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The Great Prince Shan
The Great Prince Shan

Chapter I

Cover illustration for The Great Prince Shan
Context Illustration Reading 1/41 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.
She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.
No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.
Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.
Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.
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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.

The Great Prince Shan

Chapter I

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.
Line 2
She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.
Line 3
No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.
Line 4
Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.
Line 5
Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

Learner Dictionary

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

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.”

Fair noun US /fair/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.”

Neither determiner US /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading “She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.”

Wind noun US /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.”

Wonderful noun US /ˈwonderful/

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

From this reading “Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.”

All words in this reading · 80

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 Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

affected

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

any

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

baffled

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

called

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

capable

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

changes

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

cigarettes

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

cocktails

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

commenced

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

complexion

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

dark

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

From this reading She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.

day

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

defied

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

description

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

Dorminster

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

Earl

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

expression

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

extolled

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

eyes

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

fairnounUS /fair/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.

feature

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

form

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

grace

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

grey

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

impudent

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

inclined

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

indulgence

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

Lady

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

Maggie

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

moderate

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

mostly

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

mouth

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

nondescript

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.

nose

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

particular

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

From this reading No one could ever have called her nondescript, or have extolled any particular grace of form or feature.

petite

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

From this reading She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.

ravages

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

retroussé

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

seriously

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

some

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

stepdaughter

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

sun

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

takenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

tall

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

From this reading She was neither fair nor dark, petite nor tall.

tender

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

Trent

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

veiled

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

windnounUS /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.

women

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

wonderfulnounUS /ˈwonderful/

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

From this reading Her nose was inclined to be retroussé, her mouth tender but impudent, her grey eyes mostly veiled in expression but capable of wonderful changes.

years

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

young

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

From this reading Lady Maggie Trent, a stepdaughter of the Earl of Dorminster, was one of those young women who had baffled description for some years before she had commenced to take life seriously.

youth

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

From this reading Her complexion had defied the ravages of sun and wind and that moderate indulgence in cigarettes and cocktails which the youth of her day affected.