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Oliver's Bride
Oliver's Bride

Chapter V

Cover illustration for Oliver's Bride
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.
He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.
But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.
He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.
It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.
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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.

Oliver's Bride

Chapter V

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.
Line 2
He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.
Line 3
But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.
Line 4
He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.
Line 5
It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

Learner Dictionary

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

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.”

Dozed verb US /doʊzd/

slept lightly or briefly

From this reading “He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.”

Journey noun US /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading “He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.”

Mechanically noun US /ˈmechanically/

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

From this reading “He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.”

Relief noun US /rɪˈliːf/

a feeling of comfort after worry or pain

From this reading “It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.”

Waking adjective US /ˈweɪ.kɪŋ/

Risen from sleep; conscious.

From this reading “He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.”

All words in this reading · 73

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 Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

astir

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

From this reading But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

awake

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

From this reading It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

bed

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.

circumstances

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

cold

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

contend

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

From this reading It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

daylight

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

From this reading But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.

distortions

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

disturbed

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

From this reading Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

dozedverbUS /doʊzd/

slept lightly or briefly

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

dreams

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

early

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

From this reading But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.

end

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

evening

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

film

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

form

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

fully

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

From this reading It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

Grace

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

heart

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

horror

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.

journeynounUS /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

leave-taking

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

made

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

mechanically

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

mere

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

miserable

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

From this reading It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

miserably

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

night

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

From this reading Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

Oliver

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

From this reading Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

only

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

past

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

people

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

reality

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

From this reading It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

reliefnounUS /rɪˈliːf/

a feeling of comfort after worry or pain

From this reading It was a relief to be fully awake and only have reality to contend with, miserable as that was.

repeating

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

rooms

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

shut-up

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

sleep

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

sleepless

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

From this reading Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.

slept

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

spent

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

From this reading Oliver spent a disturbed and sleepless night.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

things

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

thoughts

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

very

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

From this reading But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.

wakingadjectiveUS /ˈweɪ.kɪŋ/

Risen from sleep; conscious.

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading But he was astir very early, before it was daylight.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He went to bed as a form, one of those things that people do mechanically, and because the cold of the shut-up rooms went to his heart.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He had not slept but only dozed, miserably repeating in dreams which that film of half sleep made into mere distortions of his waking thoughts, the circumstances of the past evening, the journey, the leave-taking with Grace, the horror at the end.