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New Grub Street
New Grub Street

Chapter XXVII · Catastrophe

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Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’
Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.
A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.
‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.
‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.
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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.

New Grub Street

Chapter XXVII · Catastrophe

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

Line 1
Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’
Line 2
Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.
Line 3
A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.
Line 4
‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.
Line 5
‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.”

Manuscript noun US /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.

From this reading “‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.”

Next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.”

Pipe noun US /pipe/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.”

All words in this reading · 83

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 Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

allusive

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

author

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

benignity

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

black

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

Club

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

comments

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

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

Cyriac

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

draft

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

father

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

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

finished

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

fire

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

flattering

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

general

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

happy

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

Harrington

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

HerdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

ignorance

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

inclination

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

incredible

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

James

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

lamp

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

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

large

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

made

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

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

manuscriptnounUS /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

Marian

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

midnight

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

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

more

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

mouthpiece

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

mustn't

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

nextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

Oceana

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

paper

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

paragraphs

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

Perhaps

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

pipe

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

rain

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

readers

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

Rota

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

rough

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

said

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

say

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

singularly

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

sit

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

Skinner

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

sky

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

sooty

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

strengthened

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

strike

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

study

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

talk

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

tapping

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Marian had finished the rough draft of a paper on James Harrington, author of ‘Oceana.’

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

ThosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

tone

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

From this reading A black sky and sooty rain strengthened his inclination to sit by the study fire and talk at large in a tone of flattering benignity.

too

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

two

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Her father went through it by the midnight lamp, and the next morning made his comments.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading ‘Those paragraphs on the Rota Club strike me as singularly happy,’ he said, tapping the manuscript with the mouthpiece of his pipe.

word

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

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading ‘Perhaps you might say a word or two more about Cyriac Skinner; one mustn’t be too allusive with general readers, their ignorance is incredible.