Chapter XXXIX
THE THEORIES OF A NOVELIST The novelist smiled. He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him. He raised his voice a little. There were others standing around. He fancied himself already the centre of the group.
The Betrayal
Chapter XXXIX
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THE
THEORIES
OF
A
NOVELIST
The
novelist
smiled.
He
had
been
buttonholed
by
a
very
great
man,
which
pleased
him.
He
raised
his
voice
a
little.
There
were
others
standing
around.
He
fancied
himself
already
the
centre
of
the
group.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
THE
THEORIES
OF
A
NOVELIST
The
novelist
smiled.
Line 2
He
had
been
buttonholed
by
a
very
great
man,
which
pleased
him.
Line 3
He
raised
his
voice
a
little.
Line 4
There
were
others
standing
around.
Line 5
He
fancied
himself
already
the
centre
of
the
group.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Already
noun
US /already/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He fancied himself already the centre of the group.”
Around
preposition
US /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “There were others standing around.”
Been
auxiliary verb
US /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.”
Great
noun
US /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.”
Himself
pronoun
US /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “He fancied himself already the centre of the group.”
Little
noun
US /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He raised his voice a little.”
Pleased
noun
US /ˈpleased/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.”
Standing
noun
US /ˈstanding/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “There were others standing around.”
All words in this reading · 31
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 THE THEORIES OF A NOVELIST The novelist smiled.
alreadynounUS /already/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He fancied himself already the centre of the group.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading There were others standing around.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
buttonholed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
centre
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He fancied himself already the centre of the group.
fancied
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He fancied himself already the centre of the group.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
group
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He fancied himself already the centre of the group.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He fancied himself already the centre of the group.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He raised his voice a little.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He raised his voice a little.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
NOVELIST
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE THEORIES OF A NOVELIST The novelist smiled.
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE THEORIES OF A NOVELIST The novelist smiled.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were others standing around.
pleasednounUS /ˈpleased/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
raised
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He raised his voice a little.
smiled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE THEORIES OF A NOVELIST The novelist smiled.
standingnounUS /ˈstanding/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading There were others standing around.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE THEORIES OF A NOVELIST The novelist smiled.
THEORIES
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE THEORIES OF A NOVELIST The novelist smiled.
There
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were others standing around.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.
voice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He raised his voice a little.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were others standing around.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He had been buttonholed by a very great man, which pleased him.