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At Pinney's Ranch: 1898
At Pinney's Ranch: 1898

Chapter I

Cover illustration for At Pinney's Ranch: 1898
Context Illustration Reading 1/57 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.
She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.
In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.
He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.
As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.
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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.

At Pinney's Ranch: 1898

Chapter I

Reading 1/57 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.
Line 2
She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.
Line 3
In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.
Line 4
He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.
Line 5
As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

Learner Dictionary

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

Although noun US /ˈalthough/

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

From this reading “In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.”

Herself pronoun US /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading “As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.”

John noun US /john/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.”

Powers noun US /powers/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.”

Somebody pronoun US /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading “In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.”

Until preposition US /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.”

All words in this reading · 77

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 She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

althoughnounUS /ˈalthough/

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

came

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

From this reading He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.

charming

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

cheeks

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

closed

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

color

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

direction

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

evening

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.

experimented

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

eyes

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

failed

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

From this reading He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.

figure

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

friend

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

gave

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

gray

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

Hollister

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

Hollister's

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

From this reading He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.

house

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

influence

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.

John

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

knew

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

ladies

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

Lansing

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

laughed

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

lips

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

Mary

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

met

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

mind-reading

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

nearly

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

From this reading He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

palm

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

pastime

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

Pinney

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

placed

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

powersnounUS /powers/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

pretty

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

rosy

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

sister

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

soft

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

From this reading She had soft gray eyes, a pretty color in her cheeks, rosy lips, and a charming figure.

some

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

somebodypronounUS /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

subject

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

From this reading He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.

succeed

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

suggested

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

supposed

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

turn

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

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading He failed with nearly every subject until it came Mary Hollister's turn.

up

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

From this reading As she placed her soft palm in his, closed her eyes, and gave herself up to his influence, he knew that he should succeed with her, and so he did.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

wife

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

From this reading John Lansing first met Mary Hollister at the house of his friend Pinney, whose wife was her sister.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading In the course of the evening somebody suggested mind-reading as a pastime, and Lansing, who had some powers, or supposed powers, in that direction, although he laughed at them himself, experimented in turn with the ladies.