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Within the Precincts
Within the Precincts

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for Within the Precincts
Context Illustration Reading 1/47 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
VISITORS.
And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!
The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.
Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.
Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.
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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.

Within the Precincts

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
VISITORS.
Line 2
And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!
Line 3
The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.
Line 4
Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.
Line 5
Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

Learner Dictionary

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

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.”

Shadow noun US /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading “Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.”

Silence noun US /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading “Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

Abbey

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

all

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

break

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

broad

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

closed

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

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

Dean's

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

Despard

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

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

distract

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

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

door

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

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

Downstairs

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

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

filling

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

going

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

house

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

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

inaudible

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

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

inhabitants

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

kitchen

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

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

light

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

Lodges

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

Lottie

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

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

lying

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

maid-of-all-work

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

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

matins

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

moment

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

most

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

moving

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

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

music

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

Now

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

problem

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

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

proceedings

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

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

quiet

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

scarcely

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

service

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

sunshine

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

swell

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

swept

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Downstairs the little maid-of-all-work had closed the door of the kitchen, so that her proceedings were inaudible.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

then

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

thoughts

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

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

thus

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

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The house was still, no one moving in it--nothing to distract her thoughts.

very

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

VISITORS

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

From this reading VISITORS.

Walk

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Now and then a swell of music from the Abbey, where service was going on, swept in, filling the silence for a moment; but most of the inhabitants of the Lodges were at matins, and all was very still in the sunshine, the Dean’s Walk lying broad and quiet, with scarcely a shadow to break the light.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And what a problem it was with which Lottie Despard was thus left alone!