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Ambrotox and Limping Dick
Ambrotox and Limping Dick

Chapter XI

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Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE STAIRS.
The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Ambrotox and Limping Dick

Chapter XI

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE STAIRS.
Line 2
The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
Line 3
The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
Line 4
The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
Line 5
The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

Learner Dictionary

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

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.”

Beyond preposition US /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading “The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.”

Dick noun US /dick/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.”

Passage noun US /ˈpassage/

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

From this reading “The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

appeared

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

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

arch

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

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

archway

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

attempt

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

bad

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

balustrade

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

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

broad

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

comfort

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

corridor

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

decoration

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

delicately

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

Dick

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

ended

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

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

entrance

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

expected

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

eye

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

failure

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

flight

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

floor

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

forced

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

furniture

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

girl

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

hall

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

harmony

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

hide

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

landing

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

larger

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

made

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

money

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

more

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

mounted

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

out

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

passagenounUS /ˈpassage/

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

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

pretentious

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

projection

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

rails

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

single

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

sort

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

spent

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

From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.

square

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

staircase

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

From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.

STAIRS

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

From this reading THE STAIRS.

stepped

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE STAIRS.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.

wider

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

From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.