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Là-Bas
Là-Bas

Chapter II

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Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.
They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.
Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.
Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.
His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Là-Bas

Chapter II

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.
Line 2
They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.
Line 3
Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.
Line 4
Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.
Line 5
His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

Learner Dictionary

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

Believe noun US /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading “His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.”

Books noun US /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading “They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

accounting

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

From this reading Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.

ago

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

aristocracy

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

associate

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

believenounUS /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

believed

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

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

belonged

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

book-chat

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

ceased

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

classes

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

columns

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

commercial

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

conversation

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

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

difficulty

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

From this reading Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.

Durtal

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

effervescent

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

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

experience

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.

forming

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

illusion

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

From this reading Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.

impossible

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

intelligence

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

led

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

letters

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

literary

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

magazines

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

man

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

men

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

monopoly

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

Nearly

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

persistence

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

From this reading Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.

read

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

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

represented

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

sad

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

sparkled

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

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

stimulating

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

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

TheirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Durtal had difficulty accounting to himself for the persistence of this illusion.

thoroughly

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

two

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

utterly

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

From this reading His sad experience led him to believe that every literary man belonged to one of two classes, the thoroughly commercial or the utterly impossible.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading They were represented in books and in the book-chat columns of magazines as forming an aristocracy which had a monopoly on intelligence.

wit

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

From this reading Their conversation, if one believed what one read, sparkled with effervescent and stimulating wit.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.

years

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

From this reading Nearly two years ago Durtal had ceased to associate with men of letters.