Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Destroying Angel
The Destroying Angel

Chapter XIII

Cover illustration for The Destroying Angel
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.
The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.
He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.
Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.
As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Destroying Angel

Chapter XIII

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.
Line 2
The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.
Line 3
He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.
Line 4
Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.
Line 5
As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

Learner Dictionary

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

Expecting verb US /ɪkˈspektɪŋ/

thinking that somebody or something will arrive

From this reading “Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.”

Interrupted noun US /ˈinterrupted/

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

From this reading “He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....”

Make noun US /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.”

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.”

Sail noun US /sail/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.”

Second noun US /second/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.”

Waiting noun US /ˈwaiting/

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

From this reading “He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.”

All words in this reading · 80

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 Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

all

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

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

announce

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

back

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

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

biggest

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

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

boats

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

breakfast

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

business

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

call

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

closed

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

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

concluded

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

departure

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

door

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

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

door-bell

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

down

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

dozen

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

Ember

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

enabled

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

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

ExpectingverbUS /ɪkˈspektɪŋ/

thinking that somebody or something will arrive

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

eye

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

fastest

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

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

fingers

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

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

Friday

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

hand

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

hasty

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

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

instantly

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

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

interruptednounUS /ˈinterrupted/

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

just

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

list

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

listed

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

news

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

paper

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

pick

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

ran

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

receiver

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

remove

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

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

reservation

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

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

Returning

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

round

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

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

sailnounUS /sail/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

sailings

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

Saturday

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

saw

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

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

scheduled

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

second

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

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

shipping

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

table

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

telephone

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

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The telephone enabled him to make a hasty reservation on the biggest and fastest of them all.

things

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

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

threw

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

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

turned

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

up

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

From this reading Returning to the breakfast table, he took up the paper, turned to the shipping news and ran his eye down the list of scheduled sailings: nothing for Friday; his pick of half a dozen boats listed to sail Saturday.

waiter

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

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

waiting

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Expecting the waiter to remove the breakfast things, he went to the door, threw it open, and turned back instantly to the telephone.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.

wife

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

From this reading As his fingers closed round the receiver a second time, he looked round and saw his wife....

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He had just concluded that business and was waiting with his hand on the receiver to call up Ember and announce his departure, when the door-bell interrupted.