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And Five Were Foolish
And Five Were Foolish

Chapter X

Cover illustration for And Five Were Foolish
Context Illustration Reading 1/109 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
I heard the step on the landing before he did.
So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
That was a week ago.
And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
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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.

And Five Were Foolish

Chapter X

Reading 1/109 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
Line 2
I heard the step on the landing before he did.
Line 3
So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
Line 4
That was a week ago.
Line 5
And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

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 “I heard the step on the landing before he did.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.”

Step noun US /step/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I heard the step on the landing before he did.”

All words in this reading · 80

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 So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

adding

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

ago

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

From this reading That was a week ago.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

any

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

away

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

back

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

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.

better

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

bottle

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

broke

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

bull

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

chair

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

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

ComenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.

door

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

electric

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

entered

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

fact

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

faded

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

friend

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.

heard

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

From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.

hearing

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

hit

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

infamous

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

lamp

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

landing

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

From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.

leaning

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

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

lips

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

man

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

more

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

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

nose

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

now

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

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.

once

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

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

opened

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

other

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

out

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

owe

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

quietly

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

rate

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

regarding

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

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

rush

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

Russian

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

sang

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

say

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

send

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

stepnounUS /step/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

ugly

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

From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.

vis-à-vis

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

From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.

vocative

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading That was a week ago.

week

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

From this reading That was a week ago.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

white

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

wine

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

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.