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The Story of Valentine and His Brother
The Story of Valentine and His Brother

Chapter XII

Cover illustration for The Story of Valentine and His Brother
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.
His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.
Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.
The boy’s departure was no small trial to the old people.
Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.
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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 Story of Valentine and His Brother

Chapter XII

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.
Line 2
His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.
Line 3
Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.
Line 4
The boy’s departure was no small trial to the old people.
Line 5
Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.”

Heir noun US /er/

A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

From this reading “The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.”

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

associations

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

away

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

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

belonged

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

boy's

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

From this reading The boy’s departure was no small trial to the old people.

brother

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

compensation

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

departure

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

From this reading The boy’s departure was no small trial to the old people.

EachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

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

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

early

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

educated

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

education

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

else

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

Eskside

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

Eskside's

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

Eton

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

failure

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

fashion

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

father

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

fingers

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

grandfather

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

grandson

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

Grinder's

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

heirnounUS /er/

A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

idea

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

indifferently

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

keeping

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

kind

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

Lady

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

Lord

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

mingled

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

Mr

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

naturally

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The boy’s departure was no small trial to the old people.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

old

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

older

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

people

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

From this reading The boy’s departure was no small trial to the old people.

placed

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

privately

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

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

Richard's

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

Ross

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

said

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

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

satisfied

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

school

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

Scotch

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

sent

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

shade

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

small

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

From this reading The boy’s departure was no small trial to the old people.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

succeeded

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

there

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

tips

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

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

training

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

trial

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

From this reading The boy’s departure was no small trial to the old people.

tutor

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

up

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

Valentine

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The school that Valentine Ross, Lord Eskside’s grandson and heir, was sent to was, naturally, Eton.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Each of them said something to him privately before he went away.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading His father had been educated there, but not his grandfather, who belonged to an older fashion in education as in everything else, and was Scotch to his fingers’ tips, and to every shade of idea in his mind.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Valentine was placed with the brother of the tutor who had succeeded so indifferently with his early training--a kind of mingled compensation for that failure, and keeping up of old associations--for Mr Grinder’s father had been Richard’s tutor--which satisfied Lord and Lady Eskside.