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Who Was Lost and Is Found: A Novel
Who Was Lost and Is Found: A Novel

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for Who Was Lost and Is Found: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.
She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.
“No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.
For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.
“Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.
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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.

Who Was Lost and Is Found: A Novel

Chapter IX

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.
Line 2
She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.
Line 3
“No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.
Line 4
For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.
Line 5
“Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

Learner Dictionary

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

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.”

Cried noun US /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.”

Dead noun US /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading ““No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.”

Impulse noun US /ˈɪmpʌls/

a sudden strong desire to act

From this reading “For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.”

Solemnly adverb US /ˈsɑləmli/

seriously and formally

From this reading “She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.”

Step noun US /step/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.”

Struck noun US /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

ben

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

big

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

book

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

From this reading “No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.

breath

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

burning

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

came

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

catastrophe

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

clock

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

criednounUS /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

deadnounUS /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

died

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

faint

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

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

fear

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

footfall

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

idly

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

impulsenounUS /ˈɪmpʌls/

a sudden strong desire to act

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

inaudible

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

indeed

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

instant

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

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

Janet

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

kitchen

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

knell

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

lamp

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

like

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

mem

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

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

mistress

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

moment

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

Mrs

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

new

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading “No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

Ogilvy

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

Oh

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

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

ominous

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

quick

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

reading

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

From this reading “No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.

reduce

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

room

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

said

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

From this reading “No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

sitting

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

solemnlyadverbUS /ˈsɑləmli/

seriously and formally

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

sound

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

stepnounUS /step/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

stir

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

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

stocking

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

From this reading “No stocking in her hands, not even reading a book,” Janet said.

strucknounUS /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

there

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

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

trying

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

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading “Oh, mem, mem!” she cried, and in an instant there was a faint stir.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading She found her mistress sitting still idly as if she were dead, the lamp burning solemnly, not the sound even of a breath in the room.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading When one struck on the big kitchen clock, with an ominous sound like a knell, Janet, trying to reduce her big step to an inaudible footfall, came “ben” again.

woman

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

From this reading For a moment, indeed, with a quick impulse of fear, the woman thought that Mrs Ogilvy had died in the new catastrophe.