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Original Short Stories — Volume 11
Original Short Stories — Volume 11

Chapter III

Cover illustration for Original Short Stories — Volume 11
Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
“They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
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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.

Original Short Stories — Volume 11

Chapter III

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
Line 2
The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
Line 3
“They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
Line 4
When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
Line 5
This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

Learner Dictionary

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

Dream noun US /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading ““They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.”

Make noun US /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.”

Till preposition US /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading ““They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.”

All words in this reading · 84

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 had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

acquaintance

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

all

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

balls

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

bats

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

beauty

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

blonde

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

blue

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

boys

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

came

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

chits

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

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

contain

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

daughters

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

divine

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

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

dreams

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

dry

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

elder

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

English

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

Englishwoman

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

Englishwomen

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

eyes

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

family

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

father

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

games

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

happiness

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

heavenly

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

hopes

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

hotel

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

kind

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

like

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

made

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

men

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

minds

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

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

mother

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

night

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

other

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

play

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

poetry

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

pretty

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

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

rackets

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

rough

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

see

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

seems

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

shrivelled-up

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

sons

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

stopping

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

then

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

there

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

two

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

up

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

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.

world

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

From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.

younger

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

From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.