Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
A Strange Story — Volume 04
A Strange Story — Volume 04

Chapter V

Cover illustration for A Strange Story — Volume 04
Context Illustration Reading 1/45 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.
Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.
But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.
The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.
Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Strange Story — Volume 04

Chapter V

Reading 1/45 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.
Line 2
Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.
Line 3
But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.
Line 4
The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.
Line 5
Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.

Learner Dictionary

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

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.”

Manuscript noun US /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.

From this reading “The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.”

Submit verb US /səbˈmɪt/

to accept another person's control or a difficult situation

From this reading “Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.”

Whether conjunction US /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading “The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.”

All words in this reading · 86

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 The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

all

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

alleged

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

attained

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

From this reading Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.

attention

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.

BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

childhood

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

From this reading The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.

commenced

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

From this reading The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.

contents

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

correct

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

decipher

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

deeply

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

desire

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

detained

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

died

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

From this reading Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.

evidently

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

exclusively

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

experiments

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

eye

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

frequently

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

grammatically

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

handwriting

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

hard

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

haste

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

imperfection

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

impress

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

ink

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

intimated

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

Latin

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

letter

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

ManuscriptnounUS /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

Memoir

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

men

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

more

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

much

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

narrative

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

From this reading The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.

Nature

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

necessarily

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

obscure

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

page

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

parents

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

From this reading Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.

parts

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

peculiar

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

person

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

read

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

related

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

remembrance

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

scholars

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

science

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

secrets

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

served

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

From this reading But all that detained the eye and attention on the page necessarily served to impress the contents more deeply on remembrance.

seventh

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

From this reading Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.

sketch

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

From this reading The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.

small

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

some

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

Strahan

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

submitverbUS /səbˈmɪt/

to accept another person's control or a difficult situation

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

ThosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.

writer

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

From this reading Those parts of the Memoir which related to experiments, or alleged secrets in Nature, that the writer intimated a desire to submit exclusively to scholars or men of science, were in Latin,--and Latin which, though grammatically correct, was frequently obscure.

writer's

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

From this reading The narrative commenced with the writer's sketch of his childhood.

written

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

From this reading The Manuscript was written in a small and peculiar handwriting, which, though evidently by the same person whose letter to Strahan I had read, was, whether from haste or some imperfection in the ink, much more hard to decipher.

year

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

From this reading Both his parents had died before he attained his seventh year.