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

Chapter XX

Cover illustration for Follow the Ball
Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.
Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.
As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.
He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.
But in July his plans had been changed.
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.

Follow the Ball

Chapter XX

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.
Line 2
Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.
Line 3
As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.
Line 4
He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.
Line 5
But in July his plans had been changed.

Learner Dictionary

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

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.”

Running noun US /ˈrunning/

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

From this reading “Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.”

All words in this reading · 78

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 CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

applied

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

From this reading He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

assigned

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

From this reading He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

back

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

bases

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

CALLED

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

changed

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

From this reading But in July his plans had been changed.

COLORS

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

dormitory

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

earnestly

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

eight

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

fall

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.

front

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

From this reading He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

Hal

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

Hall

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

From this reading He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

heavier

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading But in July his plans had been changed.

Holman's

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

hoped

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

inch

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

Joe

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

July

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

From this reading But in July his plans had been changed.

June

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

knew

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

Levering

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

From this reading He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.

longer

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

months

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

most

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

nearly

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

now

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

off

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

older

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.

plans

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

From this reading But in July his plans had been changed.

pounds

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

practice

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

preceding

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

privileged

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

room

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

runningnounUS /ˈrunning/

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

school

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

senior

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

September

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

Some

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

stay

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

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

studies

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

From this reading He had applied for and been assigned one of the front studies in Levering Hall.

taller

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

there

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

From this reading As Hal was no longer there, and, since he was now a senior, he was privileged to room in the senior dormitory.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

three

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading CALLED TO THE COLORS In September Joe was back again at Holman’s, three months older, nearly an inch taller than he had been the preceding fall and a good eight pounds heavier than when he had left school in June.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Some of those eight pounds, he knew, would come off when he began running the bases in fall practice, but he earnestly hoped that most of them would stay with him.