mrs. Bates and old Davies!
Line 4
There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.
Line 5
Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Davies were fitly matched.

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 “There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

air

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

Arthur

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

back

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

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

Bates

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

From this reading He was left there, with Mrs. Bates and old Davies!

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

bridal-wreath

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

bride

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

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

church

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

counteract

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

culmination

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

Davies

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

From this reading He was left there, with Mrs. Bates and old Davies!

describe

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

despair

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

fitly

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

From this reading Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Davies were fitly matched.

friend

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

group

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

hurry

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

impassioned

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

impossible

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

Jane's

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

lover

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

matched

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

From this reading Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Davies were fitly matched.

Mrs

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

From this reading He was left there, with Mrs. Bates and old Davies!

muslin

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

Nancy's

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

old

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

From this reading He was left there, with Mrs. Bates and old Davies!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

other

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

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

out

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

pink

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

Sarah

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

saw

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

sensation

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

side

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

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

sister

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

squalor

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

surroundings

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

there

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

From this reading He was left there, with Mrs. Bates and old Davies!

ThoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

tragical-ludicrous

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

turning

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

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading His bride had left him on the other side, turning her back upon him.

very

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

weather

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

From this reading There was a tragical-ludicrous air about the group which seemed the very culmination of that squalor of the weather and the surroundings, which not even Nancy’s bridal-wreath, and Sarah Jane’s pink muslin could counteract.

wedding-day

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Davies were fitly matched.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Though it was his wedding-day, and though he was an impassioned lover, it would be impossible to describe the sensation of despair with which Arthur saw his sister and his friend hurry out of the church.