Chapter XI
‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’ ‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head. ‘Just the reverse. She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’ ‘Not dull,’ says Susan.
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Chapter XI
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‘Ask
not
her
name:
The
light
winds
whisper
it
on
every
hand.’
‘Not
a
bit,’
says
he,
shaking
his
head.
‘Just
the
reverse.
She
is
young
and
skittish,
whilst
I
am
old
and
dull.’
‘Not
dull,’
says
Susan.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
‘Ask
not
her
name:
The
light
winds
whisper
it
on
every
hand.’
Line 2
‘Not
a
bit,’
says
he,
shaking
his
head.
Line 3
‘Just
the
reverse.
Line 4
She
is
young
and
skittish,
whilst
I
am
old
and
dull.’
Line 5
‘Not
dull,’
says
Susan.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Every
determiner
US /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’”
Hand
noun
US /hand/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’”
Name
noun
US /name/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’”
Shaking
noun
US /ˈshaking/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head.”
Whilst
conjunction
US /waɪlst/
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading “She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’”
All words in this reading · 32
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 ‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head.
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
Ask
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
bit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head.
dull
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
hand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head.
head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading ‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
Just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Just the reverse.
light
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
namenounUS /name/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
reverse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Just the reverse.
says
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head.
shakingnounUS /ˈshaking/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading ‘Not a bit,’ says he, shaking his head.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
skittish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
Susan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Not dull,’ says Susan.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
whilstconjunctionUS /waɪlst/
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’
whisper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
winds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ask not her name: The light winds whisper it on every hand.’
young
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She is young and skittish, whilst I am old and dull.’