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A Man's World
A Man's World

Chapter V

Cover illustration for A Man's World
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
There was immense loneliness—and fear.
The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.
But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?
At best the chances were only even.
In any case the one trade I knew was gone.
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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.

A Man's World

Chapter V

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
There was immense loneliness—and fear.
Line 2
The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.
Line 3
But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?
Line 4
At best the chances were only even.
Line 5
In any case the one trade I knew was gone.

Learner Dictionary

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

Beyond preposition US /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading “But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At best the chances were only even.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “In any case the one trade I knew was gone.”

Saved noun US /saved/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.”

All words in this reading · 47

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There was immense loneliness—and fear.

any

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

From this reading In any case the one trade I knew was gone.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At best the chances were only even.

back

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

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

best

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

From this reading At best the chances were only even.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

bill

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

case

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

From this reading In any case the one trade I knew was gone.

chances

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

From this reading At best the chances were only even.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

doctor's

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

dollars

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At best the chances were only even.

eyes

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

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

fear

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

From this reading There was immense loneliness—and fear.

few

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

gone

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

From this reading In any case the one trade I knew was gone.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

hundred

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

immense

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

From this reading There was immense loneliness—and fear.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

keep

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

knew

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

From this reading In any case the one trade I knew was gone.

loneliness

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

From this reading There was immense loneliness—and fear.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

months

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading In any case the one trade I knew was gone.

only

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

From this reading At best the chances were only even.

Oxford

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

pay

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

savednounUS /saved/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

some

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

studying

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.

There

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

From this reading There was immense loneliness—and fear.

trade

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

From this reading In any case the one trade I knew was gone.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was immense loneliness—and fear.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading At best the chances were only even.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading But what was there beyond, if my eyes did not come back?

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading The few hundred dollars I had saved for studying in Oxford would pay the doctor’s bill and keep me for some months.