English

This afternoon she was peculiarly restive.

1. peculiar  [pɪˋkjuljɚ] (adj.) strange, often in a unpleasant way

A few people lingered round and praised her playing, but finding that she made no reply, dispersed to their rooms to write up thieir diaries or to sleep.

1. linger  [ˋlɪŋgɚ] (v.) to stay somewhere longer or spend longer doing something than necessary for your own enjoyment or benefit

〝My dear,〞said the old man gently, 〝I think that you are repeating what you have heard older people say. You are pretending to be touchy, but you are not really. Stop being so tiresome, and tell me instead what part of the church you want to see. To take you to it will be a real pleasure.〞

1. touchy (adj.) tending to become angry or upset very easily

Now, this was abominably impertinent, and she ought to have been furious. But it is sometimes as difficult to lose one's temper as it is difficult at other times to keep it. Lucy could not get across.

1. abominable  [əˋbɑmənəb!] (adj.) [ formal ] extremely bad, offensive, or unpleasant

They were tired, and under the guise of unselfishness they wrangled.

1. guise  [gaɪz] (n.) [ formal ] the way someone or somethng appears to people

It was then that she saw, pinned up over the washstand, a sheet of paper on which was scrawled an enormous note of interrogation. Nothing more.

1. interrogation mark (n.) a question mark

〝Ah, then you look into the court.〞 She sighed. 〝If only Mr. Emerson was more tactful! We were so sorry for you at dinner.〞

1. tactful  [ˋtæktfəl] (adj.) someone who is tactful is very careful in the way they speak and behave so that they do not upset other people

1. gen = birth; begin

    engender (v.) [ formal ] to cause a feeling or attitude to exist

Some of their neighbours interchanged glances, and one of them─one of the ill-bred people whom one does meet abroad─leant forward over the table and actually intruded into their argument.

1. intrude  [ɪnˋtrud] (v.) to become involved in a situation in a way that is not welcome to other people, for example by getting involved in their private lives

There have also been problems in financing these expensive projects, and in buying large quantities of environmentally friendly building materials.

1. finance (v.) to pay for something such as a large project