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Simon the Jester
Simon the Jester

Chapter II

Cover illustration for Simon the Jester
Context Illustration Reading 1/63 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
Dale himself had gone.
A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
I asked him how he knew.
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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.

Simon the Jester

Chapter II

Reading 1/63 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
Line 2
Dale himself had gone.
Line 3
A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
Line 4
As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
Line 5
I asked him how he knew.

Learner Dictionary

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

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I asked him how he knew.”

Half-way noun US /half-way/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “Dale himself had gone.”

Second noun US /second/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.”

Surprised noun US /surprised/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.”

All words in this reading · 48

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 A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

arcade

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I asked him how he knew.

awaiting

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

brougham

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

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

called

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

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

chambers

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

Dale

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

From this reading Dale himself had gone.

Dale's

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

detailed

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

down

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

electric

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

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

floor

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

gone

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

From this reading Dale himself had gone.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Dale himself had gone.

half-waynounUS /half-way/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

handwriting

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading I asked him how he knew.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading Dale himself had gone.

how

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

From this reading I asked him how he knew.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I asked him how he knew.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

information

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

knew

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

From this reading I asked him how he knew.

lady

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

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

lay

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

letters

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

library

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

Rogers

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

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

Rogers's

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

round

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

said

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

From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.

second

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

signature

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

Some

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

staircase

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

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

surprisednounUS /surprised/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.

table

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.