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The Reason Why
The Reason Why

Chapter XXI

Cover illustration for The Reason Why
Context Illustration Reading 1/59 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.
They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!
And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.
Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.
"We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.
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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 Reason Why

Chapter XXI

Reading 1/59 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.
Line 2
They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!
Line 3
And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.
Line 4
Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.
Line 5
"We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!”

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.”

Divided noun US /ˈdivided/

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

From this reading “And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.”

Running noun US /ˈrunning/

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

From this reading “There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.”

Think noun US /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “"We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.”

All words in this reading · 73

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 There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

antagonistic

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

attraction

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

beauty

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

Betty

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

bride

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

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

Burns

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

character

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

clustered

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

deal

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

dinner

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

dividednounUS /ˈdivided/

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

don't

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

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

dressing

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

Emily

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

exchange

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

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

favorable

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

felt

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

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

fiercely

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

heart

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

ladies

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

Lady

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

latter's

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

lovely

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

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

magnetic

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

Mary

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

mean

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

Montfitchet

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

new

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

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

night

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

opinions

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

other's

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

perfectly

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

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

room

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

rooms

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

runningnounUS /ˈrunning/

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

said

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

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

There

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

thinknounUS /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

together

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

From this reading Emily and Mary and Lady Betty Burns clustered together in the latter's room.

unanimous

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

venomously

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

views

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

From this reading They had, they felt, to exchange views about the new bride!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was a good deal of running into each other's rooms before dressing for dinner among the ladies at Montfitchet, that night.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

whole

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

From this reading And the opinions were favorable, on the whole; unanimous, as to her beauty and magnetic attraction; divided, as to her character; but fiercely and venomously antagonistic in one mean, little heart.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading "We think she is perfectly lovely, Betty," Emily said, "but we don't know her as yet.