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Final Proof
Final Proof

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for Final Proof
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"
Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.
The man was Mr. Leroy Mitchel's English valet.
Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.
That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Final Proof

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"
Line 2
Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.
Line 3
The man was Mr. Leroy Mitchel's English valet.
Line 4
Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.
Line 5
That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

Learner Dictionary

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

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.”

EMERALD noun US /ˈemərəld/

a bright green precious stone

From this reading “IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.”

However adverb US /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading “That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.”

Speak noun US /speak/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.”

Throughout preposition US /θruːˈaʊt/

in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period

From this reading “Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.”

All words in this reading · 66

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 That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

accent

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

all

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

American

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

apparent

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

attractive

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

Barnes

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

certain

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

cockney

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

Contrary

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

deferential

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

dialect

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

distribution

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

ear

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

EMERALDnounUS /ˈemərəld/

a bright green precious stone

From this reading IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"

English

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

From this reading The man was Mr. Leroy Mitchel's English valet.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

eye

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

greet

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

h

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

immediately

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"

Inspector

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

From this reading IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"

Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"

island

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

IV

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

From this reading IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"

Leroy

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

From this reading The man was Mr. Leroy Mitchel's English valet.

letter

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

man

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

From this reading The man was Mr. Leroy Mitchel's English valet.

manner

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

Mitchel's

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

From this reading The man was Mr. Leroy Mitchel's English valet.

MONTEZUMA

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

From this reading IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"

Mr

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

native

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

observed

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

peculiar

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

politeness

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

precedent

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

proper

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

rather

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

recognized

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

seldom

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

servants

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

speak

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

speaker

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

stumbling

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading IV THE MONTEZUMA EMERALD "Is the Inspector in?"

throughoutprepositionUS /θruːˈaʊt/

in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

too

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

From this reading That he was English, however, was apparent to the ear, because of a certain rather attractive accent, peculiar to his native island, and to the eye because of a deferential politeness of manner, too seldom observed in American servants.

tradition

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

turned

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

valet

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

From this reading The man was Mr. Leroy Mitchel's English valet.

vocabulary

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

From this reading Contrary to all precedent and tradition, he did not speak in cockney dialect, not even stumbling over the proper distribution of the letter "h" throughout his vocabulary.

voice

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

From this reading Mr. Barnes immediately recognized the voice, and turned to greet the speaker.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The man was Mr. Leroy Mitchel's English valet.