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adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
affected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
agreeable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/
any thing at all
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
Baroness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
brother-in-law's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
Castle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
childish
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From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
constraint
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
coursenounUS /course/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
deep
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From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
duties
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
easy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
evernounUS /ever/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
familiar
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From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
family
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
few
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
fleeting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
follynounUS /ˈfɑːli/
an action or decision that shows a lack of good judgment
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
former
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
fulfilled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
given
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
heavily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
humour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
influence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
insignificant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
intercourse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
lasting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
leastnounUS /least/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
LifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
love-affair
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
member
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
met
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
outwardly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
partynounUS /party/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
perhaps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
piece
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
place
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
reserve
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
separate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
shallow-minded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
social
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
stiff
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
superficial
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
surenounUS /sure/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
table
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
taken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
talked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
ToparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
understandnounUS /understand/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She could not understand how an insignificant, fleeting love-affair, which, after all, was nothing more than a piece of childish folly, should have so deep and lasting an influence on her brother-in-law's humour.
usual
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To be sure, things had outwardly taken their usual course.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Baroness, shallow-minded and superficial as ever, was, perhaps, the least affected by it.
weeks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Life at the Castle during the last few weeks had been anything but agreeable.
weighednounUS /ˈweighed/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The family met and talked at table, and fulfilled all their social duties; but the former easy, familiar intercourse had given place to a stiff reserve and constraint, which weighed heavily on each separate member of the party.
