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Muslin
Muslin

Chapter II

Cover illustration for Muslin
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?
We all know the old ballad.'
'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'
He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.
Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.
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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.

Muslin

Chapter II

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?
Line 2
We all know the old ballad.'
Line 3
'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'
Line 4
He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.
Line 5
Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

Learner Dictionary

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

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.”

Answered noun US /ˈanswered/

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

From this reading “'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.”

Beyond preposition US /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading “Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We all know the old ballad.'”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.”

Shadow noun US /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading “Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.”

All words in this reading · 71

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

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

all

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

From this reading We all know the old ballad.'

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

Anna

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

answerednounUS /ˈanswered/

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

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

Arthur

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

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

attractive

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

autumn

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

ballad

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

From this reading We all know the old ballad.'

Barton

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

chant

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

charming

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

face

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

fell

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

gave

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

guitar

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

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

Hamilton

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

interlude

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We all know the old ballad.'

Lady

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

listened

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

mamma

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

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

meadows

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

meditate

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

Milord

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

more

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

Mrs

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

odd

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

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

old

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

From this reading We all know the old ballad.'

opportunity

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

picture

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

pose

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

quiet

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

rejoiced

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

sat

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

seen

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

shelving

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

sing

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

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

slanted

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

From this reading He began to chant to himself, and Mrs. Barton listened, her face slanted in the pose of the picture of Lady Hamilton; and Milord rejoiced in the interlude, for it gave him opportunity to meditate.

stanzas

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

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

subject

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

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

sunshine

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

there

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

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'

verandah

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

From this reading Anna (Mrs. Barton) seemed to him more charming and attractive than he had ever seen her, as she sat in the quiet shadow of the verandah: beyond the verandah, behind her, the autumn sunshine fell across the shelving meadows.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We all know the old ballad.'

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading 'But, mamma, what is there odd in the subject?

Yes

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

From this reading 'Yes, we all know the ballad,' Arthur answered; 'I sing stanzas of it to the guitar myself.'