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Sir Tom
Sir Tom

Chapter X

Cover illustration for Sir Tom
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AN IDLE MORNING.
The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.
There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.
She had never pretended to be fond of the county society.
In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.
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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.

Sir Tom

Chapter X

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AN IDLE MORNING.
Line 2
The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.
Line 3
There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.
Line 4
She had never pretended to be fond of the county society.
Line 5
In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

Learner Dictionary

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

Cordial noun US /cordial/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

Forward noun US /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

MORNING noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “AN IDLE MORNING.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

Pleased noun US /ˈpleased/

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

From this reading “In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

Think noun US /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.”

All words in this reading · 62

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

ANdeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading AN IDLE MORNING.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading She had never pretended to be fond of the county society.

better

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

characterised

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

concealed

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

cordialnounUS /cordial/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

county

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

From this reading She had never pretended to be fond of the county society.

dinner-party

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

Dowager

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

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

dull

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

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

fact

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

fond

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

From this reading She had never pretended to be fond of the county society.

formal

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

forwardnounUS /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

glad

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

going

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

Hall

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

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

hospitality

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

IDLE

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

From this reading AN IDLE MORNING.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

Lady

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

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

large

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

late

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

less

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

MORNINGnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading AN IDLE MORNING.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She had never pretended to be fond of the county society.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

only

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

own

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

period

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

pleasednounUS /ˈpleased/

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

pretended

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

From this reading She had never pretended to be fond of the county society.

Randolph

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

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

represent

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

Robert's

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

Sir

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

society

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

From this reading She had never pretended to be fond of the county society.

spent

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

From this reading In the late Sir Robert's time she had not concealed the fact that the less time she spent in it the better she was pleased.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Dowager Lady Randolph had never found the Hall so dull.

There

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

thinknounUS /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading There was nothing going on, nothing even to look forward to: one formal dinner-party was the only thing to represent that large and cordial hospitality which she was glad to think had in her own time characterised the period when the Hall was open.