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Nanny Merry: or, What Made the Difference?
Nanny Merry: or, What Made the Difference?

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for Nanny Merry: or, What Made the Difference?
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE STORY.
One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."
The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."
Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.
Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.
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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.

Nanny Merry: or, What Made the Difference?

Chapter VI

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE STORY.
Line 2
One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."
Line 3
The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."
Line 4
Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.
Line 5
Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

Learner Dictionary

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

Afternoon noun US /ˈafternoon/

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

From this reading “One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."”

Glee noun US /ɡliː/

great delight or happiness

From this reading “Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."”

Tell noun US /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

always

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

Belle

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

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

book

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

bring

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

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

call

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

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

came

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

Charlie

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

children

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

coaxingly

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

curly

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

down

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

face

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

fast

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

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

feet

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

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

gleenounUS /ɡliː/

great delight or happiness

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

head

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

high

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

Jack

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

kissed

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

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

Mary

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

Mary's

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

Nannie

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

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

off

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

old

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

Please

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

porch

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

put

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

ran

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

readiness

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

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

reading

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

said

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

sat

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

sister

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

sitting

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

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

sofa

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

soon

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

steps

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

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

stories

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

STORY

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

From this reading THE STORY.

Sunday

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

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

tellnounUS /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE STORY.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.

upturned

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

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading One Sunday afternoon, as Mary sat reading in the porch, Jack and Charlie came and sat down by her on the old sofa; and soon Charlie put his little curly head between her face and the book, and said coaxingly, "Please tell us a story, sister Mary."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

we'll

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

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

welcomed

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

well

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

From this reading The little upturned face was well kissed before sister Mary said, "Well, Jack, call Nannie and Belle, and we'll have a story."

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Jack ran off in high glee, for sister Mary's stories were always welcomed by the children.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Nannie and Belle came as fast as their feet would bring them, and were soon sitting in readiness on the porch steps.