Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Enemies
Enemies

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for Enemies
Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."
"I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!
I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."
Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.
It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.
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.

Enemies

Chapter VII

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."
Line 2
"I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!
Line 3
I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."
Line 4
Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.
Line 5
It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

Learner Dictionary

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

Already noun US /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.”

Believe noun US /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading “I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."”

Besides preposition US /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading “A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."”

Bitterly adverb US /ˈbɪtərli/

in a way that shows deep pain or grief

From this reading “Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.”

Chilly adjective US /ˈtʃɪli/

unpleasantly cold

From this reading “A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."”

Has auxiliary verb US /hæz/

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

From this reading “A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!”

LITTLE noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

arose

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

awful

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

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

beautiful

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

believenounUS /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."

bell

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

besidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

bitterlyadverbUS /ˈbɪtərli/

in a way that shows deep pain or grief

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

book

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

From this reading I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."

breakfast

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

chillyadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɪli/

unpleasantly cold

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

Deans

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

From this reading I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."

dear

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

doors

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

early

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

face

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

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

garden

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

getting

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

heard

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

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

HUGH

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

lad

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

lessons

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

LITTLEnounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

mother

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

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

mother's

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

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

night

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

October

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

old

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

From this reading I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

out

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

picked

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

From this reading I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."

position

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

rung

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

simply

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

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

SOLDIER

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

spoke

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

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

sums

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

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

swing

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

too

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

troubled

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

From this reading Hugh spoke bitterly, and his mother's face took a troubled look.

twice

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

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

up

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

vain

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading "I know, mother, I heard it, but my sums were simply awful!

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

worked

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

From this reading It was a beautiful October morning, and Hugh, who had worked in vain at his lessons the night before, arose early and took up his position on the swing in the garden.

worst

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

From this reading I believe old Deans picked out the worst in the book."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading A LITTLE SOLDIER "HUGH, dear lad, it is getting too chilly for you to do your lessons out of doors; besides, the breakfast bell has rung twice already."