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Regiment of Women
Regiment of Women

Chapter IV

Cover illustration for Regiment of Women
Context Illustration Reading 1/78 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.
She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.
She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.
As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.
She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.
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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.

Regiment of Women

Chapter IV

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.
Line 2
She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.
Line 3
She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.
Line 4
As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.
Line 5
She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

Learner Dictionary

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

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.”

Dream noun US /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading “She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.”

Memories noun US /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

Recollections of past events.

From this reading “As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.”

Reasons noun US /ˈreasons/

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

From this reading “One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.”

All words in this reading · 77

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 of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

afternoons

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

all

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

Alwynne's

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.

average

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

certain

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

class

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

classes

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

coaching

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

conduct

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

considered

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

consisting

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

defective

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

developing

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

devoted

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

difficulties

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

ducks

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

due

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

duties

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

Elsbeth

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

From this reading As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.

extra

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

extremely

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

facts

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

far

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

fell

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

girls

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

grounding

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

ill-health

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

imaginative

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

insinuating

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

invented

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

From this reading As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.

knowledge

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

lame

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

memoriesnounUS /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

Recollections of past events.

From this reading As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.

methods

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

minds

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

patient

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

pupils

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

quaint

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

realise

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

reasonsnounUS /ˈreasons/

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

respective

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

small

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

stupidity

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

successful

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

sufficiently

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

swans

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As she told Elsbeth, she invented their memories for them.

too

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

unorthodox

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

unusually

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

ways

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

From this reading She could be extremely patient, and had quaint and unorthodox ways of insinuating facts into her pupils' minds.

week

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

From this reading She devoted certain afternoons in the week to coaching them, and was considered to be unusually successful in her methods.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading One of Alwynne's duties was the conduct of a small "extra" class, consisting of girls, who, for reasons of stupidity, ill-health or defective grounding, fell too far below the average of knowledge in their respective classes.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.

young

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

From this reading She was sufficiently imaginative to realise their difficulties, yet sufficiently young to dream of developing, in due course, all her lame ducks into swans.