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Ruth Erskine's Son
Ruth Erskine's Son

Chapter XXI

Cover illustration for Ruth Erskine's Son
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.
"A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.
The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.
Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.
She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.
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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.

Ruth Erskine's Son

Chapter XXI

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.
Line 2
"A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.
Line 3
The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.
Line 4
Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.
Line 5
She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.”

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.”

Nameless adjective US /ˈneɪm.ləs/

Having no name, or having a name that is kept secret or unknown.

From this reading “Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “"A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.”

Whatever determiner US /ˌwʌˈtevər/

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading “She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.”

All words in this reading · 82

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 "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

black

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

brown

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

Burnham

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.

claimed

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

common

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

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

deep

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

From this reading The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.

delicate

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

desire

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

drawn

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

existence

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

eyes

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

face

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

From this reading The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.

features

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

felt

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

floated

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

girl

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

girl's

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

girlhood

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

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

gold-brown

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

hair

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

hate

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

heard

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

instant

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

instantly

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

intensely

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

From this reading The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.

interest

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

Irene's

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

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

mourning

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

From this reading The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.

Mrs

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

namelessadjectiveUS /ˈneɪm.ləs/

Having no name, or having a name that is kept secret or unknown.

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

now

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

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

pale

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

phrase

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

rather

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

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

realized

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

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

Ruth's

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

struggling

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

STUDY

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

TALL

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

there

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

touch

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

From this reading The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

two

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

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

unreasonable

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

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

unrelieved

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

From this reading The girl was in deep mourning unrelieved even by a touch of white, and her face was intensely pale.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

wealth

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

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

whateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading She felt rather than realized that, whatever might have been Irene's appearance in girlhood, the two had nothing in common now, for her eyes.

white

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

From this reading "A study in black and white," was the phrase that floated through Ruth's mind as she looked at her.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "A STUDY" A TALL, pale girl with delicate features and great brown eyes and a wealth of gold-brown hair.

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet there was something about her, a nameless something, that claimed instant interest, and Mrs. Burnham, who, ever since she had heard of the girl's existence, had been struggling with an unreasonable desire to hate her, felt instantly drawn toward her.