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Status Quo
Status Quo

Chapter IV

Cover illustration for Status Quo
Context Illustration Reading 1/95 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.
He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.
One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.
Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.
Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.
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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.

Status Quo

Chapter IV

Reading 1/95 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.
Line 2
He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.
Line 3
One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.
Line 4
Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.
Line 5
Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

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 “Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.”

Astonished adjective US /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

very surprised

From this reading “He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.”

Keenly adverb US /ˈkiːnli/

with sharp attention or strong interest

From this reading “He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.”

Need noun US /need/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.”

Party noun US /party/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.”

Suppose noun US /ˈsuppose/

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

From this reading “Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.”

All words in this reading · 93

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 ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

Admittedly

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

From this reading Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.

ago

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

From this reading Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

arguing

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

assimilating

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

astonishedadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

very surprised

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

aware

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

change

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

circles

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

cocktail

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

contempt

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

contrary

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

country's

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

decided

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

department

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

develop

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

dismissing

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

drifted

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

evidently

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

extent

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

flicked

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

glumly

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

group

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

he'd

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

intellectual

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

judgments

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

keenlyadverbUS /ˈkiːnli/

with sharp attention or strong interest

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

labeling

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

Larry

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

moment

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

Movement

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

neednounUS /need/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

off

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

only

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

From this reading Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.

organization

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

other

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

own

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

From this reading Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.

partynounUS /party/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

phone

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

quo

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

reaction

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

From this reading Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.

result

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

Sam

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

scientifically

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

screen

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

social-label

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

society's

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

Sokolski

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

spread

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

stared

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

status

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

SupposenounUS /ˈsuppose/

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

technically

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

trained

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

up

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

use

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

vacant

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

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

week

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

From this reading Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.

weird

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

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading ------------------------------------- When Sam Sokolski had flicked off, Larry stared at the vacant phone screen for a long moment, assimilating what the other had told him.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Suppose that he’d been at a cocktail party, and had drifted up to a group who were arguing about social-label judgments and the need to develop a _movement_ to change society’s use of them.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading One result, he decided glumly, of labeling everything contrary to the _status quo_ as _weird_ and dismissing it with contempt.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading He was astonished that an organization such as the Movement could have spread to the extent it evidently had through the country’s intellectual circles, through the scientifically and technically trained, without his department being keenly aware of it.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Admittedly, that would have been his own reaction only a week ago.