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What Might Have Been Expected
What Might Have Been Expected

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for What Might Have Been Expected
Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AUNT MATILDA'S CHRISTMAS.
When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.
Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!
Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.
A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.
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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.

What Might Have Been Expected

Chapter VII

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AUNT MATILDA'S CHRISTMAS.
Line 2
When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.
Line 3
Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!
Line 4
Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.
Line 5
A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

Learner Dictionary

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

Afternoon noun US /ˈafternoon/

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

From this reading “When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.”

Council noun US /council/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.”

Weighed noun US /ˈweighed/

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

From this reading “Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!”

All words in this reading · 53

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 When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

affairs

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

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/

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

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

AUNT

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

From this reading AUNT MATILDA'S CHRISTMAS.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

calculated

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

cash

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

cents

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

CHRISTMAS

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

From this reading AUNT MATILDA'S CHRISTMAS.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

councilnounUS /council/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

discouraging

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

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

enough

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

five

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

Harry

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

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

held

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

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

income

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!

Kate

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

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

Kate's

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

From this reading Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!

kind

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

large

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

Matilda

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

MATILDA'S

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

From this reading AUNT MATILDA'S CHRISTMAS.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

only

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

From this reading Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

out

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

plain

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

pounds

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

From this reading Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!

quarter

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

seven

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

From this reading Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!

sumac

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

From this reading Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!

supported

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

trade

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!

weighednounUS /ˈweighed/

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

From this reading Kate's sumac was weighed, and it was only seven pounds!

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Harry and Kate held council that afternoon, their affairs looked a little discouraging.

whole

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

From this reading Seven whole cents, if they took it out in trade, or five and a quarter cents, as Kate calculated, if they took cash.

woman

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

From this reading A woman as large as Aunt Matilda could not be supported on that kind of an income, it was plain enough.