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

Chapter XI

Cover illustration for Jocelyn
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.
It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.
From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.
Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.
The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.
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.

Jocelyn

Chapter XI

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.
Line 2
It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.
Line 3
From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.
Line 4
Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.
Line 5
The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.”

Chorus noun US /ˈkɔrəs/

a group singing together

From this reading “The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.”

Either determiner US /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading “It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.”

Outside noun US /ˈoutside/

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

From this reading “Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.”

Thin adjective US /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading “The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.”

Tobacco noun US /ˈtobacco/

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

From this reading “Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.”

All words in this reading · 88

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 Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

air

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

avenue

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

back

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

bed

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

black

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

boarded

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

bridge

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

café

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

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

came

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

cantina

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

chorusnounUS /ˈkɔrəs/

a group singing together

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

clack

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

croaked

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

dark

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

dominoes

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

doors

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

down

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

drawlingly

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

dried

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

dubiously

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

dull

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

ears

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

feet

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

flap

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

floor

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

foliage

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

frogs

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

garlic

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

gently

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

harp

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

hoarsely

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

interior

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

lights

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

lime

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

lower

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

made

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

mandolin

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

many

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

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

marble-topped

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

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

men's

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

Nielsen

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

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

nose

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

occasional

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

outsidenounUS /ˈoutside/

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

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

quavered

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

rough

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

sat

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

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

sharper

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

shone

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

side

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

slippered

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

sounds

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

strains

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

stray

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

street

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

tables

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

From this reading Nielsen sat at one of many little marble-topped tables outside a café.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

thinadjectiveUS /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

tobacconounUS /ˈtobacco/

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

trees

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

voices

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

waiters

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

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.

warm

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was dark, and the lights of the street avenue shone dubiously on either side through the foliage of the lime trees.

watercourse

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

From this reading The thin strains of harp and mandolin quavered drawlingly into the warm air from a _cantina_ lower down the street, and frogs croaked hoarsely in chorus from the bed of the dried watercourse under the bridge.

way

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

whiffs

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

widely-opened

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

windows

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

From this reading Through the widely-opened doors and windows stray whiffs of rough, black tobacco, and of garlic, made their way to his nose.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading From the interior of the café, at his back, the dull clack of dominoes and the flap of waiters’ slippered feet against the boarded floor came gently to his ears, with the occasional sharper sounds of men’s voices.