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Sir Tom
Sir Tom

Chapter XXXIV

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Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SIEGE OF LONDON.
The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.
Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.
It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.
It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Sir Tom

Chapter XXXIV

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

Line 1
THE SIEGE OF LONDON.
Line 2
The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.
Line 3
Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.
Line 4
It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.
Line 5
It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.”

Everybody pronoun US /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Tell noun US /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.”

Think noun US /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.”

Towards preposition US /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading “It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.”

All words in this reading · 84

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

absolute

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

always

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

any

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

ball

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

believed

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

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

Bice

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

Bice's

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

capricious

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

cards

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

care

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

charge

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

Contessa

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

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

distinction

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

England

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

everybodypronounUS /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

EverythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

everywhere

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

fashion

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

gave

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

giving

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

governed

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

hard

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

lady

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

laws

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

leader

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

LONDON

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

From this reading THE SIEGE OF LONDON.

Lucy

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

more

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

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

nod

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE SIEGE OF LONDON.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

other

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

perhaps

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

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

pity

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

places

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

possible

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

relentings

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

said

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

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

SIEGE

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

From this reading THE SIEGE OF LONDON.

society

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

some

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

suffer

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

takenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

tellnounUS /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SIEGE OF LONDON.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

thinknounUS /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It seemed to be quite possible that she and her charge might be asked everywhere after their appearance at the ball which, she should take care to tell everybody, Lucy was giving for Bice.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading The Contessa, but perhaps not more than half, believed what she said.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Everything was on the cards in this capricious society of England, which is not governed by the same absolute laws as in other places.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.

youth

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

From this reading It was always possible in England that some leader of fashion, some great lady whose nod gave distinction, might take pity upon Bice's youth and think it hard that she should suffer, even if without any relentings towards the Contessa.