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The Hampstead mystery — Volume 3
The Hampstead mystery — Volume 3

Chapter XI

Cover illustration for The Hampstead mystery — Volume 3
Context Illustration Reading 1/197 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.
It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.
The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.
At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.
Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.
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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 Hampstead mystery — Volume 3

Chapter XI

Reading 1/197 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.
Line 2
It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.
Line 3
The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.
Line 4
At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.
Line 5
Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

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 “A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.”

Fine noun US /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.”

Meanwhile noun US /ˈmeanwhile/

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

From this reading “Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.”

Until preposition US /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.”

All words in this reading · 83

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 few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

also

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

amusing

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

appeared

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

baby

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

became

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

Berry

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

boy

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

bustling

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

contents

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

cottage

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

days

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

deft

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

delicate

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

discussing

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

domestic

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

dropped

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

duties

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

ends

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

feet

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

few

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

finenounUS /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

fingers

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

formed

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

Grecian

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

hair

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

interesting

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

interweaving

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

intricate

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

kitchen

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

lace-making

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

letter

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

Luton

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

meanwhilenounUS /ˈmeanwhile/

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

mother

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

mother's

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

Mrs

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

occupied

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

occurrence

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

operation

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

out

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

pattern

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

plait

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

plaiting

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

rather

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

received

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

Rhoda

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

sat

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

seated

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

some

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

splits

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

straw

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

tumbled

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

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

vehemence

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

From this reading Mrs Berry was bustling in and out of the little kitchen meanwhile, occupied with her domestic duties, and discussing, with some vehemence, the contents of a letter she had received that morning.

visible

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading A few days after this occurrence, Rhoda Berry was seated in her mother’s cottage at Luton, plaiting straw.

watch

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

weaving

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading At her feet sat, or rather tumbled, her baby boy, amusing himself also with the ends of straw his mother dropped.

woman's

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

From this reading It was interesting to watch her deft fingers weaving and interweaving the fine splits of straw, until they formed a plait as delicate as that of a woman’s hair.

worked

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

From this reading The operation appeared as intricate as that of lace-making, until the ends were worked in and the Grecian pattern became visible.