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Within the Precincts
Within the Precincts

Chapter XXXIII

Cover illustration for Within the Precincts
Context Illustration Reading 1/55 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ANOTHER CHANCE.
Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.
He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.
There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.
He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.
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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 XXXIII

Reading 1/55 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ANOTHER CHANCE.
Line 2
Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.
Line 3
He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.
Line 4
There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.
Line 5
He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

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 “There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.”

ANOTHER noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “ANOTHER CHANCE.”

Anyone pronoun US /ˈeniwʌn/

any person at all

From this reading “Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.”

Free adjective US /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading “There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.”

Need noun US /need/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.”

Think noun US /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.”

All words in this reading · 68

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 Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

ANOTHERnounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading ANOTHER CHANCE.

anyonepronounUS /ˈeniwʌn/

any person at all

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

Ashford

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

bear

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

burden

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

Canon

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

CHANCE

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

From this reading ANOTHER CHANCE.

clergyman's

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

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

evening

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

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

freeadjectiveUS /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

generally

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

harass

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

hung

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

man

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

Minor

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

Mr

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

much

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

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

neck

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

neednounUS /need/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

occupied

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

only

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

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

parish

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

pleasantly

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

prayers

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

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

priest

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

rarely

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

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

sermon

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

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

shoulders

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

supposed

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

There

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

thinknounUS /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had only the morning and evening prayers to think of, very rarely even a sermon.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

tranquil

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

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

unable

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

very

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

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

weight

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading There was no need for him to harass himself about the poor, who are generally a burden upon the shoulders or hung about the neck of the parish priest; he was free from that weight which he had found himself unable to bear.

work

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

From this reading He had not very much of a clergyman’s work to do.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Mr. Ashford, the Minor Canon, had, anyone would have supposed, as tranquil yet as pleasantly occupied a life as a man could have.